Scandal in Presidential History: Hamilton Jordan
In the late 1970s, the hottest night spot in New York City was Studio 54, a place where the "beautiful people" came to party. Entry to the club was restricted and its reign came to an end the nightclub in December 1978 when the club was raided by the IRS and its owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were arrested for skimming $2.5 million. Schrager and Rubell pleaded guilty to tax evasion and spent 13 months of a three and a half year sentence in prison. They were allowed to serve the last portion of their sentence in a halfway house in New York before receiving parole, thanks to their cooperation with authorities in helping to apprehend other tax evaders. Among the information given to authorities was the allegation that Hamilton Jordan, who was Chief of Staff to President Jimmy Carter, had attended the nightclub and had used cocaine there on several occasions. It remains unclear if this was true, or if the story was concocted by Rubell to lessen his sentence.
The story was picked up by the media in part because Jordan was such a controversial figure. Jordan was among the many rookies that Carter brought in to run his White House. His team was nicknamed the "Georgia Mafia" by some members of the Washington media.
William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan was born September 21, 1944 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He grew up in Albany, Georgia and attended the University of Georgia in Athens, graduating with a degree in Political Science in 1967. After being disqualified from military service due to leg problems, he worked as a civilian volunteer in Vietnam during the war there, assisting refugees. He was sent home with black water fever. After his return, he said "there was no escaping the fact that the war was wrong."
In 1970, at the age of 26, Jordan ran Jimmy Carter's successful gubernatorial campaign, which included a Democratic primary election fight against former Governor Carl Sanders and the general election against the Republican Hal Suit. While serving as Governor Carter's executive assistant, Jordan wrote a lengthy memorandum for Carter detailing a strategy for winning the 1976 Democratic Primary. Years later, Jordan's memo was used as the blueprint for Carter's 1976 presidential bid.
Carter ran for president in the bicentennial year of 1976. He was labelled by his opponents as a peanut farmer, a born-again Christian, and a one-term governor. He used his status as the consummate Washington outsider as part of his campaign strategy. Following his successful election, Carter brought a whole team of outsiders to the White House as his inner circle. Reporter John Farrell wrote of Carter and his team, led by Jordan: "you dance with the ones that bring you. They were a very close-knit band of brothers. They did not have a lot in common with the national political party, they did not have a lot in common with the Congress. And they were pretty cocky guys as well."
Most of the key positions in Carter's executive branch were staffed by Georgians who had some connection to Carter. These included his budget director Bert Lance, his communications director Gerald Rafshoon, his domestic policy advisor Stuart Eizenstat, his Attorney General Griffin Bell, his appointments secretary Phil Wise, his Congressional liaison Frank Moore and his White House counsel Robert Lipshutz. The closer one came to Carter's inner circle, the longer and deeper the connection. At the core were Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, and his chief of staff, Jordan.
Once in the White House, Jordan again struggled to find a balance between policy and politics. Historian Alan Brinkley commented about how Jordan and Powell clashed with the Washington establishment. He wrote:
"The more sophisticated Georgetown dinner party crowd that wanted to get their hooks into the new president, and here you had these Georgians who were quite happy going around in blue jeans and going to Willie Nelson concerts. They did not fit into the Georgetown scene at all."
This rebellious style also contributed to the Carter administration's difficult relationship with Congress. Jordan feuded with leading Democrats like House Speaker Tip O’Neill from the start. An unwillingness to trade political favors soured many on Capitol Hill and tangibly affected Carter's ability to push through his ambitious agenda.
Jordan became a lightning rod for Carter's critics. Stories in the media repeated rumors of unprofessional behavior by Jordan, including supposed cocaine usage and anonymous sex at the infamous Studio 54 disco in New York City. Time Magazine reported the incident as follows:
Amid all the festivities aboard the Delta Queen, there came an ominous telephone call for President Carter at about 8:15 last Thursday night. It was the new Attorney General, Benjamin Civiletti. He regretfully told the President a stunning piece of news: he had just ordered the FBI to undertake a preliminary investigation of Carter’s two closest White House aides, Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan and Press Secretary Jody Powell. The reason: an allegation that Jordan had snorted cocaine during a visit to New York City’s Studio 54, a celebrated disco club — the first version of the story said in April 1978 — and that Powell had been with him at the time.
On “20‐20,” 28 year old drug dealer John Conaghan, known as "Johnny C", said that he had been at Studio 54 on the night of Mr. Jordan's reported visit and that he remembered “turning a few people on with cocaine” in a basement area. He said he was not introduced to Mr. Jordan but had been told by other people that he was one of those who had been “turned on.” Conaghan told his interviewer that he was not “100 percent sure” that he could identify Mr. Jordan as having been involved in the alleged incident.
The FBI interrogated Powell, who was on board a Mississippi riverboat with the President, and the also spoke to Jordan in D.C. Both men denyied the allegation. Jordan admitted that he did go to Studio 54 “for about an hour once” but did not use drugs. At the time, Studio 54’s owners were facing criminal charges for tax evasion, obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges. Rubell had hired notorious lawyer Roy M. Cohn, who had heard that Jordan and Powell had visited the club. Cohn, who was not above making false claims, recorded a statement from the dealer alleged to have provided the drugs and brought the tape to the FBI. Cohn told the FBI that Rubell would testify against Jordan and Powell only in exchange for immunity for himself. Jordan was a powerful figure at the time, and also had a reputation as a "partygoer.”
A special prosecutor was appointed to the case, but no charges were filed, as investigation failed to substantiate any of Rubell's claims. Jordan would later write, “I remember the ‘celebration’ in my office in the White House on the afternoon that Independent Counsel Arthur Christy announced that the grand jury had voted 24-0 against bringing an indictment against me. Christy — who obviously had figured out the scam that Roy Cohn had almost pulled off — announced that there was no serious evidence against me and told a few key press people on background that I had been ‘set up’ by Roy Cohn and friends.”
Another one of the most repeated stories about Jordan claimed that he had stared at the breasts of the Egyptian ambassador's wife at a Washington reception and remarked, "I have always wanted to see the pyramids". In his autobiography, entitled No Such Thing As A Bad Day, Jordan denied that it ever happened.
After Carter was defeated in his 1980 reelection bid, Jordan returned to the private sector. In 1986 he ran for the Democratic nomination for one of Georgia's seats in the United States Senate, but lost the primary to Representative Wyche Fowler, who went on to win the general election. In 1992, he became a high-level staffer on the presidential campaign of independent candidate Ross Perot. He went on to served as a member of the founders council and as a public advocate for Unity08, a political movement focused on reforming the American two party system.
Jordan died on May 20, 2008, aged 63, from peritoneal mesothelioma.
The story was picked up by the media in part because Jordan was such a controversial figure. Jordan was among the many rookies that Carter brought in to run his White House. His team was nicknamed the "Georgia Mafia" by some members of the Washington media.
William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan was born September 21, 1944 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He grew up in Albany, Georgia and attended the University of Georgia in Athens, graduating with a degree in Political Science in 1967. After being disqualified from military service due to leg problems, he worked as a civilian volunteer in Vietnam during the war there, assisting refugees. He was sent home with black water fever. After his return, he said "there was no escaping the fact that the war was wrong."
In 1970, at the age of 26, Jordan ran Jimmy Carter's successful gubernatorial campaign, which included a Democratic primary election fight against former Governor Carl Sanders and the general election against the Republican Hal Suit. While serving as Governor Carter's executive assistant, Jordan wrote a lengthy memorandum for Carter detailing a strategy for winning the 1976 Democratic Primary. Years later, Jordan's memo was used as the blueprint for Carter's 1976 presidential bid.
Carter ran for president in the bicentennial year of 1976. He was labelled by his opponents as a peanut farmer, a born-again Christian, and a one-term governor. He used his status as the consummate Washington outsider as part of his campaign strategy. Following his successful election, Carter brought a whole team of outsiders to the White House as his inner circle. Reporter John Farrell wrote of Carter and his team, led by Jordan: "you dance with the ones that bring you. They were a very close-knit band of brothers. They did not have a lot in common with the national political party, they did not have a lot in common with the Congress. And they were pretty cocky guys as well."
Most of the key positions in Carter's executive branch were staffed by Georgians who had some connection to Carter. These included his budget director Bert Lance, his communications director Gerald Rafshoon, his domestic policy advisor Stuart Eizenstat, his Attorney General Griffin Bell, his appointments secretary Phil Wise, his Congressional liaison Frank Moore and his White House counsel Robert Lipshutz. The closer one came to Carter's inner circle, the longer and deeper the connection. At the core were Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, and his chief of staff, Jordan.
Once in the White House, Jordan again struggled to find a balance between policy and politics. Historian Alan Brinkley commented about how Jordan and Powell clashed with the Washington establishment. He wrote:
"The more sophisticated Georgetown dinner party crowd that wanted to get their hooks into the new president, and here you had these Georgians who were quite happy going around in blue jeans and going to Willie Nelson concerts. They did not fit into the Georgetown scene at all."
This rebellious style also contributed to the Carter administration's difficult relationship with Congress. Jordan feuded with leading Democrats like House Speaker Tip O’Neill from the start. An unwillingness to trade political favors soured many on Capitol Hill and tangibly affected Carter's ability to push through his ambitious agenda.
Jordan became a lightning rod for Carter's critics. Stories in the media repeated rumors of unprofessional behavior by Jordan, including supposed cocaine usage and anonymous sex at the infamous Studio 54 disco in New York City. Time Magazine reported the incident as follows:
Amid all the festivities aboard the Delta Queen, there came an ominous telephone call for President Carter at about 8:15 last Thursday night. It was the new Attorney General, Benjamin Civiletti. He regretfully told the President a stunning piece of news: he had just ordered the FBI to undertake a preliminary investigation of Carter’s two closest White House aides, Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan and Press Secretary Jody Powell. The reason: an allegation that Jordan had snorted cocaine during a visit to New York City’s Studio 54, a celebrated disco club — the first version of the story said in April 1978 — and that Powell had been with him at the time.
On “20‐20,” 28 year old drug dealer John Conaghan, known as "Johnny C", said that he had been at Studio 54 on the night of Mr. Jordan's reported visit and that he remembered “turning a few people on with cocaine” in a basement area. He said he was not introduced to Mr. Jordan but had been told by other people that he was one of those who had been “turned on.” Conaghan told his interviewer that he was not “100 percent sure” that he could identify Mr. Jordan as having been involved in the alleged incident.
The FBI interrogated Powell, who was on board a Mississippi riverboat with the President, and the also spoke to Jordan in D.C. Both men denyied the allegation. Jordan admitted that he did go to Studio 54 “for about an hour once” but did not use drugs. At the time, Studio 54’s owners were facing criminal charges for tax evasion, obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges. Rubell had hired notorious lawyer Roy M. Cohn, who had heard that Jordan and Powell had visited the club. Cohn, who was not above making false claims, recorded a statement from the dealer alleged to have provided the drugs and brought the tape to the FBI. Cohn told the FBI that Rubell would testify against Jordan and Powell only in exchange for immunity for himself. Jordan was a powerful figure at the time, and also had a reputation as a "partygoer.”
A special prosecutor was appointed to the case, but no charges were filed, as investigation failed to substantiate any of Rubell's claims. Jordan would later write, “I remember the ‘celebration’ in my office in the White House on the afternoon that Independent Counsel Arthur Christy announced that the grand jury had voted 24-0 against bringing an indictment against me. Christy — who obviously had figured out the scam that Roy Cohn had almost pulled off — announced that there was no serious evidence against me and told a few key press people on background that I had been ‘set up’ by Roy Cohn and friends.”
Another one of the most repeated stories about Jordan claimed that he had stared at the breasts of the Egyptian ambassador's wife at a Washington reception and remarked, "I have always wanted to see the pyramids". In his autobiography, entitled No Such Thing As A Bad Day, Jordan denied that it ever happened.
After Carter was defeated in his 1980 reelection bid, Jordan returned to the private sector. In 1986 he ran for the Democratic nomination for one of Georgia's seats in the United States Senate, but lost the primary to Representative Wyche Fowler, who went on to win the general election. In 1992, he became a high-level staffer on the presidential campaign of independent candidate Ross Perot. He went on to served as a member of the founders council and as a public advocate for Unity08, a political movement focused on reforming the American two party system.
Jordan died on May 20, 2008, aged 63, from peritoneal mesothelioma.