Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
1/ Here's what so many people get wrong about Richard Nixon and Watergate.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
2/ First - the context. Nixon entered office with the deck stacked against him.
He was the first president since 1849 to take office with both Houses of Congress controlled by the opposing party.
The permanent bureaucracy, media, and political elite were all aligned against him.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
3/ Washington was in chaos.
The Vietnam War split the nation. Between 1967–72, D.C. was rocked by massive protests - some with over a million people.
The White House was literally barricaded by buses. Nixon governed through a storm.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
4/ The media monopoly despised Nixon.
There were three networks, two major newspapers, and two newsmagazines - all hostile.
He wasn’t part of their club. And they never let him forget it.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
5/ The Watergate break-in? Nixon had no idea.
It was a rogue operation by the campaign committee that broke in, without Nixon’s knowledge or authority.
The burglars? Mostly tied to the CIA. And to this day, no one knows what they were really after.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
6/ The so-called cover-up began without Nixon.
On June 19 - just two days after the arrests - John Dean convened a meeting to begin protecting campaign officials.
Dean even bragged about being the “desk officer of the cover-up.”
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
7/ That infamous June 23 “smoking gun” tape?
You might want to listen to it. Nixon never told the CIA to shut down the FBI.
His concern? Protecting two Democratic donors who had quietly contributed before disclosure laws kicked in.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
8/ Nixon told the FBI to go full speed ahead.
On July 6, 1972, he told Acting Director Pat Gray to “go wherever the leads take you.”
That’s a president demanding the truth.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
9/ The tapes? Every president since FDR taped.
Nixon’s were voice activated - he often didn’t know they were rolling.
Only about 5% of 3,600 hours relate to Watergate. And that infamous 18½ minute gap? No proof it was intentional. Nothing on it was even about Watergate.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
10/ Watergate was weaponized.
The special prosecutor? A Kennedy loyalist. His staff? Almost all ex-Kennedy and Johnson DOJ lawyers.
They even held secret meetings with the judge. That’s the real scandal.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
11/ The “abuse of power” charges fall apart.
No IRS audits were ever ordered by the White House. 19 wiretaps were legally placed to stop national security leaks.
Compare that to modern administrations - then tell us who crossed lines.
Richard Nixon Foundation
@nixonfoundation
·
20h
12/ Nixon wasn’t a crook.
He didn’t plan the break-in.
He didn’t order the cover-up.
He told the FBI to investigate.
The establishment repeats the same tired myth. We’re here to set the record straight.
