The U.S. department of Justice is examining the decades-old Watergate probe following claims of prosecutorial misconduct. This review stems from a presentation by former Nixon aide Geoff Shepard, who argues the "deep state" targeted the 37th president .
Geoff Shepard's "Watergate as Lawfare" presentation at DOJ headquarters
Former White House staffer Geoff Shepard recently delivered a two-hour presentation titled "Watergate as Lawfare" to officials at the Department of Justice headquarters. According to the report, Shepard, who served as principal deputy to Richard Nixon's defense counsel, presented internal documents to argue that the investigation into the 37th president was a coordinated effort by the "deep state" to remove him from power.
This current engagement follows a long history of Shepard's attempts to secure a formal review. In October 2021, Shepard filed a formal complaint with the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), followed by eleven additional submissions over the next year. while the OPR initially denied his request in August 2022—citing the 50-year gap and the fact that few Watergate-era attorneys are still practicing—the current administration has pivoted to hear his claims.
JD Vance's parallels between Richard Nixon and Donald Trump
The current DOJ interest in the Watergate files aligns with rhetoric from Vice President JD Vance, who has explicitly linked the 1970s probe to modern legal challenges. speaking in June at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, Vance claimed that the institutions used to take down Richard Nixon are the same ones that targeted Donald Trump during his first administration.
This narrative of systemic bias was further echoed by Representative Riley Moore (R-WV) during the Nixon Foundation's annual Grand Strategy Summit in Washington,D.C. Moore argued that the public now possesses a better understanding of the "deep state's" power to influence leadership at the highest levels, suggesting that Richard Nixon's legacy should be viewed through this lens of institutional warfare.
Allegations against Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski's prosecution tactics
At the heart of the review are claims that the Watergate Special Prosecution Force (WSPF) violated the due process rights of those involved in the scandal. As reported by the source, Geoff Shepard alleges that special prosecutors Archibald Cox—who was fired during the "Saturday Night Massacre"—and his successor Leon Jaworski engaged in misconduct by suppressing defense evidence and holding secret meetings with presiding judges.
These allegations target the very foundation of the WSPF's legal integrity. By claiming that the prosecution manipulated the judicial process, Shepard is attempting to recast the historical consensus of the Watergate scandal as a product of prosecutorial overreach rather than a legitimate legal response to criminal activity.
Whether a two-hour presentation constitutes a formal DOJ investigation
A critical point of contention remains regarding the actual nature of this review. While the Trump administration has answered Shepard's call, a DOJ spokesperson told the Journal that the invitation for Shepard to present his scholarship does not necessarily constitute a formal investigation. The spokesperson emphasized that the Office of Professional Responsibility remains focused on current professional standards for Department attorneys.
This leaves several questions unanswered: will the DOJ move beyond a preliminary review to a full-fledged probe, and what objective would such a probe serve given that the WSPF attorneys are no longer in service? Furthermore, the source indicates that the current process is preliminary, leaving it unclear if the Department of Justice intends to issue a formal finding or a public report on the conduct of Cox and Jaworski.
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