The resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, 24 days into the Trump administration and amid flurries of reports alleging frequent contact between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence officials, has already earned a comparison to the Iran-Contra scandal that plagued President Ronald Reagan's second term. But on Tuesday night's Conan, CNN's Jake Tapper and host Conan O'Brien tuned the dial all the way back to the Nixon administration, and the famous question in Richard Nixon's presidency-ending Watergate scandal.
"People are now questioning, 'What did President Trump know, when did he know it?'" Conan said. "Does that particular angle have any legs? Is that going to be a story?" "I think so," Tapper said. "And it is four weeks in; it's pretty early to be saying 'What did the president know and when did he know it? And why didn't he disclose it to the American people when he knew?'" He noted that Trump was informed two weeks ago that Flynn had talked about U.S. sanctions with Russia's ambassador, then denied that he knew anything about the Flynn reports as late as last Friday. "Usually we get into the 'What did the president know and when did he know it?' two years into the second term of a president, not four weeks," Tapper said. "But, you know, he's doing things different." Watch below. Peter Weber