The Saturday Night Massacre: Nixon Watergate Scandal

The Saturday Night Massacre pertains to Nixon firing a lawyer named Archibald Cox a Harvard graduate for trying to get the tapes of Nixon's conversations hoping to have evidence against him (“Archibald Cox.”). When Cox kept pursuing to receive these tapes Nixon ordered he be fired which led to Justice Department officials to quit as a form of protest (“Watergate Scandal.”). After this Nixon gave some of the tapes up as forgiveness for his abuse of power for firing someone without reason.

President Nixon abused his presidential power by firing Cox without reason. NIxon Fired cox in worry of him gaining evidence against him in the scandal and feared if cox accessed these tapes he would be proven guilty. This proves that these tapes contained

info related to Watergate or other suspicious activities otherwise Nixon wouldn't disagree to hand over the tapes instead of what he choice to do which makes it obvious suspicious actions. The Saturday Night Massacre took place on October 20,1973 and just under a year later when many people realized his suspicious activities it was moved on to the Supreme Court ruling to weather or not President Richard Nixon has to release these tapes under his possession.
On July 25, 1974, eight Supreme Court Justices voted unanimously against Nixon keeping tape recordings that nixon wanted confidential due to “executive privilege” (Winchester, Simon.). Prosecutors recovered 64 taped voice recordings from Nixon's office with enough evidence to prove him guilty. Nixon's recorded tapes held hundreds of hours of recordings partially pertaining to the scandal. Nixon stated that he was “disappointed” with the Supreme Court's order to hand over the tapes, but still proceeded as he was a believer in abiding laws.
The tapes seized from nixon containing information related to Watergate began just 3 days after the Scandal took place on June 20, 1972 with the tapes taking place in the Oval Office. Forty six conversations and over twelve hundred pages of transcripts were recovered (Glass, Andrew.). One tape in particular know as “smoking gun” was revealed to contain a conversation nixon had with FBI agent ordering the FBI to stop investigating on the Watergate Scandal. This tape was the first piece of evidence showing Nixon had part in the scandal and surprised the public that he had involvement. After smoking gun Nixon lost congressional support and led to his resignation.
Shortly after Nixon lost possession of the recorded tapes, while researching and looking through them there was a noticed eighteen minute gap in a recording believed to be taken out by Nixon himself and also to be evidence relating him to the Watergate that Nixon did not want to be seen.

Further research years after the scandal actually proved that the eighteen might clip missing had to do with Watergate but little to do with Nixon's connection to it confusing investigators.

After Nixon's tapes were released Nixon's hope in winning the trial decreased dramatically along with his support from the congressional committee because they didn't want to be caught helping a guilty president escape a crime as it would give them a bad reputation. Around this time Nixon has a small amount of support as the evidence in adding up against him and the knowing the the truth will soon come out. This was a main leading point to nixon's resignation in August of 1974.

Richard Nixon resigned from Presidency due to the building of evidence against him in the Watergate Scandal. “I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.” (“Nixon Resigns.”).Nixon states in his farewell speech at the Oval Office. Nixon left on a helicopter with his family before noon the following day. Although

Nixon
left with pride and the look of victory, he had no choice but to resign or otherwise be impeached. Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the united states and resigned just before the end of his first term. Nixon was in the middle of a second term in the White House, and as his Presidential campaign when associates broke into the Democratic National Committee at Watergate in Washington D.C.. Nixon denied any connection with him and these members of his campaign team and them breaking in to set up microphones, but later after Nixon was forced to hand over tapes of his conversations in the White House, it was revealed that Nixon did indeed have a strong connection with Watergate.
Before nixon resigned from presidency he took many steps to avoid it. Starting with Nixon saying he had no connection to his associates recording information to help him in the election. Nixon then would not turn over his recordings taken in the White House under his possession. After being forced to turn over the tapes hoping to contain information related to the scandal, Nixon then tried to fire the lawyers he was turning the tapes over to for no reason other than a coverup. This is an example of misuse of presidential power by Nixon because he tried firing a lawyer without appropriate reasoning.
President Ford should not be justified for pardoning Nixon in the Watergate Scandal. President Ford should being using his power to protect his country and help not to be pardoning past presidents for mistakes they have made. The Pardon Nixon was given was a full and unconditional pardon for any crimes he might have committed against the United States while president. “ I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States,... have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.” (“Gerald R. Ford: Proclamation 4311”) Nixon states with his “Granting Pardon to Richard Nixon’ speech. Nixon broke into the Democratic National committee, released tapes with evidence connecting him to the Watergate Scandal, tried firing a lawyer related to his case, and resigned from office due to the evidence building upon him. Due to these reasonings President Ford is not justified for pardoning President Nixon for the Watergate Scandal and the rest of his time as president.
IV.

Rebuttal

A survey sent out to American citizens on whether or not they would vote for Nixon's reelection puzzled many. Although it seemed as Nixon would be guilty the survey concluded that over 77 percent of Americans who voted said the Watergate Scandal would not affect their future election(Bump, Philip.). The people believed Nixon was innocent and believed him until further evidence. Until years later most Americans would still take Nixon's side of no involvement in the Watergate Scandal. Not only did People still believe Nixon shortly following the election, but Nixon never went to court and was never proven guilty.

Due to President Ford misusing his Presidential power and pardoning Nixon for all crimes, Nixon never had a trial and was never proven guilty in court. At the start Ford was said to pardon Nixon in return for Nixon resigning, but after further investigation it was discovered that Nixon and Ford had a close friendship and Ford did believe Nixon's half in the Watergate Scandal. Nixon was innocent for the Watergate Scandal because he was never proven guilty in a court system, and was also never sentenced to punishment. If you are not proven guilty then you are innocent and in the case Nixon should be innocent due to no trial proving his side wrong. On top of that the immediately following the Scandal, Nixon still had all the public's votes, and they all believed him in not taking park in the Watergate Scandal. For these reasons Nixon is innocent for his involvement

in the Watergate Scandal.