The Saturday Night Massacre: Nixon Watergate Scandal

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Recommended: President Nixon and Watergate

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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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