Just like the Democrats in 1974, they were trying to link all the Republicans to President Nixon and the Watergate scandal.

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President Richard Nixon created the "plumbers unit" to suppress leaks, an effort that led to Watergate and the downfall of Nixon's presidency, Whalen said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

To drive home this claim, the Democrats wheeled out three members of the House committee that drew up articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon, and these witnesses maintained that the Watergate proceedings established guidelines that ought to save Mr Clinton now.

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President Johnson used the room in 1968 to tell Americans he would not seek re-election and President Nixon gave several speeches regarding the Watergate scandal, including his decision to resign from the presidency in the wake of Watergate in 1974.

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Less cynically, historians will note that Richard Nixon, throughout the Watergate saga, proved both active and effective in foreign affairs.

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Richard Nixon had a grand plan for healthcare reform that was on the cusp of passage, and then unfortunately Watergate occurred.

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And if you look at accounts of Watergate, one continuing theme is that even though Nixon didn't order the break-in, he created the climate in which subordinates thought the break-in was the thing to do, and there is something of a parallel here.

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The exposure of Nixon's IRS abuses during congressional hearings in 1973 and 1974 profoundly weakened him during the uproar after the Watergate hotel break-in.

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