The man of the moment in the US presidential campaign is Richard Nixon

The 37th US president, who resigned from office in disgrace in 1974 and died more than 20 years ago, is re-emerging in this election as the rival presidential campaigns invoke memories of the Richard Nixon era.

Tim Kaine, running mate of Democrat Hillary Clinton, said Sunday that Donald Trump’s recent encouragement of anti-US hacking by Russia echoed the Watergate break-in and cover-up. Trump’s vice presidential-candidate, Mike Pence, labeled Clinton “the most dishonest candidate for president of the United States since Richard Nixon.”

The duelling characterisations reflect the degree to which Nixon has become a watchword for political corruption in the US, and thus an insult to fling against an opponent. But even in a year of political twists, it was notable that Pence would invoke the name of Nixon, a fellow Republican, in the same way.

Speaking on ABC News’ This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Kaine compared this year’s cyber attack on the Democratic National Committee to the burglary at party offices at Washington’s Watergate complex in 1972. Nixon’s re-election campaign orchestrated that break-in, and US intelligence agencies have linked the DNC penetration to Russia.

Trump “has openly encouraged Russia to engage in cyber hacking to try to find more e-mails or materials, and we know that this cyber attack on the DNC was likely done by Russia,” Kaine said. Nixon, he said, “had to resign over an attack on the DNC during a presidential election in 1972.”

Trump said July 27 that he hoped Russian intelligence services could find thousands of missing e-mails from Clinton’s time as secretary of state. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing,” the billionaire real estate developer said. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”