On July 23, 1973, in the midst of the Watergate scandal, President Richard M. Nixon refused to turn over 3,700 hours of secretly-recorded meetings and telephone conversations to the Senate Watergate Committee and Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, citing executive privilege.

Sound familiar? It should.

But in 1973, we had a Congress, a Justice Department, and a Supreme Court dedicated to doing their jobs, upholding the Constitution of the United States, and pursuing accountability for all criminal acts, no matter who had committed them. They were not subservient to one man in the Oval Office.

Richard Nixon was ultimately held accountable. It took another year and a day; but on July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Nixon that the president must hand over the tapes . . . and he did. Those tapes clearly implicated him in the Watergate cover-up, leading to the preparation for a possible impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. But before they could vote, Nixon did what was best for his country, his family and himself: he resigned on August 9, 1974, allowing the nation to begin its long healing process. [“This Day In History,” History.com, July 23, 2026.]

If only history would repeat itself yet again, and bring honor and accountability back to our government . . . allowing us to heal and to rebuild once more.

Just sayin’ . . ..

Brendochka
7/23/26