The Real Watergate Scandal

Collusion, Conspiracy, and the Plot That Brought Nixon Down

By: Geoff Shepard

Narrated by: Chris Abell

An aging judge about to step down. Aggressive prosecutors friendly with the judge. A disgraced president. A nation that had already made up its mind....

The Watergate trials were a legal mess - and now, with the discovery of new documents that reveal shocking misconduct by prosecutors and judges alike, former Nixon staffer Geoff Shepard has a convincing case that the wrongdoing of these history-making trials was actually a bigger scandal than the Watergate scandal itself.

©2015 Geoff Shepard (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

The truth shall out.

Liked that points of law well explained.
Better would have references to tables in book made visible.

Convincing evidence of a conspiracy against the Nixon administration

Shepard does a fantastic job weaving his research into the narrative of Watergate in a way to reframe, what I had assumed, was a settled matter.

Truth is Hard to Sell

Read some reviews saying they couldn’t get passed chapter 1 or 2. Good grief, people’s attention span has certainly declined (Instagramers?) I’m no legal mind here but still was able to comprehended how laws were broken by these federal judges and prosecutors.

Doesn’t matter whether you liked Nixon or not; whether you think he did wrong or not (compared to what some politicians get away today, Nixon’s so-called crime is more like spilled milk)…one thing all Americans should be able to rely on is a solid federal court system that follows the laws. Unfortunately they failed us then and since. And we see those repercussions today. Federal courts blatantly overreaching, interfering, and exuding biases.

Book is not long and doesn’t repeat the details of the events that most adults my age know about.
It was enjoyable and to the point.

Interesting......Nixon did the right thing .

With all the problems associated with Watergate....this book helps you conclude that Nixon did the right thing...he put country before self...before party..

When the author stuck to the fact, it was interesting.

When the author stuck to provable fact, the story made sense, and he made some arguments that I had not considered before. But when he tried to take jabs at other politicians because his pride was hurt, I lost all respect. This is an interesting Listen if it’s something in the background while you’re working that you’re not particularly paying attention to. But if you’re looking to learn, probably go somewhere else.

The Best Watergate Book yet

This book is not a detailed account of the crimes of Watergate, as there are plenty of books already in print that address that aspect of the scandal. Instead, this book explores the tainted legal process which cast a shadow on the "break-in" trial and the "cover-up" trial which followed.

Mr. Shepard throws conventional wisdom regarding Watergate on its head and argues forcefully that Nixon and his top aides were victims of judicial and prosecutorial overreach. As a member of the Nixon White House for the entirety of its existence, Mr. Shepard speaks with a very believable first-hand perspective.

This book is chock full of new information. I have listened to it three times already and still find new details I missed before. The narration by Chris Abell is outstanding. I highly recommend.

Not for beginners

I chose this book because I knew very little about Nixon. The author is undeniably biased and the book has some pretty complicated political and legal concepts along with a large list of people to track and I had a hard time keeping up. But if nothing else, I've learned quite a few things that I can appreciate about Nixon.

Technical

I think for many this is a great read/listen, however as an experienced attorney, the author is very technical in his argument and for me this left me a little lost. The perspective is great and generally I learned a lot, but heaps of jargon and a better listen for those with a legal background.

Interesting conspiracy theory ideas

Author makes some good points. Clearly a Republican/Nixon-lover/Obama-hater.

Author makes some good points and I can see the point of view.

Good performance by the narrator

New and Exciting Details

The author did a wonderful job discussing Watergate and the characters. He did not however speculate on the real reason Nixon was impeached. While Watergate was real, it was only a third rate burglary. I wonder if there was another reason he was impeached.
This is an interesting book that is a page Turner!