Nixon

Was Nixon Really Better Than Trump?

by James Robenalt

Nixon’s tapes show an embattled president acting the same way, only behind closed doors.

The Obituaries of Republicans Who Opposed Nixon’s Impeachment

by Ryan Goodman

Regardless of whether the congressmen voted for or against the articles of impeachment, their legacies were largely defined by this one moment.

Why No GOP Senator Will Stand Up to Trump

by Garrett M. Graff

Barry Goldwater had the power to tell Nixon it was all over. But don’t expect a repeat this time.

The History of Presidential Misconduct Beyond Watergate and Iran-Contra

by HNN Staff

At the AHA, James Banner, Kathryn Olmstead, Kevin Kruse, and Jeremi Suri discussed how they revived a long forgotten report on presidential misconduct. 

The Secret Plan to Force Out Nixon

by Tim Naftali

A newly released diary shows House Republican leaders pledging to oust the president months before he resigned. Why did they back down?

History is clear: Voters reward, rather than punish, political courage

by Jon Meacham and Michael E. Shepherd

Over the past six decades, courageous high-profile votes have tended not to cost the courageous their seats. From Southern Democrats who supported the Civil Acts Right of 1964 to Republicans who backed Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 through the Clinton impeachment in the 1990s, tough votes have been difficult but not necessarily fatal.

In 1974, one congressman lay awake at night, agonizing over impeachment

The name Walter Flowers has vanished from historical memory but on the eve of impeachment, Americans should remember him. 

From Consensus To Deadlock: Is Impeachment Still A Check On Presidents?

The arc of partisanship in impeachment, to some extent, matches the increased polarization of politics in America over the last 45 years. It moves from consensus to deadlock.

Republicans Defending Trump on Impeachment Should Fear the Judgment of History

by Michael Luo

This week, as the current Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump, these obituaries might serve as a reminder to the committee’s Republican members that the consequences of their decisions in the coming days will likely extend far beyond the next election.

Trump's Toadies Should Take Note: Watergate Says Everyone Goes Down

by Kevin M. Kruse

The lesson Nixon imparts to today’s POTUS loyalists is that courts of law and of public opinion will judge them harshly.

The GOP Appointees Who Defied the President

by Michael Koncewicz

Before Watergate became a story that dominated the national media in the spring of 1973, there were individuals within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the IRS that took dramatic steps to block Nixon’s attempts to politicize their work.  

Presidential cooperation: History's perspective on scandal and controversy

by Stephen W. Stathis

The American experience is littered with scandals. When presidents have been unwilling to cooperate with an investigation, the resulting confrontation is often ugly and long-remembered, as the escalating Ukraine scandal undoubtedly will be.

From Nixon to Trump, the historical arc of presidential misconduct is deeply troubling

by James M. Banner Jr.

Since the early 1970s, the behavior of American presidents has worsened in alarming ways.

The difference between Nixon and Trump is Fox News

by Nicole Hemmer

Fox News shields President Trump. But his love for their conspiracies might bring him down.

Inside the Supreme Court ruling that made Nixon turn over his Watergate tapes

The historic judgment that U.S. presidents do not hold unchecked power to declare executive privilege set a precedent that courts would consider in evaluating whether President Trump could shield his own communications from external scrutiny amid an impeachment inquiry.

Is The Ukraine Scandal the Smoking Gun?

by James D. Robenalt

Could this be the moment of clarity that will finally bring down President Trump? 

“The System Worked!” Watergate’s Lesson in an Age of Trump

by Michael A. Genovese

A nation of laws depends upon the people to enliven the law. A dedicated citizenry is the only hope against tyranny.

How Ideologues and Partisans Seized the Court: From Nixon to Trump

by Thom Hartmann

When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal. —Richard M. Nixon 

Like Watergate all over again? In some ways, yes, but there are stark differences

by Jon Marshall

Echoes of Watergate could be heard in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement Tuesday that the House of Representatives will begin a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. But how similar is this path to what the nation experienced 45 years ago?

The History Briefing on Impeachment: How Historians Covered this Week's Top Story

by Jonathan Montano

A recap of historical perspectives on the current impeachment inquiry.