Watergate began with the 1970s congressional elections because it created the fear that Nixon could lose the 1972 presidential election. The large antiwar demonstrations in Washington during 1971 caused the Nixon campaign to worry about Nixon’s reelection. For these reasons, White House special counsel Charles W. Colson made a list of enemies. To deal with the enemies on the list the Nixon administration recruited undercover agents and started plans for domestic surveillance. After the “Pentagon Papers”, a confidential study of the decision making during the Vietnam War by the Defense Department, was released the White House created a “plumbers” unit to prevent “leaks” in security. The plumber’s team was made up of E. Howard Hunt Jr. and G.
…show more content…
Nixon released a statement on the 29th of August saying that no one from the White house staff was involved in Watergate. The judge of the case, Judge John J. Sirica, received a letter from McCord that said people in CREEP and the Whitehouse were involved and that perjury had been committed and the defendants were pressured into pleading guilty. The Justice Department instructed Archibald Cox, a Democrat who Nixon had hesitantly appointed as special prosecutor, to investigate Watergate without the White House interfering. On April 30 1973 Nixon took responsibility for Watergate but still denied any knowledge of the burglary or the cover-up in advance. Many White House employees and Justice Department officials were fired, resigned or were imprisoned. Nixon was named an unindicted coconspirator by the federal grand jury on the Watergate investigation. Nixon tried to fire Cox, but Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus refused to carry out this order and instead resigned. The new acting attorney general Robert H. Bork fired …show more content…
John Doar, an attorney, and Peter Rodino Haldeman, the chairman, subpoenaed Nixon for the tapes from the wiretap of the phone in his office. Referring to executive privilege, Nixon refused to release the tapes and instead told them to use the already publish white-house transcript. On July 24 1974, the Supreme Court decided in United States v. Richard M Nixon that executive privilege did not apply to the Watergate tapes. The Supreme Court ordered Nixon to give all the tapes to Jaworski. The House Judiciary Committee recommended that the full House vote to impeach Nixon for contempt of Congress, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice. The transcripts of the tapes, which showed that Nixon ordered a cover-up, were released to the public on August 5. Many of Nixon’s supporters were astonished, the tapes proved that Nixon had ordered a cover-up. On August 8 1974 Nixon resigned from the presidency. The new president was Vice-president Gerald R. Ford, who had gotten the position after Agnew resigned. Once Ford was president he pardoned Nixon for the federal crimes he may or may not have committed while in
Nixon released a statement on the 29th of August saying that no one from the White house staff was involved in Watergate. The judge of the case, Judge John J. Sirica, received a letter from McCord that said people in CREEP and the Whitehouse were involved and that perjury had been committed and the defendants were pressured into pleading guilty. The Justice Department instructed Archibald Cox, a Democrat who Nixon had hesitantly appointed as special prosecutor, to investigate Watergate without the White House interfering. On April 30 1973 Nixon took responsibility for Watergate but still denied any knowledge of the burglary or the cover-up in advance. Many White House employees and Justice Department officials were fired, resigned or were imprisoned. Nixon was named an unindicted coconspirator by the federal grand jury on the Watergate investigation. Nixon tried to fire Cox, but Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus refused to carry out this order and instead resigned. The new acting attorney general Robert H. Bork fired …show more content…
John Doar, an attorney, and Peter Rodino Haldeman, the chairman, subpoenaed Nixon for the tapes from the wiretap of the phone in his office. Referring to executive privilege, Nixon refused to release the tapes and instead told them to use the already publish white-house transcript. On July 24 1974, the Supreme Court decided in United States v. Richard M Nixon that executive privilege did not apply to the Watergate tapes. The Supreme Court ordered Nixon to give all the tapes to Jaworski. The House Judiciary Committee recommended that the full House vote to impeach Nixon for contempt of Congress, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice. The transcripts of the tapes, which showed that Nixon ordered a cover-up, were released to the public on August 5. Many of Nixon’s supporters were astonished, the tapes proved that Nixon had ordered a cover-up. On August 8 1974 Nixon resigned from the presidency. The new president was Vice-president Gerald R. Ford, who had gotten the position after Agnew resigned. Once Ford was president he pardoned Nixon for the federal crimes he may or may not have committed while in