He cited his experience as a lawyer in the Watergate investigations, his record as Senator from Tennessee, his part as a legal defense lawyer for Lewis Libby, and his record as District Attorney of New York City.

A reporter was ejected from the news conference for pointing out that Thompson was never a DA, and only played the role on the television program Law and Order. A Thompson spokesman later quoted Ronald Reagan, who famously claimed heroic deeds that only happened in movies, "If you tell the same story five times, it's true."