Watergate

1. Watergate – the Unraveling

2. Tapes
• All White House phone calls
& conversations on tape
• Nixon refuses to give tapes
-claims executive privilege
Meanwhile….
• VP Spiro Agnew legal problems
• Charged with more than 50 counts
-bribery, extortion, conspiracy, income
tax evasion as Governor of Maryland
• Pleads “no contest” to tax charge
-$10,000 fine & 3 yrs probation
-resign as Vice President
-rest of charges dropped
• Gerald Ford chosen VP

3. Saturday Night Massacre
• Nixon wants to give summary of tapes, not the tapes
• Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox refuse
• Nixon orders Att. Gen. E. Richardson to fire Cox (refuses/resigns)
• Order Dep. Att. Gen. W. Ruckelshaus to fire Cox (refuses/resigns)
• Orders R. Bork (next in office) to fire Cox (he does)
• Nixon abolishes Spec. Pros. Office & seals FBI files
-huge public backlash
• New Spec. Pros. Leon Jaworski
• Supreme Court rules he must give tapes
-gives 7 of 9 tapes (missing one with Dean + gaps in others)
Richardson Ruckelshaus
Bork

4. The End
• House begins impeachment process
-obstruction of justice
-abuse of power
-refusing to honor subpoenas
• Tapes show Nixon
-ordered CIA diversion
-involved in cover up
• Nixon resigns – August 9th ’74

5. Ford & Carter
• Gerald Ford becomes President
• Grants Nixon a full, free &
absolute pardon for any crimes
-claimed not good for country
-destroys Ford’s political career
• Jimmy Carter (Dem) defeats
Ford in ’76
-runs as a political outsider
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter