Those old enough to remember Watergate, or who have studied it, know just how hyperbolic the liberal media and the Democrats were in terms of the threat to democracy they claimed Nixon posed.
Take, for example, this comment at the time from Commonweal magazine [emphasis added]:
"The plain fact is that the Nixon administration has behaved in a way worthy of the Greek colonels but shocking in an American government. . . . The fact . . . that Mr. Nixon has traveled under conservative colors . . . makes it doubly ironic that characteristics of his Administration so patently resemble key features of a police state."
A police state: yikes! But not to worry. As you'll see, the liberal media are now prepared to let Nixon off with a parking ticket! Liberals today are happy to soft-pedal the seriousness of Nixon's misconduct—in order to emphasize the gravity of Trump's alleged culpability for January 6th.
Monday morning's New Day promoted the next installment of the House January 6 committee saga with Chris Whipple, a former 60 Minutes producer who is the author of a forthcoming Biden hagiography that cast him in heroic terms [emphasis added]:
"Joe Biden has faced and overcome colossal challenges throughout his lifetime, and The Fight of His Life is the definitive work on his most immense challenge yet."
Contrary to what you might have assumed, Whipple wasn't referring to Biden's "immense challenge" in using a teleprompter without reading the directions out loud.
On New Day, Whipple said, apropos Trump and January 6th:
"I'm not a lawyer, but I do know something about former presidential scandals. And compared to this, Richard Nixon and H.R. Haldemann, their crimes look like parking violations."
That impressed co-host Brianna Keilar: "Like parking violations—that's saying something!"
Note: another panel member, Terri Austin, a legal analyst on Dan Abrams' network, unwittingly revealed the mind-meld between the liberal media and the Dems baying for the indictment of Trump on criminal charges. She said:
"If we can establish a link between Trump, his aides, and all of the Oath Keepers and the other organizations that had these extremist acts, then we can probably bring charges against Trump and his aides."
"We," indeed!
On CNN's New Day, former 60 Minutes producer Chris Whipple's hype was sponsored in part by Discover, Verizon, Amazon, Liberty Mutual, and Pfizer, maker of Nexium.
Here's the transcript.
CNN
New Day
7/11/22
6:04 am EDTBRIANNA KEILAR: Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee, set the bar on what they're trying to achieve here at the very beginning of this series of hearings. Here's what he said.
JAKE TAPPER: Are there going to be witnesses that describe actual conversations between these extremist group and anyone Trump's orbit?
BENNIE THOMPSON: Yes.
TAPPER: There will be?
THOMPSON: Yes.
. . .
TERRI AUSTIN: What the select committee is doing now is gathering information. They themselves can't bring charges, but the DOJ can. And if we can establish a link between Trump, his aides, and all of the Oath Keepers and the other organizations that had these extremist acts, then we can probably bring charges against Trump and his aides.
. . .
CHRIS WHIPPLE: Just think about Trump, saying on national television about the Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. I mean, it all fits, doesn't it? So, I agree that this is potentially devastating, tomorrow's testimony, because if you can connect Trump to a premeditated plan to launch a violent mob on the Capitol, then, you know, game, set and match.
But in another sense, I think that what happens tomorrow almost doesn't matter, when you consider what we already know. What we know is that Donald Trump and Mark Meadows and others were told in no uncertain terms that they lost the election. They went ahead and tried to subvert the election anyway. They launched a mob to attack the Capitol. They knew the mob was heavily armed, and they didn't care how many people died.
Now, I'm not any lawyer. But I think, I do know something about previous presidential scandals. And compared to this, you know, Richard Nixon and H.R. Haldemann, their crimes look like parking violations.
KEILAR: Like parking violations. That's saying something.
