ANNOUNCER: Bringing you the world for 20 years, this is CNN.</s>UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Only blocks from the White House where he was once one of the most powerful figures in the Reagan administration, John Poindexter arrived with his wife to hear the verdict. He showed no emotion has the jury foreman announced the decision: guilty on all five felony counts. The former national security adviser was convicted of conspiring to cover up the Iran- Contra affair, obstructing two congressional inquiries and lying to two congressional committees about the affair.</s>FRANK SESNO, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Poindexter, to some extent, was the orchestra leader. He wasn't playing any of the instruments, but he knew who was. And throughout all of this, the effort to shield the president from damage and from fallout was of paramount importance. So as these players started to fall, it got very close to the Oval Office.</s>DAN WEBB, CHIEF PROSECUTOR: There's no question that even being charitable to Admiral Poindexter, he did it because he wanted to protect the political viability of Ronald Reagan.</s>UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Ronald Reagan's former national security adviser stood stiffly and without comment has Judge Harold Green sentenced him to six months in jail. Green said prison was necessary to deter other officials from lying to Congress. Green imposed no fine. He said he gave Poindexter a relatively short prison sentence because of his past public service and the fact that none of the other Iran-Contra defendants went to jail.
CNN 20: John Poindexter Convicted, April 7, 1990