By Mary O’KEEFE

On a morning in June 1972 the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee was broken into. The headquarters was located in the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. The break-in was not an ordinary burglary; the suspects were caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents. We now know it was a comedy of errors as the five suspects had to return to the Watergate more than once to repair and replace the original non-working wiretapping equipment. At first the break-in was not even a blip on the political radar. In fact, Richard M. Nixon easily won the presidency over George McGovern in November, but shortly after the win the Watergate break-in became not just a blip but a political tsunami that would see a President resign and many of those in his inner circle serving prison time.

A U.S. Senate Watergate Committee was formed in February 1973. Its findings and investigations were televised during the afternoon and repeated during prime time on PBS stations across the nation. An estimated 20 million people watched the hearings during primetime alone, not including those who tuned in during the day to watch them live. President Nixon had won reelection in 1972 by a landslide and had a 68% Gallup poll approval rating in January 1973; however, in April 1973 as the news spread of Watergate and the hearings, 83% Americans had heard or read about Watergate. When the President accepted the resignations of his top aides John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman, Nixon’s approval rating fell to 48%.

The public, along with many high ranking Republicans including Senator Barry Goldwater, were in favor of Nixon resigning from the presidency.

But that was then and this is now …

“The Watergate break-in was like a Cub Scout meeting compared to this assault on our people and our institutions,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin at the end of Tuesday’s Jan. 6 Committee hearing.

On Jan. 6, 2021 a mob of about 2,500 people stormed into the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of the November 2020 election, which Joe Biden won. Many protestors – most in fact – believed the election was stolen, which it was not. There was no evidence that there was widespread election fraud. Over 60 lawsuits filed by former President Donald Trump or his allies have failed before both Democrat and Republican appointed judges.

On June 30, 2021, a resolution was approved to form a Jan. 6 Committee to investigate the insurrection that occurred. The committee has heard from numerous witnesses and viewed thousands of hours of tape from Jan. 6 as well as reviewing texts; it has analyzed other evidence like texts and notes from witnesses.

Rep. Adam Schiff is part of the Jan. 6 Committee.

“I think this has been the closest we have come to the Watergate hearings in the sense they have had an extraordinary reach,” Schiff said of the televised hearings.

Times have changed as has the average attention span of the public since Watergate so the hearings regarding Jan. 6 only last a few hours with a break taken in the middle.

“It is a different world than the time of Watergate,” he said.

One of the big differences is the media and social media coverage; some agencies, like national Fox News, decided not to even run the first airing of the public Jan. 6 Committee hearings that aired in prime time. After that the news outlet decided to broadcast the hearings during its afternoon airings. Many social media sites continue to promote false information about the Committee’s purpose and the outcome of the hearings.

During Watergate the nation watched the major news agencies that all reported what they saw and there was no social media rabbit hole to fall into.

There have been witness testimonies as to what happened during the days and weeks leading up to Jan. 6. More witnesses continue to come forward to speak to the Committee, which is on a timetable to complete its duties before the end of the year though there is concern about the November 2022 elections.

There are two Republicans on the Committee: Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney. Kinzinger, who has released recordings of death threats he and his family have received due to his involvement on the Committee, has stated he will not run for office again. Cheney is considered the underdog in the August primary in her home state of Wyoming.

“We feel a little sense of urgency driving us by the fact that the [fraudulent election] lie is being used to change election laws,” Schiff said. “There is a sense of urgency if [Democrats] don’t hold the House. [Rep. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy] said he will do away with the Jan. 6 Committee.”

So far, there has not been the bombshell of Presidential recordings/tapes in the Jan. 6 Committee hearings that were revealed in the Watergate hearings; however, there have been a number of texts and witness accounts that paint a picture of what happened that day leading up to the insurrection.

Schiff said the Committee plans to finish its work by the end of the year.