Echos of Nixonian double-speak in Flynn's firing

Want some historical context for Donald Trump's defense of the fired National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn: 

Mike Flynn is a fine person, and I asked for his resignation. He respectfully gave it. He is a man who there was a certain amount of information given to Vice President Pence...I was not happy with the way that information was given. He didn’t have to do that, because what he did wasn’t wrong... 

So, it certainly would have been OK with me if he did it. I would have directed him to do it if I thought he wasn’t doing it.

Here's a reminder of the way former President Richard Nixon framed the departures of chief aides H. R. Haldeman and John Erlichmann

for their role in the Watergate scandal which eventually cost Nixon his Presidency:

Today, in one of the most difficult decisions of my Presidency, I accepted the resignations of two of my closest associates in the White House—Bob Haldeman, John Ehrlichman—two of the finest public servants it has been my privilege to know.

I want to stress that in accepting these resignations, I mean to leave no implication whatever of personal wrongdoing on their part, and I leave no implication tonight of implication on the part of others who have been charged in this matter.