On this day in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommended the impeachment and removal from office of Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States.
The impeachment stemmed from the Watergate scandal, a series of political scandals involving Nixon's administration.
The Watergate scandal came to public attention after a break-in occurred on June 17, 1972, at the Democratic Party's national headquarters in the Watergate apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C.
The individuals responsible for the break-in had ties to the White House and were arrested and charged. While Nixon denied involvement, some of his staff members were later found to be part of an illegal cover-up and were forced to resign.
Further investigations revealed questionable political tactics used by the Committee to Re-Elect the President and the existence of a White House "enemies list."
In July 1973, a former staff member of Nixon revealed the existence of secretly recorded conversations between the president and his aides.
Initially, Nixon resisted releasing the tapes, citing executive privilege and national security concerns. However, a judge ordered him to turn them over. The White House complied partially, but one tape was partially erased.
In May 1974, the House Judiciary Committee began formal impeachment hearings against Nixon. On July 27, the first article of impeachment was passed, followed by two more articles for abuse of power and contempt of Congress on July 29 and 30, respectively.
On August 5, in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Nixon provided transcripts of the missing tapes, which implicated him in a cover-up of the Watergate break-in.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Nixon announced his resignation on August 8, becoming the first U.S. president to leave office voluntarily.
He was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford, who controversially pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974, preventing any prosecution for crimes committed during his presidency.
In the history of the United States, only three presidents have been impeached before 2021: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021.
#ThisDayInHistory
July 27, 1974
I dont buy anything theyve ever told us about Nixon and neither should anyone else whos been able to see through the lies of the last several years.
Another CIA plot successfully executed