The US Department of Justice is investigating whether special prosecutors from the Nixon administration acted improperly during the Watergate scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.
In June 1972, a burglary at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., exposed significant corruption within the White House.
Recently, Geoff Shepard, a former Nixon aide and author on the subject, presented allegations to the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). He argued that the special prosecutors, initially Archibald Cox and later Leon Jaworski, violated due process rights by secretly meeting with judges and withholding evidence from defendants.
A DOJ spokesperson confirmed Shepard’s presentation but stressed it does not indicate an ongoing investigation. “OPR remains focused on ensuring that Department attorneys meet the highest professional standards,” the spokesperson said.
In 2022, OPR declined Shepard’s request to initiate an investigation.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, compared Nixon’s experience with that of former President Donald Trump, who has faced multiple indictments. “If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story,” he claimed, suggesting the current media landscape would prevent similar fallout today.
