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Impeachment process against Richard Nixon

The impeachment process against Richard Nixon was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on October 30, 1973, during the course of the Watergate scandal, when multiple resolutions calling for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon were introduced immediately following the series of high-level resignations and firings widely called the "Saturday Night Massacre". The House Committee on the Judiciary soon began an official investigation of the president's role in Watergate, and, in May 1974, commenced formal hearings on whether sufficient grounds existed to impeach Nixon of high crimes and misdemeanors under Article II, Section 4, of the United States Constitution. This investigation was undertaken one year after the United States Senate established the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities to investigate the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex during the 1972 presidential election, and the Republican Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement; during those hearings the scope of the scandal became apparent and the existence of the Nixon White House tapes was revealed.

Impeachment process against Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon, President of the United States

October 30, 1973 (1973-10-30) to August 20, 1974 (1974-08-20)
(9 months and 3 weeks)

Resolution containing three articles of impeachment adopted July 30, 1974; the impeachment proceedings ended on August 20, 1974, without an impeachment vote, after President Nixon resigned from office.[1][2]

Adopted: obstruction of justice, abuse of power, contempt of Congress
Rejected: usurping congressional war powers, tax fraud

Following an April 1974 subpoena from the Judiciary Committee, edited transcripts of 42 taped White House conversations relevant to the Watergate cover-up were finally made public by Nixon. However, the committee pressed for the audio tapes themselves, and subsequently issued subpoenas for additional tapes, all of which Nixon had refused. That same month, Nixon also refused to comply with a subpoena from special prosecutor Leon Jaworski for 64 Watergate-related tapes. Ultimately, on July 24, 1974, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision against Nixon, which ordered him to comply. On May 9, 1974, formal hearings in the impeachment inquiry of Nixon began, culminating on July 27–30, 1974, when members of the Democratic-led Judiciary Committee eventually approved three articles of impeachment. These articles charged Nixon with: (1) obstruction of justice in attempting to impede the investigation of the Watergate break-in, protect those responsible, and conceal the existence of other illegal activities; (2) abuse of power by using the office of the presidency on multiple occasions, dating back to the first year of his administration (1969), to unlawfully use federal agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as establishing a covert White House special investigative unit, to violate the constitutional rights of citizens and interfere with lawful investigations; and (3) contempt of Congress by refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas.[3] These articles were reported to the House of Representatives for final action, with 7 of the committee's 17 Republicans joining all 21 of its Democrats in voting in favor of one or more of the articles. Two other articles were debated in committee but were rejected. Based on the strength of the evidence presented and the bipartisan support for the articles in committee, House leaders of both political parties concluded that Nixon's impeachment by the full House was a certainty if it reached the House floor for a final vote, and that his conviction in a Senate trial was a distinct possibility.


On August 5, 1974, Nixon released a transcript of one of the additional conversations to the public, known as the "smoking gun" tape, which made clear his complicity in the Watergate cover-up. This disclosure destroyed Nixon politically. His most loyal defenders in Congress announced they would vote to impeach and convict Nixon for obstructing justice. Republican congressional leaders met with Nixon and told him that his impeachment and removal were all but certain. Thereupon, Nixon gave up the struggle to remain in office, and resigned on August 9, 1974. Vice President Gerald Ford succeeded to the presidency in accordance with Section I of the 25th Amendment. Although arrangements for a final House vote on the articles of impeachment and for a Senate trial were being made at the time, further formal action was rendered unnecessary by his resignation, so the House brought the impeachment process against him to an official close two weeks later.


Nixon was the first U.S. president to be the subject of an official impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives since Andrew Johnson in 1868.[a][4] Two of Nixon's successors have undergone similar proceedings,[b] and both, like Johnson, were impeached but then acquitted at the consequent Senate trial. Thus, while Nixon himself was not impeached, the impeachment process against him is so far the only one that has brought about a president's departure from office.[5][6]

List of efforts to impeach presidents of the United States

List of federal political scandals in the United States

Bazan, Elizabeth B. (December 9, 2010). (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. 98-186, 32 pages – via University of North Texas Libraries, Digital Library, UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice

Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, 93rd Congress, 2nd Session (January 1974). (Report). Vol. Second volume. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Publishing Office. House Committee Print, 900 pages – via HathiTrust Digital Library.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Impeachment: Selected Materials

Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, 93rd Congress, 2nd Session (August 1974). (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Publishing Office. H. Rpt. 93-1305, 528 pages.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Impeachment of Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States

Staff of the Impeachment Inquiry, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, 93rd Congress, 2nd Session (February 1974). (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Publishing Office. H522-6, 80 pages – via Internet Archive.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment

oral history interviews with many individuals who worked in the Nixon administration or were significant figures during the time (1969–74).

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum—Oral Histories

(September 25, 2019) [Originally published August 8, 2014]. "From the archives: How the Watergate crisis eroded public support for Richard Nixon". Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center.

Kohut, Andrew

Montgomery, Paul L. (August 9, 1974). . The New York Times.

"The Case Against Richard Nixon: A Catalogue of Charges and His Replies"

(30th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly. 1975. pp. 867–902. cqal74-1223105.

The Impeachment Inquiry

recordings of public hearings from American Archive of Public Broadcasting

House Impeachment Coverage: May, July 1974

Congressman Jerome Waldie, The Advocates television series, January 3, 1974, 88:47, WGBH-TV

"Should The President Be Impeached?"

Malcolm Farnsworth owner

Watergate.info website