Titles: United States v. Nixon Labels: Nixon, Watergate, US_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 he should not have a right because the Oval Office tapes were evidence to an ongoing investigation. The question, "what did the president know, and when did he know it" could be answered by the viewing of the tapes. He should not have a right to privacy because what happens in the Oval office belongs to the federal government and the judicial branch has a right to see what they want.


2. Was President Nixon justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Explain.
President Nixon was absolutely not justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox because he fired him for basically summoning the court for vital evidence to a case involving the well being of the government. It was near insanity, and many protests broke out against the president. It was not justified because Cox simply did not want a summary of the tapes, but rather the tapes themselves, and Nixon refused and fired him. So Cox was fired because Nixon wasn't getting his way...UNJUSTIFIED.


3. Was Nixon creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes? Explain.
Yes, Nixon created a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes because it created a huge outpour of protest. The American public created 350,000 telegrams to congress and the white house describing their anger and distaste for the president's actions. It was a constitutional crisis because he was breaking the law by withholding crucial evidence to a court case and he was abusing the executive power.

Closure

4. Why do you think the American public was so outraged by Watergate?
The American public was so outraged by Watergate because it made them lose all of their trust that they had in the government. They could no longer believe or trust what the government was doing and it made them very mad. They were also outraged with the fact that president Nixon was abusing the executive power and acting more like a dictator than a political leader. The government was no long "for the people, by the people" but rather ruled by one individual making decisions for everyone, and it infuriated the public.


5. Do you think President Nixon should have resigned? Explain.
President Nixon most definitely should have resigned because he was doomed. He was charged with misusing presidential power to violate the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, obstruction of justice, and defying Judiciary Committee subpoenas. His impeachment was inevitable if he stayed in office so he saved himself the humiliation and embarrassment and resigned, which was the right thing to do.


6. Do you think President Nixon should have been prosecuted? Explain.
I do not think President Nixon should have been prosecuted because it would have caused not only a domestic crisis but as well as a global crisis. The United States had already looked bad as they were just getting out of Vietnam, they had let communism spread in Europe and Asia and to have a president prosecuted would have made the united states look pathetic and weak. It was a wise decision not to prosecute the former president because it would have only caused more drama in the world and make the United States look vulnerable.