▁was ▁to ▁bug ▁O ' B rien ' s ▁phone ▁to ▁gather ▁political ▁and ▁financial ▁intelligence ▁on ▁the ▁Democr ats . ▁Instead , ▁Nich ter ▁s ided ▁with ▁late ▁journalist ▁J . ▁Anthony ▁L uk as ▁of ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Times , ▁who ▁had ▁concluded ▁that ▁the ▁committee ▁was ▁seeking ▁to ▁find ▁evidence ▁linking ▁the ▁Democr ats ▁to ▁prost itution , ▁as ▁it ▁was ▁alleg ed ▁that ▁Oliver ' s ▁office ▁had ▁been ▁used ▁to ▁ar range ▁such ▁meet ings . ▁However , ▁Nich ter ▁acknowled ged ▁that ▁Wood ward ▁and ▁Bern stein ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁O ' B rien ▁as ▁the ▁target ▁could ▁not ▁be ▁deb unk ed ▁unless ▁information ▁was ▁released ▁about ▁what ▁Bald win ▁heard ▁in ▁his ▁bug ging ▁of ▁convers ations . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 8 , ▁O ' B rien ▁was ▁appointed ▁by ▁Vice ▁President ▁Hub ert ▁Hum ph rey ▁to ▁serve ▁as ▁the ▁national ▁director ▁of ▁Hum ph rey ' s ▁president ial ▁campaign ▁and , ▁separately , ▁by ▁Howard ▁Hugh es ▁to ▁serve ▁as ▁Hugh es ' ▁public - policy ▁lo bb y ist ▁in ▁Washington . ▁O ' B rien ▁was ▁elected ▁national ▁chairman ▁of ▁the ▁D NC ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 8 ▁and ▁ 1 9 7 0 . ▁In ▁late ▁ 1 9 7 1 , ▁the ▁president ' s ▁brother , ▁Donald ▁N ixon , ▁was ▁collect ing ▁intelligence ▁for ▁his ▁brother ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁and ▁asked ▁John ▁H . ▁Me ier , ▁an ▁advis er ▁to