President Richard Nixon was triumphantly elected in 1972, but his reign was quickly sullied by the infamous offense of the Watergate Scandal. On June 17, 1972, 5 republicans from Nixon’s administration were arrested for planting electronic bugs in the Watergate apartment-office complex, which also happened to be the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC. This was not the first offense from the Nixon administration. The administration had forged documents, harassed innocent citizens on the White House’s enemy list, and used the CIA and the FBI to cover their tracks.
The Senate held many hearings on the Watergate Scandal. Nixon denied knowing of any of his administration’s dirty tricks, but John Dean III, a former White House lawyer, accused top White House workers of covering up the Watergate break in and obstructing justice. Another worker in the White House revealed that meetings in the Oval Office are recorded, so this could be proof of Nixon’s knowledge. Nixon tried to use his executive privilege to refuse to hand over the tapes. In 1974, Nixon agreed to release all of relevant the tapes. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that executive privilege does not give the right to withhold information of criminal activity. The Smoking Gun Tape revealed that Nixon was attempting to use the CIA and FBI to cover up the Watergate break in. The House Judiciary Committee drew up articles of impeachment, and Nixon was told to resign. He resigned his presidency on August 8, 1974, still saying that although what he did was wrong, he only did what he thought was best for the nation.
The Senate held many hearings on the Watergate Scandal. Nixon denied knowing of any of his administration’s dirty tricks, but John Dean III, a former White House lawyer, accused top White House workers of covering up the Watergate break in and obstructing justice. Another worker in the White House revealed that meetings in the Oval Office are recorded, so this could be proof of Nixon’s knowledge. Nixon tried to use his executive privilege to refuse to hand over the tapes. In 1974, Nixon agreed to release all of relevant the tapes. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that executive privilege does not give the right to withhold information of criminal activity. The Smoking Gun Tape revealed that Nixon was attempting to use the CIA and FBI to cover up the Watergate break in. The House Judiciary Committee drew up articles of impeachment, and Nixon was told to resign. He resigned his presidency on August 8, 1974, still saying that although what he did was wrong, he only did what he thought was best for the nation.
