Thread by @fleetadmiralj

So let's cross check the dates of these polls (and the support) vs. what the timeline of Nixon's impeachment was

https://twitter.com/ThePlumLineGS/status/1135551927226384384

June 17, 1972: Break-in at the Watergate Hotel
January 30, 1973: Conviction and sentencing of Watergate burglars
April 30, 1973: Nixon fires AG Kleindienst
May 17, 1973: Senate Watergate hearings start
June 22-25, 1973: Poll #1 with 19% supporting impeachment

July 16. 1973: White House Tapes subpoenaed
October 10, 1973: Agnew resigns
October 20 1973: Saturday Night Massacre
October 30, 1973: House begins initial hearings
November 17, 1973: "I am not a crook"
Feb. 1-4, 1974: Poll #2: Impeachment support at 38%

Feb. 6, 1974: House formally gives House Judiciary Committee authority to launch impeachment inquiry (passing 410-4)
March 1974: Haldeman, Ehrilchman, Mitchell, etc. indicted
April 11, 1974: House JC subpoenas house tapes
April 29, 1974: Nixon gives edited transcripts to House

May 9, 1974: Judiciary Committee formally starts impeachment proceedings
June 6, 1974: Public release of grand jury naming Nixon as unindicted co-conspirator
June 27, 1974: Senate Watergate hearing final report published

July 9, 1974: House releases own version of Tape transcripts
July 12, 1974: Judiciary Committee releases accumulated evidence running 3,888 pages
July 12-15, 1974: Poll #3: 46% support for impeachment

July 24, 1974: Supreme Court rules in United States v. Nixon
July 24, 1974: Judiciary Committee impeachment hearings become televised
July 26, 1974: Harris poll: 53% support impeachment
July 27, 1974: Judiciay Committee votes out 3 articles of impeachment

July 30, 1974: Nixon released full tapes to the public
Aug. 2-5: Final Poll, 58% support of impeachment
Aug. 4th: Harris poll: 66% support impeachment
Aug. 5, 1974: Nixon releases "smoking gun" tape
Aug. 8, 1974: Nixon gives resignation speech

It should be noted, again, that the actual impeachment inquiry was largely behind closed doors. The main things that happened publicly were the tapes becoming public, the final report submitted by the Judicial committee, and the public final debate in committee for impeachment

It should also be noted that republican cooperation into the need of an investigation was largely there all along. See: the near unanimous house vote to set up the initial impeachment inquiry in the house. Dems then didn't have to worry about it being partisan because it wasn't

also, while yes, the last two polls happened after the impeachment inquiry started and the votes for articles, it's a bit more complicated than that when it comes to what all might have influenced public opinion

I couldn't find dates when the Harris poll was actually conducted (just the date it was released) but it suggests a majority already supported impeachment by the time the final debate in the Judicialy committee happened

like, it's impossible to know for sure, but wouldn't the public release of Nixon being named an unindicted co-conspirator be as likely a reason support impeaching him went up than the formation of the impeachment inquiry, for example?