Watergate: A New History

Garrett M. Graff chronicles the Watergate scandal not as a solitary break-in, but as a sprawling decade of political corruption and systemic illegality within the Nixon administration. The narrative tracks the initial 1972 burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and follows the subsequent investigations led by federal prosecutors, congressional committees, and journalists. Graff integrates thousands of pages of declassified documents and memoirs to detail the internal power struggles, the secret taping system, and the eventual disintegration of the executive branch under the weight of cover-ups and judicial scrutiny.

This history serves readers interested in constitutional law, political science, and the mechanics of investigative reporting. It provides a comprehensive timeline for those who need to understand the structural failures that led to the first presidential resignation in American history. Readers gain a granular map of how institutional oversight and the press function as checks on executive power. The book clarifies the legal precedents set during the crisis and explains the lasting impact of the scandal on federal transparency laws and public trust in government institutions.