Historian finds another similarity between the Trump and Nixon impeachment scandals: 'Wildly misleading' transcripts
Is it 1974 all over again?
The Trump administration hopes not, but Kevin M. Kruse, a historian at Princeton University, pointed out some similarities between the current impeachment inquiry and how the Nixon administration handled Watergate.
Kruse dug up a New York Times report from June 1974, which details how President Nixon released transcripts of his infamous tape recordings, but it turned out they differed — sometimes significantly — from the House Judiciary's version, indicating the White House edited the transcripts.
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.
It's relevant because the Trump administration released a rough transcript of President Trump's phone call in July with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The perception was that the White House was trying to confront the accusations of corruption head-on, but there was always a risk it could backfire. Some people likely think that's what happened yesterday when Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman reportedly testified before Congress that the White House's reconstructed transcript omitted critical words and phrases, including a mention of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Kruse, for his part, thinks the Nixon administration should have retained the rights for a Watergate reboot. Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
- 
7 mountain hotels perfect for a tranquil autumn or winter escapeThe Week Recommends Get (altitude) high and unwind
 - 
‘Deskilling’: a dangerous side effect of AI useThe explainer Workers are increasingly reliant on the new technology
 - 
The biggest sports betting scandals in historyIn Depth The recent indictments of professional athletes were the latest in a long line of scandals
 
- 
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
 - 
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
 - 
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
 - 
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
 - 
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
 - 
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
 - 
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
 - 
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
 
