Despite its infamous standing in American lore, historian, journalist and New York Times best-selling author Garrett Graff views the results of the Watergate scandal in almost a beautiful, performative nature.
Likening it to constitutional ballet, where Articles I, II and III were all in motion at once, he noted that had any of those institutions—the courts, the media, the Justice Department and Congress—failed to do its job, Watergate may have become nothing more than bar trivia.
But the actors of accountability moved harmoniously, and the events that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon are synonymous today with corruption and abuse of power—terms that currently dominate conversations surrounding the political ecosystem.
In a conversation Wednesday night at the George Washington University, Graff, who authored the 2022 book “Watergate: A New History,” revisited the political earthquake that toppled a president and the constitutional choreography that ultimately preserved the republic.
“The majesty of the Watergate scandal is that it serves as the best example in American history of how checks and balances are supposed to work,” Graff explained to a crowd inside the Jack Morton Auditorium at the Media and Public Affairs building, which appropriately sits halfway between the White House and Watergate Complex on D.C.'s west side.
Graff’s rundown of the events, a treat for history and political junkies, leading up to the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters through the shocking resignation from the Oval Office in 1974 illustrated how the functions of the Constitution held strong when they could have broken down. From the investigative persistence of the Senate Watergate Committee to the diligence of journalists to the rulings of the federal courts and the eventual bipartisan push within Congress, each branch moved—some albeit slowly—toward accountability.
What began as a petty burglary inside the now famous complex off the Potomac River, with borderline humorous and even cartoonish miscalculations of offenders, turned into a national reckoning that demonstrated the strength of a system, first introduced by the Founding Fathers.
College of Professional Studies Dean Liesl Riddle noted in her welcoming remarks that events such as Graff’s talk capture the essence of GW, a university at the crossroads of history, politics, media and public service. She said that from this vantage point, students and faculty engage daily in a “living laboratory” of democracy by exploring how the past continues to shape the challenges and opportunities of the present.
“Our proximity to power here at the George Washington University is more than just geography. It's an invitation to inquiry by convening thought leaders, scholars and journalists for programs just like this, where we reaffirm our university's role as a forum for dialog that strengthens institutions and sustains democracy,” Riddle said. “The story of Watergate is not just one of scandal. It is a testament to the courage and the vigilance required to preserve the public trust, and at a time when questions of truth and integrity again command national attention, tonight's conversation could not be more relevant.”
Graff began his remarks joking that most of the people he talked to in writing this book had a similar question: Why would anyone want to write yet another book about Watergate? The simple answer, he said, is that the Watergate story has been captured by mythology and pop culture over the past 50 years and that some of what transpired has been lost in the process.
But the timing of his interests in Watergate are because of parallels to modern day, as Graff became enthralled with the Watergate story through his work during the first Trump administration, when he was covering the Robert Mueller investigation and impeachments.
Sensing similarities between Watergate and today’s political climate—particularly in debates over executive power, truth and the rule of law, Graff began digging to find what precedent was set in the 1970s, thus leading to his book.
He shared with the audience Wednesday night one critical distinction: the behavior of Republican leaders then versus now.
Graff noted that during the Senate Watergate hearings, GOP figures such as Sens. Howard Baker and Lowell Weicker joined the inquiry reluctantly and initially sought to defend Nixon. In fact, he shared Baker’s question now made famous “what did the president know, and when did he know it?” The question, Graff noted, was meant as an exoneration, not an indictment. But as evidence of the crimes and cover-up mounted, they recognized that their first loyalty was to the Constitution and the American people, not Nixon or the party.
“Their highest duty as members of Congress was to hold abuses of executive power to account,” Graff said. “And when you ask me what the difference is between then and now, that’s the entire difference.”
For Graff, the real story of Watergate isn’t about a burglary. It’s about how democracy held when it was tested, and what it will take to continue making it hold.
