Peter Fleming Addresses the Jury

John Mitchell's defense attorney, Peter E. Fleming, along with assistant counsel John Sprizzo, successfully defended their client. Mitchell had already been indicted for perjury in the Watergate scandal when United States v. John Mitchell et al. began. The defendants were on trial for unethical handling of funds by the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Fleming emphasized during the course of the trial that Mitchell worked to see Nixon re-elected, not to enrich himself. The jury found Mitchell and Stans not guilty. However, Mitchell served nineteen months in prison for his role in Watergate.