Rudy Giuliani's pardon-teasing is straight out of the articles of impeachment against Nixon

President Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort is in jail, though if Rudy Giuliani has his way, that may not be for long.

Giuliani, serving as Trump's personal lawyer, implied that Manafort could earn a presidential pardon, presumably in exchange for his loyalty, in an interview with the New York Daily News on Friday. Manafort faces several charges in the Russia investigation, and he was ordered to jail Friday, his bail revoked for witness tampering, The Washington Post reports. But "when the whole thing is over," Manafort may get a pardon, Giuliani told the Daily News.

Turns out, that's shockingly similar to a reason former President Richard Nixon was nearly impeached. On Twitter, former President Barack Obama's adviser Dan Pfeiffer thought Giuliani's implication rang a bell, and Time correspondent Philip Elliott agreed. It's just like a line in the articles of impeachment almost levied on Nixon in 1974:

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

One might argue, after all, that a presidential pardon would amount to "rewarding" Manafort for good behavior. The proof is in the articles.