Drill:Drill:

• What governmental body do you think holds the power of executive privilege, Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court? Explain how you know.

• Executive Privilege- power used by the president to withhold information vital to national security

Richard Nixon’s Richard Nixon’s Presidency (1969-1974)Presidency (1969-1974)

• 1968 Election results

Election of 1968Election of 1968

• Promised to – end the war in Vietnam– bring “Law and Order” – Shrink the size of the government

• A narrow victory for Nixon

Energy CrisisEnergy Crisis

• By the 1970s, Americans were dependent on foreign countries for oil

• War in the Middle East– Israel v. Egypt and Syria (Arab Nations)– US backs Israel – Arab nations had formed the Organization of

Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) started an embargo on trading oil with the US

– Caused huge price increases on American goods

New FederalismNew Federalism

• Nixon believed that the government had grown too big under Johnson.

• Nixon gave control of many social programs (welfare) to states who did not have $ to pay for them

• Encouraged Revenue Sharing between the federal government and state governments.

Battling EnemiesBattling Enemies

• Nixon had an enemies list which included members of the press, politicians, and entertainers

• Used the IRS and wiretaps to find information to hurt his enemies

• Formed a group nicknamed the Plumbers who broke into places to find damaging information on Nixon’s enemies

Beginnings of the Beginnings of the Watergate ScandalWatergate Scandal• Early 1972, Nixon forms the Committee to

Re-elect the President (CREEP) to make sure Nixon wins the 1972 election

• June 17, 1972, members of CREEP broke in to the Watergate Hotel to wiretap the phones of the Democratic National Committee headquarters

• The five burglars were arrested

Watergate ScandalWatergate Scandal

• The FBI started to investigate– Nixon urged an end to the investigation using

executive privilege

• The burglars were paid to lie in court (sentenced to 40 yrs in prison)

• Meanwhile, Nixon won the 1972 election

• Reporters for the Washington Post refused to let the story drop

Watergate ScandalWatergate Scandal

• In 1973, a Senate Committee began to investigate if Nixon had been involved in the Watergate cover-up– One of the burglars admitted White House

staffers were involved– Investigations revealed that Nixon had taped

conversations in between Nixon and his advisers

Watergate ScandalWatergate Scandal

• Congress ordered Nixon to release the tapes– Nixon agreed to release transcripts of the tapes– Meanwhile Nixon’s Vice President, Spiro

Agnew was forced to resign because of tax evasions and taking bribes

– Gerald Ford is appointed Vice President– July 1974, the House of Rep. decided to

determine if it was necessary to impeach Nixon

Watergate ScandalWatergate Scandal

• The House ordered Nixon to hand over the tapes

• Nixon attempted to use executive privilege to not hand over the tapes

• In August Nixon agreed to give the tapes, however 18 ½ minutes were missing still the tapes showed Nixon was involved in the cover-up

Watergate ScandalWatergate Scandal

• August 9, 1974, Nixon resigned and the appointed vice president Gerald Ford became president

• Watergate increased the public distrust with the government

• Showed the country that the president was not above the law

Exit Pass:Exit Pass:• Explain in two sentences how the clip from Explain in two sentences how the clip from

Forrest Gump depicts the cause and result Forrest Gump depicts the cause and result of the Watergate Scandal. of the Watergate Scandal.