“Impeachment is not a moral endeavor; it is the height of hypocrisy.” Adam Lamparello, J.D., Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
October 20, 1973 – My mother will give birth to me in six days. President Nixon’s enemies are on the offensive because of a botched burglary at the Watergate Complex in Washington where the Democrat National Committee resides. On this date, Nixon properly orders Solicitor General Robert Bork, a patriotic American, to fire the anti-American special prosecutor Archibald Cox.
But, this will not save one of our greatest presidents.
The 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon, was elected twice to the Oval Office, the second time by an overwhelming margin; Nixon’s accomplishments in office were groundbreaking. Under his leadership, the United States prospered economically and forged partnerships internationally. For example, Nixon:
- Ended the military draft.
- Created the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Appointed largely conservative judges to the United States Supreme Court.
- Dedicated $100 million to begin a war on cancer.
- Signed Title IX, which prevented sex-based discrimination in federally funded programs and activities.
- Oversaw the desegregation of southern schools.
- Authorized the joint work between the FBI and Special Task Forces to effectively eliminate organized crime.
- Signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which substantially reduced the threat of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
- Became the first President to visit the People’s Republic of China, where he helped to normalize trade relations with the Chinese.
It should come as no surprise, therefore, that in 1972, President Nixon defeated the weakest Democrat candidate in history, George McGovern, in a landslide with a mandate to lead and an agenda to make transformative change in domestic and international policy.
However, before the election, a third-rate burglary performed by low-level, junior-varsity henchman who were on Nixon’s re-election committee and were seeking intelligence on, among other things, the Democrats’ strategy for the 1972 re-election campaign happened. Unquestionably, this was a criminal act and indisputably, it was morally reprehensible.
It was also not necessary. Nixon was expected, and did, win in a landslide against an unknown liberal senator from South Dakota.
But Nixon had serious problems. Since he was President Eisenhower’s vice president in the 1950’s, it had been widely known that the mainstream media, particularly the tabloid Washington Post, hated Nixon, and that the Democrat members of Congress were searching for something to undermine his political power and reputation with the American people.
Given these facts, and Nixon’s overwhelming success as President, why was he about to be impeached and certainly convicted in the Senate? There are three factors.
- He was not exactly honest to his colleagues and Congress about the extent of his knowledge after he became aware of the burglary. This was a dishonest act, but not a crime.
- The voting math on impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate did not favor the president.
- President Nixon taped almost all conversations in the Oval Office. The doctrine of Executive Privilege allowed for this and these tapes were his private property. However, the left wing United States Supreme Court disagreed and forced President Nixon to release the tapes to the special prosecutor.
The tapes were not necessarily incriminating. However, the president did use some foul language that could have impacted him politically.
Nixon’s actions are somewhat similar to another president with a good track record; William Clinton. When faced with allegations of sexual activity with Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office, he was less than honest. I don’t think it would be appropriate to go into the details of President Clinton’s behavior.
Both men knew that they were not really facing criminal charges. They both feared political repercussions.
Lastly, there is another critical point that should have prevented the threat of impeachment and Nixon’s eventual resignation. Put simply, Nixon never acted with the requisite corrupt motive that relevant federal statutes required. Specifically, his actions and inactions were not designed to evade legal responsibility for the burglary (nearly everyone involved served time in prison), but to minimize the political damage that would invariably accompany discovery of the burglary.
I cannot say that President Nixon was perfect. However, he was a good man with some character defects. Only one has ever walked the face of the Earth who was perfect. That was over 2000 years ago.