Washington, D.C.
One of Richard Nixon’s aides said that the late president personally ordered the 1972 Watergate break-in. The former aide, Jeb Stuart Magruder, long held that it was Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, who approved sending burglars to tap phones at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate hotel. But in a PBS documentary broadcast this week, Magruder revealed that he heard Nixon give Mitchell the green light over the phone. Magruder, who served seven months in prison for his role in the scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation, said he never meant to keep Nixon’s role secret. “Nobody ever asked me,” he said. Historian Stanley Kutler said the claim was nothing but “the dubious word of a dubious character.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
4 smart end-of-year tax moves to makeThe Explainer Do your future self a favor and give tax-related matters some consideration before the new year
-
The GOP prepares to make its move on the Bidens
Talking Point House Republicans unveil their impeachment inquiry resolution against the president and ramp up threats to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress
-
Is Venezuela about to start a war in Latin America?
Today's Big Question A dispute over Guyana's oil-rich territory could turn violent. Or it might sway a presidential election.
