Watergate Scandal

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Recommended: Nixons role in the watergate scandal

In June of 1972 five people who previously worked for the reelection committee of President Richard Nixon broke into the Democratic National headquarters in the Watergate Apartments and were arrested by a security guard. Still unknown what they were searching for exactly, many speculate that the five were implanting listening devices throughout the office to spy on the Democrats. President Nixon’s campaign for reelection was unaffected, however and President Nixon defeated his opponent, Democrat George McGovern, with 60% of the popular vote. This overwhelming victory was largely due to President Nixon’s ability to make progress with the Democrats in the Deep South as well as the working-class whites up North, he was the winner of the popular …show more content…

Sirica, who was presiding over the case, wanted to find out who had hired the five to perform the breakin. Anonymous writers at the Washington Post began publishing interviews and investigative stories which eventually was able to connect the crime all the way up to those closest to the president, who of course had tried to cover their tracks. Following the release of the Washington Post findings a series of hearings before Congress took place which found that the NIxon administration was responsible for many more wire tappings and breakins than originally known, as well as several attempts to sabotage political opponents. It also came to light that President NIxon secretly kept a tape recorder on in the Oval Office during all his meetings. Archibald Cox, a prosecutor appointed by President Nixon for the hearings, demanded Nixon hand over the tapes. President NIxon of course declined turning over tapes and rather suggested that Senator John C. Stennis from Mississippi review the tapes; Cox then was the one to deny President Nixon’s request so President NIxon simply fired him. In protest of the firing of Cox Elliot Richardson, the Attorney General, resigned the same night, a night now called the Saturday Night Massacre. The Supreme Court intervened at this time and ordered President Nixon to hand over the tapes for open review proving even the President isn’t greater than the law. By the middle of 1974 it was determined that President Nixon was involved with Watergate after the event took place. He had been the one to authorize the payments to the five ex-employees to remain silent or lie during questioning and it also became apparent that he had been the one that ordered the FBI to stop their investigation of the event. In August 1974 the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeaching President Nixon on conspiracy to obstruct justice, but President Nixon resigned rather than a

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