Nixon’s presidency and threatened the foundations of American government. In preparation for the 1972 election, Nixon was determined to win an overwhelming mandate for a second term. To protect Nixon at all costs from anything that might weaken his position, he made what is called the “enemies list. “ This was a list developed by a special council that listed names of prominent people unsympathetic to the administration. It included politicians such as Senator Edward Kennedy, members of the media such as reporter Daniel Schorr, and a number of outspoken performers including comedian Dick Gregory and actors Jane Fonda and Steve McQueen. Aides then considered how to harass these White House “enemies.” One idea was to arrange income tax investigations of people on the list. Despite his dedication to a domestic policy of law and order, Nixon was sometimes willing to take illegal actions more serious than the activities the were meant to control. Then the White House organized its own unit - nicknamed the Plum

In July 1974, the House Judiciary Committee adopted three articles of impeachment, charging the president with obstruction of justice. The Supreme Court rejected the president\'s claim of executive privilege in United States v. Nixon (1974), upholding Judge Sirica\'s order that the tapes be produced. Responding to the Court\'s decision and the committee\'s vote, Nixon released eight transcripts of subpoenaed tapes; they provided the “smoking gun” evidence that he had violated the law and that he had known about the cover-up, which he had steadfastly denied. Public reaction and the prospect of an impeachment trial forced Nixon to resign from the presidency on August 9, 1974. His successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him the next month for all offenses he had committed or might have committed during his presidency.

As rumors grew that the White House was involved, Nixon tried to protect himself. In April 1973 he fired Haldeman and Ehrlichman, his two closest aides. On national television, he proclaimed that he would take final responsibilities for the mistakes of other, for “there can be no whitewash at the White House. “ Still the investigation grew on. In May 1973 the Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, began televised public hearings on Watergate. Millions of Americans watched, fascinated, as the story unfolded, like a mystery thriller. As John Dean, seeking to save himself, testified that Nixon new about the cover-up. Other staffers described the various illegal activities undertaken in the White House. The most dramatic moment came when one aide revealed the existence of a secret taping system in the President’s office that recorded all meetings and telephone conversations - supposedly to provide a historical record of Nixon’s presidency. Now those atpes could show wether or not Nixon had actually been involved in the cover-up. Also in May, Nixon was forced to agree to the naming of a special prosecutor for the case, Archibald Cox. Working with a federal grand jury presided over by Judge John Sirica, Cox subpoenaed secret tape recordings of presidential meetings and telephone conversations; Nixon refused to release them, citing the doctrine of executive privilege. In October 1973, the president ordered Cox\'s firing, triggering a series of resignations and firings that became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.” This was done, but only after the Justice Department\'s two highest officials resigned rather than carry out the order. Public outrage forced Nixon to reactivate the Watergate Special Prosecution Force. A new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, resumed the legal battle to obtain the tapes. By this time Nixon was in serious trouble. His public ap

Some topics in this essay:
White House, Richard Nixon’s, Watergate Nixon, Responding Court's, Richard Nixon, Washington DC, Sirica Cox, Liddy FBI, Butler Virginia, Post Senate, white house, night massacre”, “saturday night massacre”, “saturday night, gerald ford, prosecutor leon jaworski, meetings telephone, vice president, special prosecutor, reelection campaign, cover-up nixon, meetings telephone conversations, forced nixon,