Botched plots: ‘White House Plumbers’ re-examines Watergate
The recent precedent-setting arrest of a former president of the United States only deepens the satirical value of the latest limited series, “White House Plumbers,” which premieres Monday, May 1, on HBO and HBO Max.
Set during Richard Nixon’s presidency, the series follows two key players in the Watergate scandal: G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, portrayed by Justin Theroux (“The Mosquito Coast”) and Woody Harrelson (“True Detective”).
Formerly with the FBI and CIA, respectively, Liddy and Hunt were both instrumental to Nixon’s 1972 re-election and 1974 resignation. They worked together, carrying out break-ins and wiretaps in service of Nixon and his office, until their close involvement in the Democratic National Committee headquarters break-in at the Watergate Complex — an event dubbed a “third-rate burglary” by Nixon’s press secretary — exposed their criminal activities and took down the very administration they were trying to protect.
Part of the so-called “Plumbers” — members of Nixon’s administration who set out to investigate and act on leaks of top-secret documents — Hunt and Liddy were just two of 48 people convicted (69 were indicted with crimes) for their part in the Watergate scandal, which involved the illegal surveillance of and investigations into opposing activists and politicians. Liddy and Hunt were each convicted of conspiracy, burglary and illegal wiretapping. Ultimately,
they served out portions of their sentences: Hunt was released after 33 months, while Liddy’s sentence was commuted by President Carter in 1977 after he’d served over four years of a 20-year sentence.
The Plumbers, specifically Liddy and Hunt, are the focus of HBO’s five-episode miniseries. The screenplay is based on the 2007 book, “Integrity: Good People, Bad
Choices, and Life Lessons from the White House,” co-authored by Nixon administration official Egil Krogh and his son, Matthew Krogh.
Step back in time and slide into one of the biggest political scandals in American history when “White House Plumbers,” starring Theroux and Harrelson, premieres Monday, May 1, on HBO and HBO Max.