Nixon and the White House Watergate scandal Nixon administrations attempt to cover up a burglary of the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington DC ID: 680100
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Slide1
Chapter 24
Section 2
Watergate: Nixon’s DownfallSlide2
Nixon and the White House
Watergate scandal
–
Nixon administrations attempt to cover up a burglary of the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington D.C. Slide3
Imperial Presidency
Executive branch become most important due to
Great Depression
WWIICold War
Nixon thought little of constitutional checks
Impounded funds
Slowed down segregation, busing (Southern Strategy)Invade Cambodia without Congressional approvalSlide4
The President’s Men
The Inner Circle
H.R. Haldeman
– Chief of StaffJohn
Ehrlichman
- Chief Domestic Advisor
John Mitchell- attorney generalJohn Dean- presidential counselAbove the Law?Slide5
Bungled Burglary
2:30 a.m. on June 17, 1972
Burglars break into DNC office and hope to take photos and tap phones
Committee to Reelect President (CRP) led by
James McCord
- former CIA
John Mitchell- former attorney generalSlide6Slide7
Cover- up
Documents shredded
CIA tells FBI to stop investigation (national security)
Paid Watergate burglars to buy their silenceBut, Washington Post led by Bob Woodard
and
Carl Bernstein
keep diggingSlide8
Cover- Up Unravels
James
McCord sent
letter to Judge John Sirica indicating he lied under oath and Nixon administration is involved
April 30, 1973, Dean, Haldeman,
Ehrlichmann
fired or resignedNixon appears on t.v. and calls for investigation but the Senate starts their own led by Samuel Ervin Dean spills his guts….Alexander Butterfield- “Nixon has tapes”Slide9
Saturday Night Massacre
Resignation of the attorney general and firing of his deputy after they refused to carry out Nixon’s order to fire special prosecutor,
Archibald Cox
V.P. Spiro Agnew
resigns due to accepting bribes
Nixon nominates
Gerald Ford as V.P. Slide10
The Fall
Nixon released transcripts of tapes but refuses to hand over actual tapes
July 24, 1974 Supreme Court rules that Nixon must surrender tapes
“I am not a crook”July 27, 1974 impeachment charges approvedAugust 5, 1974 Nixon releases tapes, sort of…
August 8, 1974 Nixon resigns