Inside the Saturday Night Massacre: Nixon, Watergate and the Fight for Accountability | Retro Report

On Oct. 20, 1973, President Richard Nixon ordered the firing of Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor overseeing the Watergate investigation. The order followed Cox’s insistence that Nixon comply with a court ruling and turn over secret Oval Office recordings. Two senior Justice Department officials resigned in protest rather than carry out the order, and the confrontation, known as the Saturday Night Massacre, put the future of the investigation into doubt.

This short doc examines the episode through the eyes of a prosecutor who witnessed it, Richard Ben-Veniste. Legal historian Ken Gormley provides context on why Nixon’s refusal to comply with the court order tested the limits of presidential power and stirred public outrage, sparking calls for Nixon’s impeachment.