Watergate & the Constitution.

1. It is August 9, 1974. Nixon has just resigned as president. You are a lawyer who has been asked to write a well-developed argument as to whether or not Nixon should be indicted and prosecuted as a civilian for crimes committed during the Watergate scandal. What is your opinion? Be sure to cite evidence from the two-page memorandum and appropriate clauses from the U.S. Constitution (over).

I strongly believe that President Nixon should be prosecuted as a civilian for the crimes he has committed during the Watergate scandal. Nixon is no different from any other civilian who has committed crimes such as Nixon. If we are to allow President Nixon to get away and not be prosecuted for his crimes, we are generally saying that he is different from any other man. In the constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 3 clause 7 it states that he is "liable and subjected to the Indictment, Trial, Judgement, and punishment, according to law." It is also mentioned in the Constitution that the president, in Article 2, Section 1, Clause 8, "before he enters on the Execution of his office, must take the following oath or affirmation that he will do the best of his ability to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution." Nixon lied to the public nation, obstructed justice, abused his power as president, and therefore tested the Constitution, he did nothing of the sort of protecting or defending the Constitution. Nixon is a perfect example of a president trying to stretch the power of the executive branch, so if we are to let Nixon get away with such crimes, we are not setting a good example as for the future presidencies. If Nixon were to have followed the orders of the Supreme Court and handed over the tapes, he good have ended this. But Nixon chose not to, and because of his poor decisions it is our role to prosecute Nixon.

2. It is September 8, 1974. Nixon has just been pardoned by President Gerald Ford. You are a lawyer who has been asked to write a well-developed argument as to whether or not Nixon should have been pardoned for any crimes committed while he was president. What is your opinion? Be sure to cite evidence from the two-page memorandum, appropriate clauses from the U.S. Constitution (over), and Ford’s pardon and explanation.

It is September 8, 1974 and our new president Gerald Ford has just pardoned President Nixon for his crimes during his presidency. I do not believe this was the correct way to handle Nixon's actions during his presidency. In my opinion, Ford had only pardoned Nixon because he knew that the spectacle of a president on trial for crimes such as obstructing justice does not look good for our nation, therefore to avoid the shame and embarrassment of prosecuting Nixon, Ford decided to pardon his actions. I strongly believe that if we pardon Nixon we are giving future presidents the impression that they can get away with such crimes, and can be pardoned for doing so too. Ford claims that, "Nixon had already suffered enormously." and that he didn't think "the country wanted to see an ex-president behind bars." Some people might agree with President Ford, but when one commits a crime they must be punished, and if not then there is no justice in the outcome.

3. Do you think Richard Nixon’s acceptance of Ford’s pardon was an admission of guilt? Explain.
No I do not believe that Nixon's acceptance of Ford's pardon was an admission of guilt. If Nixon had felt so guilty, then he should have had a trial and be fairly convicted. Also, he still tried to deny any involvement even when there was still hard evidence.