Nice names, but I don't recall articles of impeachment, et al. Can you enlighten me? Which Presidents are we talking about here?
Projects Minaret and Shamrock were the NSA domestic spying on those labelled as "subversives," e.g., anyone the administration didn't like.
Projects CHAOS, MERRIMAC and RESISTANCE were run by the CIA to collect info on Americans. CHAOS had an original intent to see if foreign powers were influencing protest groups in the US, but grew to a general domestic spying network after initial results were negative. The illegally gained information was passed to the FBI.
COINTELPRO was an FBI program for the spying on and infiltration and disruption of groups deemed undesirable by the administrations. It started to see if the KGB had influence over the Communist Party U.S.A., but grew to the spying on and disruption of any organization the administrations didn't like, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
As far as claims of "national security" when presidents break the law, Nixon tried to get the CIA to hinder the FBI's investigation of Watergate using national security claims. Articles of impeachment over the scandal were drawn-up when it was found out, but Nixon resigned when he was told there were enough Republican senators against him to guarantee an impeachment.