Hi lrod1970,
Thank you for your question.
The History Place - Presidential Impeachment Proceedings
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/impeachments/nixon.htm
"On Saturday, July 27, the House Judiciary Committee approved its
first article of impeachment charging President Nixon with obstruction
of justice. Six of the Committee's 17 Republicans joined all 21
Democrats in voting for the article. The following Monday the
Committee approved its second article charging Nixon with abuse of
power. The next day, the third and final article, contempt of
Congress, was approved.
Articles of Impeachment:
RESOLVED, That Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States, is
impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following
articles of impeachment to be exhibited to the Senate:
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT EXHIBITED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN THE NAME OF ITSELF AND OF ALL OF THE
PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AGAINST RICHARD M. NIXON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IN MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT
OF ITS IMPEACHMENT AGAINST HIM FOR HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANOURS.
Article 1: Obstruction of Justice.
In his conduct of the office of the President of the United States,
Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the
best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of
the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take
care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed,
and impeded the administration of justice, in that: On June 17, 1972,
and prior thereto, agents of the Committee for the Re-Election of the
President committed unlawful entry of the headquarters of the
Democratic National Committee in Washington, District of Columbia, for
the purpose of securing political intelligence. Subsequent thereto,
Richard M. Nixon, using the powers of his high office, engaged
personally and through his subordinates and agents in a course of
conduct or plan designed to delay, impede and obstruct investigations
of such unlawful entry; to cover up, conceal and protect those
responsible and to conceal the existence and scope of other unlawful
covert activities. The means used to implement this course of conduct
or plan have included one or more of the following:
(1) Making or causing to be made false or misleading statements to
lawfully authorized investigative officers and employes of the United
States.
(2) Withholding relevant and material evidence or information from
lawfully authorized investigative officers and employes of the United
States.
(3) Approving, condoning, acquiescing in, and counseling witnesses
with respect to the giving of false or misleading statements to
lawfully authorized investigative officers and employes of the United
States and false or misleading testimony in duly instituted judicial
and congressional proceedings.
(4) Interfering or endeavoring to interfere with the conduct of
investigations by the Department of Justice of the United States, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the office of Watergate Special
Prosecution Force and congressional committees.
(5) Approving, condoning, and acquiescing in, the surreptitious
payments of substantial sums of money for the purpose of obtaining the
silence or influencing the testimony of witnesses, potential witnesses
or individuals who participated in such unlawful entry and other
illegal activities.
(6) Endeavoring to misuse the Central Intelligence Agency, an agency
of the United States.
(7) Disseminating information received from officers of the Department
of Justice of the United States to subjects of investigations
conducted by lawfully authorized investigative officers and employes
of the United States for the purpose of aiding and assisting such
subjects in their attempts to avoid criminal liability.
(8) Making false or misleading public statements for the purpose of
deceiving the people of the United States into believing that a
thorough and complete investigation has been conducted with respect to
allegation of misconduct on the part of personnel of the Executive
Branch of the United States and personnel of the Committee for the
Re-Election of the President, and that there was no involvement of
such personnel in such misconduct; or
(9) Endeavoring to cause prospective defendants, and individuals duly
tried and convicted, to expect favored treatment and consideration in
return for their silence or false testimony, or rewarding individuals
for their silence or false testimony.
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his
trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the
great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest
injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and
trial, and removal from office.
(Approved by a vote of 27-11 by the House Judiciary Committee on
Saturday, July 27, 1974.)
Article 2: Abuse of Power.
Using the powers of the office of President of the United States,
Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully
to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the
best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of
the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take
care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in
conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, imparting the
due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful
inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the
executive branch and the purposes of these agencies.
This conduct has included one or more of the following:
(1) He has, acting personally and through his subordinated and agents,
endeavored to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation
of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information
contained in income tax returns for purposes not authorized by law,
and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens,
income tax audits or other income tax investigation to be initiated or
conducted in a discriminatory manner.
(2) He misused the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret
Service, and other executive personnel, in violation or disregard of
the constitutional rights of citizens, by directing or authorizing
such agencies or personnel to conduct or continue electronic
surveillance or other investigations for purposes unrelated to
national security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful
function of his office; he did direct, authorize, or permit the use of
information obtained thereby for purposes unrelated to national
security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his
office; and he did direct the concealment of certain records made by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation of electronic surveillance.
(3) He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents,
in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens,
authorized and permitted to be maintained a secret investigative unit
within the office of the President, financed in part with money
derived from campaign contributions to him, which unlawfully utilized
the resources of the Central Intelligence Agency, engaged in covert
and unlawful activities, and attempted to prejudice the constitutional
right of an accused to a fair trial.
(4) He has failed to take care that the laws were faithfully executed
by failing to act when he knew or had reason to know that his close
subordinates endeavored to impede and frustrate lawful inquiries by
duly constituted executive; judicial and legislative entities
concerning the unlawful entry into the headquarters of the Democratic
National Committee, and the cover-up thereof, and concerning other
unlawful activities including those relating to the confirmation of
Richard Kleindienst as attorney general of the United States, the
electronic surveillance of private citizens, the break-in into the
office of Dr. Lewis Fielding, and the campaign financing practices of
the Committee to Re-elect the President.
(5) In disregard of the rule of law: he knowingly misused the
executive power by interfering with agencies of the executive branch:
including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Division
and the Office of Watergate Special Prosecution Force of the
Department of Justice, in violation of his duty to take care that the
laws by faithfully executed.
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his
trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the
great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest
injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and
trial, and removal from office.
(Approved 28-10 by the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, July 29, 1974.)
Article 3: Contempt of Congress.
In his conduct of the office of President of the United States,
Richard M. Nixon, contrary to his oath faithfully to execute the
office of the President of the United States, and to the best of his
ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that
the laws be faithfully executed, had failed without lawful cause or
excuse, to produce papers and things as directed by duly authorized
subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives, on April 11, 1974, May 15, 1974, May 30, 1974, and
June 24, 1974, and willfully disobeyed such subpoenas. The subpoenaed
papers and things were deemed necessary by the Committee in order to
resolve by direct evidence fundamental, factual questions relating to
Presidential direction, knowledge or approval of actions demonstrated
by other evidence to be substantial grounds for impeachment of the
President. In refusing to produce these papers and things, Richard M.
Nixon, substituting his judgement as to what materials were necessary
for the inquiry, interposed the powers of the Presidency against the
lawful subpoenas of the House of Representatives, thereby assuming to
himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the sole
power of impeachment vested by Constitution in the House of
Representatives.
In all this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his
trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the
great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest
injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore, Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and
trial and removal from office.
(Approved 21-17 by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, July 30, 1974.)"
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United States v. Nixon (1974)
http://www.landmarkcases.org/nixon/nixon.html
"Articles of Impeachment against President Nixon, 1974
These articles were passed by the House Judiciary Committee but never
voted upon by the full House because President Nixon resigned before a
vote could occur.
Article One: [for] making false or misleading statement to delay,
cover up, or conceal evidence relating to the Watergate break-ins by:
- making false and misleading statements to the government and the people
- withholding information"
[read all the Articles]
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Read about the Watergate Scandal 1972-1977:
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1791.html
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Richard M. Nixon 1913-1994
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1948.html
"Resignation
As Watergate revelations became harder and harder to ignore, Congress
began to investigate. It soon became clear that Nixon had been
personally involved to such an extent that impeachment and conviction
were likely. Nixon accepted the inevitable and announced on August 8,
1974, that he was resigning, effective noon on the following day to
begin "that process of healing which is so desperately needed in
America." As vice-president, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as Nixon's
successor and on September 8, 1974, announced that Nixon was being
pardoned for all crimes that he might have committed during his
presidency, thereby ending any threat of prosecution."
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I used the following keywords in various combinations for my research:
Nixon Congress impeachment Watergate scandal history of
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Best regards,
tlspiegel |
