Watergate was small potatoes compared to the crap FDR and LBJ pulled when they were in the White House. And the MSM knew about it, they chose not to report it. They were out to get Nixon, and they would find any little thing to try to get him out. That's Watergate in a nutshell.
There was an intervening event called Vietnam. You are right, in the Watergate era, and beyond, LBJ would have gone to prison for a very long time.
Right on. (Not to mention JFK.)