The more deliberate the inquiry, the better chance that the American people will have confidence in it. For Nixon, the process that led to his resignation took more than two years, and the scope of wrongdoing that those investigations revealed was breathtaking. The House Judiciary Committee and a Senate select committee undertook meticulous fact-finding, which ultimately uncovered the evidence that Nixon had taped every conversation in the White House.

Three days after the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over dozens of taped conversations, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment, including one charging that Nixon obstructed justice by paying hush money to the Watergate burglars. Twelve days later, Nixon resigned. Ever since, people on both sides of the aisle have had confidence in the justice of that outcome.

Many advocates on both sides are too eager for a quick resolution of the investigation into Trump’s campaign — Democrats to remove the president from office and Republicans to exonerate him. Moving too quickly not only risks a sloppy and incomplete investigation but also subjects the outcome to claims of either a whitewash or of overturning the results of an election held just months ago.