BRILYN HOLLYHAND: Obama Made Watergate Look Like A Parking Ticket

Let’s get one thing straight: Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace for a third-rate burglary he tried to cover up. Barack Obama weaponized the federal government against his political enemies – and the media gave him a Nobel Peace Prize and a Netflix deal.

When historians rank presidential scandals, they love to circle back to Watergate. But in terms of long-lasting damage to the rule of law and public trust, nothing Nixon did even touches what happened under Obama. The left’s favorite president didn’t just break norms – he shattered the constitutional guardrails designed to keep power in check, and, in doing so, made Watergate look like a parking ticket compared to his crimes.

Start with the IRS scandal. Obama’s IRS targeted conservative nonprofits – especially Tea Party groups – right as they were mobilizing against his administration. The agency delayed their applications, demanded donor lists, and intimidated citizens into silence. Imagine the outrage if Donald Trump’s IRS had slow-walked liberal organizations like Black Lives Matter or Planned Parenthood. There would have been wall-to-wall CNN coverage and impeachment calls within the hour.

Instead, Obama’s media allies downplayed it, calling it a “misstep” and a “bureaucratic error.” But make no mistake: this was the full force of the federal government being turned against everyday Americans for their political beliefs. And nobody at the top was held accountable.

Then came the spying. Under Obama, the FBI used phony opposition research funded by the Clinton campaign – the Steele Dossier – to justify surveillance of the Trump campaign. Obama’s DOJ and intelligence agencies signed off on secret FISA warrants against American citizens based on evidence they knew was sketchy at best and fabricated at worst. That’s not just unethical – it’s authoritarian.

Watergate was a bad scandal because Nixon tried to cover up a crime. Under Obama, the intelligence community itself became the weapon. It was a full-blown abuse of surveillance power – something straight out of a banana republic. And yet again, no real consequences.

And let’s not forget Fast and Furious. The Obama administration ran guns to Mexican cartels – yes, cartels – with the harebrained idea that they could trace the weapons back to criminal networks. Instead, those guns were used to kill people, including a U.S. Border Patrol agent. When Congress demanded documents, Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder refused – and Obama shielded him with an executive privilege claim. If that had happened under a Republican president, we’d still be hearing about it in every history class.

The Obama White House also leaned heavily on journalists. James Rosen, a Fox News reporter, was labeled a criminal co-conspirator so the DOJ could secretly monitor his emails and movements. All while Obama claimed to be the most “transparent” president in history.

In Nixon’s case, at least the system worked. Investigative journalism exposed the wrongdoing, Congress took action, and Nixon resigned. But under Obama, the media largely looked the other way, Congress was stonewalled, and the public was fed spin instead of truth.

We were told Obama’s administration was “scandal-free.” That was the sales pitch. But the reality is, Obama normalized a dangerous trend: using the government itself as a political weapon. Not against foreign enemies. Against fellow Americans.

That precedent matters. Because once one side opens that door, the other side feels justified in doing the same. And the next thing you know, trust in our institutions is completely gone – and the republic starts to crack.

Watergate was a dark moment, yes. But Obama’s legacy of institutional abuse, political surveillance, and targeted intimidation has had far more dangerous consequences. It taught a generation of political leaders that the ends justify the means – if you have the right media allies.

If Nixon was forced to resign for a cover-up, then Obama’s behavior deserves far more than a glowing Netflix documentary. It deserves scrutiny, outrage, and, yes, accountability.

Because if we don’t call it what it was, we’re not just rewriting history.

We’re erasing the Constitution.

Brilyn Hollyhand is a 19-year-old political commentator, bestselling author of “One Generation Away: Why Now is the Time to Restore American Freedom”, and host of “The Brilyn Hollyhand Show”. For more of his hot takes you can follow him on socials @Brilyn Hollyhand or visit BrilynHollyhand.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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