Opinion: The Watergate Tweets of @RealTrickyDick
What if Nixon had a private Twitter account
More than 43 years after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in disgrace, we are still unearthing new secrets of Watergate. During the more than two years from the initial 1972 break-in at Democratic Party headquarters to the final sad flight to San Clemente, Nixon used a secret communications channel.
Even more closely held than the White House taping system was the president’s private Twitter account. Tweeting under the handle @RealTrickyDick, Nixon provided a personal off-the-cuff commentary on the charges swirling around him.
Many of the tweets were written in the early morning hours before H.R. Haldeman, the White House chief of staff, could monitor the president’s Twitter account. For deniability, Nixon referred to himself only in the third person. Most of the tweets were composed in anger after Nixon read The Washington Post.
June 19, 1972: The Washington Post revealed that James McCord, one of the burglars arrested at the Watergate, was also providing security services to Nixon’s Committee for the Re-Election of the President.
@RealTrickyDick (at 6:38 a.m.): Failing WASHINGTON Post all wrong!! Who’s McCord? Not Nixon’s! People are saying McCord is Democrat plant sent by George McGovern.
@RealTrickyDick (at 6:44 a.m.): Nobody’s heard of Fake News reporters WoodWARD and Bernstein. Why can’t they get a job on real papers?? Disgrace!!
Oct. 10, 1972: In their biggest pre-election story, the Post revealed that the Watergate break-in was part of a larger conspiracy of dirty tricks against would-be Democratic presidential nominees like Ed Muskie.
@RealTrickyDick (at 5:48 a.m.): Crying Ed Muskie is a loser. Like Ghastly George McGovern. His VP pick had shock treatments. Not like Honest Spiro Agnew.
@RealTrickyDick (at 6:58 a.m.): People are saying Nixon is going to win all 50 states. Lots of talk that Ghastly George bugged the DNC to get at his enemies.
Nov. 7, 1972: Election Day.
@RealTrickyDick (retweeted at 11:09 p.m.): NBC News reports that Nixon has carried 49 states in biggest landslide since 1936.
@RealTrickyDick (at 11:10 p.m.): Watergate over. Failing Washington Post in trouble. Ghastly George finished. Nixon triumphant.
April 30, 1973: The President spoke to the nation, declaring, “There can be no whitewash at the White House.” Nixon also announced the firing of Haldeman, top adviser John Ehrlichman and White House counsel John Dean.
@RealTrickyDick (at 11:23 p.m.): Everyone is saying best presidential speech since Lincoln or maybe FDR inaugural. Truth trumps FAKE NEWS. Watergate over.
@RealTrickyDick (at 11:27 p.m.): Nixon never trusted Haldeman, Ehrlichman. Dean was young low level lawyer. Fresh start for great second term.
May 18, 1973: Senate Watergate committee’s televised hearings began under the chairmanship of Sam Ervin.
@RealTrickyDick (at 6:34 a.m.): Dem Senate should be investigating Ghastly George. Everyone knows he bugged DNC in false flag thing. But corrupt Senate protects its own.
@RealTrickyDick (at 6:35 a.m.): Sam Ervin begged Nixon to campaign for him. Promised to switch parties. But now Senile Sam denies it all. Can’t get elected dogcatcher.
July 23, 1973: Nixon refused to hand over the taped recordings of his White House conversations to either the Senate Watergate committee or special prosecutor Archibald Cox.
@RealTrickyDick (at 8:03 a.m.): Dying Post and liberal media refuse to accept that American people don’t care about Watergate. Nixon knows all that matters are jobs, taxes.
Oct. 10, 1973: Agnew resigned as vice president in a plea bargain over taking bribes while governor of Maryland and Baltimore County executive.
@RealTrickyDick (at 5:49 a.m.): No COLLUSION!! No connection between Agnew bribes and Nixon!! Agnew low energy guy who won’t be missed. Fresh start for great second term.
@RealTrickyDick (at 6:01 a.m.): SPIRO WHO? LOL.
Oct. 20, 1973: Saturday Night Massacre. Nixon fired Cox, the special prosecutor. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus resigned in protest.
@RealTrickyDick (at 7:53 p.m.): Awful Archie only cares about his Harvard friends. Won’t investigate Crooked JFK, Corrupt LBJ! UNFAIR!! Won’t be missed.
@RealTrickyDick (at 7:54 p.m.): Everybody says Nixon should have fired Cox long ago. Awful Archie not loyal.
@RealTrickyDick (at 7:55 p.m.): Watergate over. Nothing THERE! Time to go after McGovern. And Failing Washington Post’s TV licenses.
@RealTrickyDick (at 7:56 p.m.): Voters don’t care about Awful Archie. What matters is peace. Only Nixon can bring peace with Moscow.
Dec. 7, 1973: White House lawyers told Judge John Sirica that a key Nixon tape had an unexplained 18-minute gap. Conversation in question was between Nixon and Haldeman right after the Watergate break-in.
@RealTrickyDick (at 5:41 a.m.): Can’t convict anyone with blank tape and humming noises. LOL.
July 24, 1974: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the White House must turn over 64 tapes despite Nixon’s claim of executive privilege. At the same time, the House Judiciary Committee began debating articles of impeachment.
@RealTrickyDick (at 1:17 p.m.): Supreme Court is too political. Nixon appointed three justices. All of them disloyal. UNFAIR!!!!
@RealTrickyDick (at 5:14 p.m.): All Republicans on Judiciary Committee begged Nixon for campaign help. Now they are fleeing. So DISLOYAL!!
@RealTrickyDick (at 5:23 p.m): Pottstown Press-Patriot says Nixon “great president” and “being railroaded.” Not all news is FAKE.
Aug. 9, 1974: Richard Nixon resigned as president at noon.
@RealTrickyDick (at 11:47 a.m.): !!!!????###&&&%%% Despite the constant negative press COVFEFE …
That was the last tweet from the account of @RealTrickyDick.