The Nixon Impeachment
The Impeachment of our 37th U.S. President
by Joseph McDuffie
1972: Nixon's Deception
In 1972, in an effort to be re-elected, former President Nixon employed a campaign of dirty tricks and behind the scenes spying, in order to find secrets about the democrats that he could use in his campaign, to ensure his re-election. Some of these tactics included the Watergate Break-In and listening devices planted within the Democratic National Committee building. They even went so far as to plant a letter in a New Hampshire newspaper, which alleged Senator Edmund Muskie of calling Americans of French-Canadian descent "Canucks."
Debauchery
Here I will mention some of the different exploits of President Nixon, focusing on those that caused his impeachment.
First of all, there is the failed burglary attempt made on the Democratic Party Headquarters in Watergate, whose five scandalous perpetrators were hired by the Nixon re-election campaign. Their mission was not to steal from the headquarters, but to repair listening devices within the building. This lead to investigation and the discovery that the Nixon campaign had a "secret intelligence fund."
The Last Straw
On July 30, 1974, three articles of impeachment were issued by the House Judiciary Committee, which also indicted the former President for the many insufferable crimes he was party to, namely those regarding Watergate. However Nixon resigned hurriedly on August 9, 1974 before he could be impeached, and when succeeded by President Ford, was given a full pardon for his crimes. President Nixon was the first U.S. President to resign.