United States v. Nixon

The Cover-up

1. Regardless of the outcome, should the President of the United States have a right to privacy in regards to the Oval Office tapes? Explain.
No Nixon shouldn't have had rights to the privacy to the Oval Office tapes. They were key evidence to a federal investigation. Nixon and Haldeman couldn't claim those tapes where private property. They were public property that belonged to the state department not Nixon himself. Therefore Nixon had no claim on keeping the tapes in the first place expecially since they were critical evidence in a federal investigation of the Executive branch and Nixon defying every order to turn over the tapes on the sole grounds that he thought they were his property shows how arogant and obscene he is.

2. Was President Nixon justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Explain.
No, Nixon was not justified when he fired Special prosecutor Archibald Cox. This is because he overstepped his bounds in what he could do as president. He couldn't get rid of a whole department because he didn't like what he was saying that would make him a dictator instead of a elected president. Also he only fired Cox because he didn't like what he was telling him to do which was to hand over the tapes. He should have relized he was overstepping his bounds when the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General quit and were fired because they thought it was wrong. The only reason he was able to do so was the Solitour General was scared for his job and did it because he didn't want to be fired.

3. Was Nixon creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes? Explain.
Yes, Nixon was defiently creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to have over the tapes. He was refusing direct orders from Congress, the special prosecutor's office, and the Erving Committee. He was acting like a dictator and a tyrant. He was overstepping his constituial boundaries by a lot of space where he was doing things that were illegial for him to do. He was disobeying the Constitution which he swore to uphold.

Closure

4. Why do you think the American public was so outraged by Watergate?
The president lied about the scandal. He also was involved in many different illegial activities. Also he was abusing his power and using the money people gave him to help him be reelected to fund his illegial activities.

5. Do you think President Nixon should have resigned? Explain.
No, I think Nixon should have had some guts and stayed and taken his punishment like a man instead of running away and hidding from it like a little girl. He should have stayed and faced the consequences for his actions and in my eyes that wouldn't have made him such a crook. Instead he backed of and kept lying and telling people he wasn't a crook while he was a scoundrel and a blight on America.
6. Do you think President Nixon should have been prosecuted? Explain.
Yes, I think Nixon should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our country was founded on the prinicipal that everyone is equal and no one and I mean ABOSOLUTLY NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!! Nixon should have been taken to court for his crimes because he disobed the constitution. He isn't and wasn't above the law and should have had to answer for his crimes because he wasn't above the law. Letting him get away scot free except his reputation being destroyed was a horrendus clamaty that should have not happened.

Watergate: Nixon's Downfall

1. How ere the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?
They were the people who Nixon had get dirt on other people to have them shut up so they don't tell any secrets about Nixon's involvement in watergate.
2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?
John Sirica was the judge and he
3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
They were two of his closest advisors.
4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
They were also two of the presidents closest advisors.
5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?

a. Dean
He said that Nixon was deeply involved in the cover-up.
b. Butterfield
He told the senate about the tapes Nixon had in his office or the watergate tapes.
6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
Archibald Cox was fired. Attorney General Richardson resigned. The Deputy Attorney General was fired.
7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?
They were edited and Nixon probably took out all the good stuff that indicated him in the crime.
8. What did the tapes reveal?
It proved Nixon not only knew about the cover-up and the original crime but that he planned to obstruct the official F.B.I. investigation.
9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?
He accepted bribes while governor of Maryland from an Engineering firm.
10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?
Obstruction of Justice, Abuse of Power, and Contempt of Congress for refusing to give them the unfettered tapes.
11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?