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The Russia Scandal Is Looking More Like Watergate All the Time
http://prospect.org/article/russia-scandal-looking-more-watergate-all-timeThe Russia Scandal Is Looking More Like Watergate All the Time
Paul Waldman
January 15, 2018
Like Trump, Nixon retained the support of most Republicans as the scandal unfolded.
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Depending on when you want to start the clock, we're about a year and half into the Russia scandal. But Watergate took a long time to unravel, too. The break-in that started it occurred in June 1972; Richard Nixon didn't resign until August 1974. And as the scandal spooled out, it gradually became apparent that not only was Richard Nixon deeply corrupt, he had surrounded himself with figures who were equally corrupt. Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, Hunt, Colson, Liddy—when there were laws to be broken or schemes to enact, they were ready and willing.
I'm certain that when we look back on the Trump administration, we'll see something similar, that not only is Trump himself corrupt, but many of the people around him are as well. Can you imagine Barack Obama hiring someone like Paul Manafort—long known as one of the sleaziest operators in Washington, even before we knew about the money laundering—to run his campaign? Of course not. And he's just the beginning. Donald Trump has spent a lifetime acting as though the rules don't apply to him, because they usually don't. And so he has attracted people who feel the same way, or have ambitions to act as though they can get away with anything they want, whether we're talking about his real estate dealings or his campaign.
snip//
And just as Bob Woodward was told by Deep Throat to "Follow the money" (in the Hollywood version of the Watergate story, though not in real life), Special Counsel Robert Mueller is most definitely following the money, both Trump's and that of people around him. As the founders of Fusion GPS recently wrote, in their investigation of Trump, "we found widespread evidence that Mr. Trump and his organization had worked with a wide array of dubious Russians in arrangements that often raised questions about money laundering." If that part of the investigation doesn't lead to the discovery of multiple crimes, it will be a shock.
When we marvel at Trump supporters who will excuse almost anything the president does, we should remember that until very close to the end of his presidency, Nixon retained the support of most Republicans, who convinced themselves that the scandal was overblown and the president was being hounded unfairly by partisan opponents and a biased press. Had it not been for the release of the White House tapes with their incontrovertible evidence of Nixon's guilt, he might well have been able to continue in office.
There are some differences between the Russia scandal and Watergate, of course. Part of what protected Nixon for a long time was the fact the idea that the president of the United States was essentially running a criminal organization out of the Oval Office seemed too outlandish to believe. That is not the situation today. Given the Grand Guignol that each moment of the Trump presidency presents us with, there is almost no level of corruption or illegality on the part of this president that will come as a surprise if it is revealed. We remember Watergate, and we know how a story like this one can end.
23 replies
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longer to unravel. I'm good with the occasional indictments until Mueller and Co. get there.
Just yesterday I heard some idiot pundit opining that obstruction of justice will be hard to prove because it requires proving intent.
I was thinking, "Gosh imagine how easy it would be if your defendant had gone on national TV and confessed his intent..."
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/president-trump-this-russia-thing-is-a-made-up-story-941962819745
