NOT LIKE WATERGATE: 3 Things You Need To Know About Trump’s Firing Of The Acting Attorney General

In the aftermath of President Trump’s firing of acting attorney general Sally Yates, Democrats have compared Trump’s actions to the so-called Saturday Night Massacre. In 1973, President Richard Nixon infamously demanded the firing of independent prosecutor Archibald Cox during the Watergate investigation, then fired Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus for failing to carry out his orders. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) immediately commented, “President Trump has commenced a course of conduct that is Nixonian in its design and execution and threatens the long-vaunted independence of the Justice Department.” Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT) accused Trump of “put[ting] his Cabinet on notice: if you adhere to your oath of office to defend the Constitution, you risk your job.” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called Trump’s action a “Monday Night Massacre.”

Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s action.