The Agnew Case: A Lost to History Precedent

4min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The Agnew case is kind of back again as we enter into this newest chapter of crime and high-level politics in American history. We've never had a problem like this one before. The young federal prosecutors who faced the Agnew crisis really were facing something brand new when they contended with this in 1973. But they lived to tell the tale as we now face something very much like this again.

In 1973, in the throes of the Watergate scandal, three young federal prosecutors uncovered a separate criminal scheme being run inside the White House — the sitting vice president, Spiro Agnew, was taking envelopes stuffed with cash in exchange for official acts as an elected official. If Nixon left office, Agnew would be the next President. And so, what would happen if the President was charged with a federal crime? Worse yet, what if he was convicted? Now that Donald Trump has been charged with 37 federal crimes – as he runs again for president — Rachel Maddow and Bag Man executive producer Mike Yarvitz talk with the three Spiro Agnew prosecutors who have the only experience in our nation’s history with a situation like this.