The Watergate Scandal and Its Judgment
The Watergate Scandal and Its Judgment
Never has a situation such as Watergate arisen in the United States before. It was an attempt of monarchy, but because of the American government's structured system, had failed miserably. Former president Richard Nixon had tried to secure himself a second term in office, and had gone to extreme, illegal measures in doing so. But no matter how ingenious the Watergate scandal had seemed, it proved that the constitution had the ultimate power above all.
Watergate will be known in history not only for the illicit actions of Nixon and his people, but also as a key factor to demonstrate the real supremacy of the Constitution. Nixon had tried to play dictator, but had been checked by Congress, who made sure the law of the country was sustained. They checked the president through many ways, such as putting into effect the twenty two bills of impeachment, ordering hearings for Watergate, using investigatory powers, and subpoenaing for the recorded oval office tapes. Congress followed the rules of the Constitution and made sure that all participants and actions in the Watergate scandal were properly dealt with.
In Watergate, many checks and balances were present. The United States had formed a system of government where one arm of authority could not prevail over another. For example, the Legislative branch checked the executive branch when they set up committees to inspect the actions of Nixon and his people. Another check was placed on the president when the Supreme Court demanded the tapes that recorded every single conversation that took place in the oval office. But Nixon had refused to give up the tapes for he felt he had the right to rebuff because he was the president.
The Supreme Court had the greatest position in giving the people of the United States justice. Several individuals had already been subpoenaed and in the end, it was decided that Nixon's tapes would ascertain his fault or blamelessness. The Supreme Court continued to press against Nixon, demanding the tapes and he panicked for he knew they would prove his guilt. He gave instead edited transcripts of the conversations, but the Supreme Court had refused any replacements and demanded the tapes themselves. Nixon was held in contempt and was again commanded to hand over the tapes.
Congress also sustained a great role in Watergate. Specific committees were established, especially the Select Committee on Presidential...