Former President Richard Nixon addresses the nation in 1974 and current Vice President Mike Pence appears on the "Today" show on Thursday. (Photos: AP; NBC's "Today")
As Vice President Calls for Mueller to 'Wrap It Up,' Video Mash-up Shows Pence Echo Nixon on Watergate
"After a year of the Mueller investigation, Pence says it's time to wrap it up. After a year of the Watergate investigation, Nixon said the same thing."
"Why write original material when Nixon can write it for you?" remarked cable television host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.
After Vice President Mike Pence called for an end to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of the Trump campaign and administration in an interview with NBC's "Today" show on Thursday, "Morning Joe" pointed out the striking similarities between his remarks and those of former President Richard Nixon in the midst of the infamous Watergate investigation.
Watch:
"Our administration has been fully cooperating with the special counsel and will continue to," Pence said Thursday. "What I think is that it's been about a year since this investigation began. Our administration has provided over a million documents, we've fully cooperated in it and in the interest of the country, I think it's time to wrap it up. And I would very respectfully encourage the special counsel and his team to bring their work to completion."
In Nixon's State of the Union Address on January 30, 1974, the former president had said: "As you know, I have provided to the special prosecutor voluntarily a great deal of material. I believe that I have provided all the material that he needs to conclude his investigations and to proceed to prosecute the guilty and to clear the innocent. I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough."
As Pence's "Today" show interviewed aired, critics and historians took to Twitter to note how the current vice president had apparently taken a page out of the "Nixon Playbook."
Watch the full "Morning Joe" segment:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
"Why write original material when Nixon can write it for you?" remarked cable television host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.
After Vice President Mike Pence called for an end to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of the Trump campaign and administration in an interview with NBC's "Today" show on Thursday, "Morning Joe" pointed out the striking similarities between his remarks and those of former President Richard Nixon in the midst of the infamous Watergate investigation.
Watch:
"Our administration has been fully cooperating with the special counsel and will continue to," Pence said Thursday. "What I think is that it's been about a year since this investigation began. Our administration has provided over a million documents, we've fully cooperated in it and in the interest of the country, I think it's time to wrap it up. And I would very respectfully encourage the special counsel and his team to bring their work to completion."
In Nixon's State of the Union Address on January 30, 1974, the former president had said: "As you know, I have provided to the special prosecutor voluntarily a great deal of material. I believe that I have provided all the material that he needs to conclude his investigations and to proceed to prosecute the guilty and to clear the innocent. I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough."
As Pence's "Today" show interviewed aired, critics and historians took to Twitter to note how the current vice president had apparently taken a page out of the "Nixon Playbook."
Watch the full "Morning Joe" segment:
"Why write original material when Nixon can write it for you?" remarked cable television host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.
After Vice President Mike Pence called for an end to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of the Trump campaign and administration in an interview with NBC's "Today" show on Thursday, "Morning Joe" pointed out the striking similarities between his remarks and those of former President Richard Nixon in the midst of the infamous Watergate investigation.
Watch:
"Our administration has been fully cooperating with the special counsel and will continue to," Pence said Thursday. "What I think is that it's been about a year since this investigation began. Our administration has provided over a million documents, we've fully cooperated in it and in the interest of the country, I think it's time to wrap it up. And I would very respectfully encourage the special counsel and his team to bring their work to completion."
In Nixon's State of the Union Address on January 30, 1974, the former president had said: "As you know, I have provided to the special prosecutor voluntarily a great deal of material. I believe that I have provided all the material that he needs to conclude his investigations and to proceed to prosecute the guilty and to clear the innocent. I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough."
As Pence's "Today" show interviewed aired, critics and historians took to Twitter to note how the current vice president had apparently taken a page out of the "Nixon Playbook."
Watch the full "Morning Joe" segment: