Fixing judges - Nixon vs Obama & 1973 vs today

Far as I know, it's generally accepted that the government tried to "fix" the Ellsberg trial ....

by trying to bribe the judge.

Byrne was assigned the Pentagon Papers case the same year he arrived on the bench.

In the midst of the trial, several twists served to destroy the government's case. The first revelation came on April 26, 1973, when the government prosecutor disclosed that White House operatives had burgled the Beverley Hills office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist. The burglars, led by G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, were not apprehended until after they burgled the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington nine months later.

  

Days after the disclosure, Richard Nixon's two top lieutenants, John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman, resigned, and White House counsel John Dean was fired. A few days later, the judge disclosed in court that Ehrlichman had offered him the position of FBI director.>>> wiki: "Matthew Byrne" 

The key sentence here: "A few days later, the judge disclosed in court that Ehrlichman had offered him the position of FBI director." 

Now...if I understand correctly... Manning's Judge Lind was offered and accepted a higher position ( a promotion) by the government while she was sitting on the Manning case. 

Of course Nixon did have to watch his step somewhat. 

Back in 1973 the media actually investigated government wrongdoing.