Washington Examiner / Magazine
May 23, 2023 Issue
May 23, 2023 Print Edition
Cover Story
The damning Durham Report
“Worse than Watergate” has become a Washington cliche that is both inescapable and meaningless. Dozens of political scandals since then have been objectively worse, but the scandal still looms large. This is because of the mythos it created involving a press corps and a Washington establishment allegedly concerned with moving heaven and earth to get at the truth, even when the story involved little more than “third-rate burglary,” as Richard Nixon’s secretary famously called it. Watergate also marked a sea change in how we held presidents accountable. Prior to his downfall, Nixon’s sentiment that “if the president does it, it’s not illegal” was to some extent the informal understanding, even if that sounds outrageous to contemporary ears. A corrupt president could either be impeached by Congress or thrown out of office by voters, but there was no constitutional middle ground to hold them accountable. Since Watergate, the FBI and the Department of Justice more broadly have increasingly found themselves in the awkward and untenable position of being subject to the president’s constitutional authority while simultaneously being tasked with investigating White House corruption. TIM SCOTT PICKS UP FIRST SENATE ENDORSEMENT AHEAD OF WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT So 50 years on, the post-Watergate question remains: How is empowering the FBI and unelected deep-state bureaucrats to hold the president accountable working out for us? With last week’s release of special counsel John Durham’s 306-page report into the origins and...

Stories that matter—told with clarity and conviction.

Your Land

The phone-free are finding themselves unwelcome in more places
Magazine - Your Land
The phone-free are finding themselves unwelcome in more places
“I’ve got the ticket framed from Strasburg’s first game,” John bragged, noting it was pure luck that he...
Woke-ification capitalization at Georgetown U.
Magazine - Your Land
Woke-ification capitalization at Georgetown U.
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Brittney Griner, the national anthem, and the promise of freedom
Magazine - Your Land
Brittney Griner, the national anthem, and the promise of freedom
In the words of Cinderella (the rock band, not the princess), you “don’t know what you got ’til...
Progressive policies didn’t kill this tech exec, but a progressive lifestyle did
Magazine - Your Land
Progressive policies didn’t kill this tech exec, but a progressive lifestyle did
When tech executive Bob Lee was found stabbed to death in San Francisco’s upscale Rincon Hill neighborhood early...

Business

What’s the matter with Texas Republicans when it comes to school choice legislation?
Business
What’s the matter with Texas Republicans when it comes to school choice legislation?
This has been the year for school choice all over the country. At least six additional...
American credit card debt could hit $1 trillion this year, experts say
Business
American credit card debt could hit $1 trillion this year, experts say
American credit card debt remains at record-breaking heights, according to fresh government data, as consumers turn...

Washington Briefing

Healthcare
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s warning: Loneliness kills
For decades, black-and-white surgeon generals’ warnings have appeared on cigarette packs and bottles of beer advising adverse health...
Immigration
Smuggling across the US-Canada border a rising concern for some House Republicans
DETROIT — Members of Congress regularly flock to the U.S. border with Mexico to highlight illegal crossings and...
Campaigns
Iowa biker bash lures Republican 2024 hopefuls to early voting Hawkeye State
Former Vice President Mike Pence and ex-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will join Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) as...
Letter from editor
The Left declares its contempt for wealth creators
The Left’s message to wealth creators has hardened into, “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass!” Once upon...

Stories that matter—told with clarity and conviction.