MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow gave an in-depth, 24-minute expose of the historical parallels between the obstruction of justice by former President Richard Nixon and current President Donald Trump.
Maddow began the extended segment in 1974, detailing how congressional leaders learned the details of obstruction of justice by the Nixon White House by subpoenaing the special prosecutor.
The host then quoted the document at length.
"Beginning no later than March 21st, 1973, the president joined an ongoing criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruct a criminal investigation and to commit perjury, including making and causing to be made false statements and declarations, making offers of clemency and leniency, and obtaining information from the justice department to thwart its investigation," the document read.
"For example, there's evidence that the president conspired with others ... to defraud the United States, and to commit violations of certain federal criminal laws, to wit: obstruction of justice ... which included paying of funds and offers of clemency and other benefits to influence the testimony of witnesses, making and facilitating the making of false statements and declarations, obtaining information about the ongoing information from the Justice Department for the purpose of diverting or thwarting the investigation," the document continued.
"Also perjury ... including the president's direct and personal efforts to facilitate the giving of misleading and false testimony by aides," it added.
Maddow noted, "the almost uncannily parallel experience we are having right now in our lifetime when it comes to our current president."
The efforts of Trump's White House to "kibosh" the investigation was a "historical mirror to what Nixon got busted for," Maddow noted.
In some respects, Nixon was even worse.
"Nixon didn't use a convicted felon in a criminal case as his back channel," she noted.
"Nixon never did anything like this," she concluded.
Watch Maddow's powerful expose of the parallels:
