what happened when nixon fired the attorney general

Who ordered Cox to be fired as Attorney General?

U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox; Richardson refused and resigned effective immediately. 27 Related Question Answers Found

Who did Nixon fire from the investigation into his campaign?

On October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered Attorney General Richardson to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox (who was investigating the Watergate scandal). Richardson refused and resigned, as did Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus when confronted with the same order. Who was the Attorney General at the time of the Saturday Night Massacre?

Who was the Attorney General under Nixon?

Dec 04, 2013 · Dec 4, 2013 One of the most controversial episodes of the Watergate scandal, the so-called “Saturday Night Massacre” came on October 20, 1973, when embattled President Richard Nixon fired Special...

Did Nixon attack his own Justice Department?

Richardson resigned when Mr. Nixon instructed him to fire Cox and Richardson refused. When the President then asked Ruckelshaus to dismiss Cox, he refused, White House spokesman Ronald L. Ziegler...

What happened to Nixon's attorney general?

After his tenure as U.S. Attorney General, he served as chairman of Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign. Due to multiple crimes he committed in the Watergate affair, Mitchell was sentenced to prison in 1977 and served 19 months.

What was the event when Nixon ordered Attorney General Richardson to fire the special prosecutor investigating the Watergate break-in?

The Saturday Night Massacre was a series of events that took place in the United States on the evening of Saturday, October 20, 1973, during the Watergate scandal.

What was the result of the Watergate scandal?

The Watergate scandal resulted in 69 government officials being charged and 48 being found guilty, including: John N. Mitchell, Attorney General of the United States who resigned to become Director of Committee to Re-elect the President, convicted of perjury about his involvement in the Watergate break-in.

What were the reasons that Nixon gave for refusing to turn over the White House tapes?

President Nixon initially refused to release the tapes, putting two reasons forward: first, that the Constitutional principle of executive privilege extends to the tapes and citing the separation of powers and checks and balances within the Constitution, and second, claiming they were vital to national security.

What did Nixon order Elliot Richardson?

In October 1973, after Richardson had served 5 months as Attorney General, President Nixon ordered him to fire the top lawyer investigating the Watergate scandal, Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox.

Did Richard Nixon get a presidential funeral?

April 27, 1994Richard Nixon / Date of burial

What did Nixon do as president?

He focused on détente with the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, easing Cold War tensions with both countries. As part of this policy, Nixon signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and SALT I, two landmark arms control treaties with the Soviet Union.

Who were the 2 journalists of Watergate?

While a young reporter for The Washington Post in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon.

What were the lasting effects of the Watergate scandal quizlet?

Terms in this set (7) It limited contributions to presidential campaigns. It stopped the president from going to war without support from the congress. It set rules about the governments collection of information. Gave people the right to see government documents about them.

When did Nixon agree to turn over only some of the Watergate?

President Nixon agreed to turn over only some of the Watergate tapes to the special prosecutor when the prosecutor's case against Nixon was heard by the Supreme Court. Explanation: The Watergate scandal was a scandal raised against President Nixon during and after the 1972 Presidential Election.

Why did Richard Nixon resign from the presidency in 1974?

President Richard Nixon made an address to the American public from the Oval Office on August 8, 1974, to announce his resignation from the presidency due to the Watergate scandal.

Who did Richard Nixon defeat in 1972?

It was held on Tuesday, November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon from California defeated Democratic U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.

Why did Nixon fire special prosecutor Cox?

When Cox refused a direct order from the White House to seek no further tapes or presidential materials, Nixon fired him in an incident that became known as the Saturday Night Massacre.

What did Nixon order Elliot Richardson?

In October 1973, after Richardson had served 5 months as Attorney General, President Nixon ordered him to fire the top lawyer investigating the Watergate scandal, Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox.

What happened during Watergate?

On June 17, 1972, police arrested burglars in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Evidence linked the break-in to President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign.

Who fired the Watergate special prosecutor?

U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox; Richardson refused and resigned effective immediately. Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox; Ruckelshaus refused, and also resigned.

Which was a success of the Ford administration quizlet?

Which was a success of the Ford Administration? the Democratic National Committee.

Who was the Attorney General during the Watergate scandal?

On October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered Attorney General Richardson to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox (who was investigating the Watergate scandal). Richardson refused and resigned, as did Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus when confronted with the same order.

Who was the Attorney General at the time of the Saturday Night Massacre?

Nixon then ordered the Solicitor General of the United States, Robert Bork, as acting head of the Justice Department, to fire Cox. Both Richardson and Ruckelshaus had given personal assurances to Congressional oversight committees that they would not interfere, but Bork had not.

What was the impact of Nixon's attack on the Justice Department?

Nixon’s attack on his own Justice Department came with grave consequences. More than 50,000 concerned citizens sent telegrams to Washington, and 21 members of Congress introduced resolutions calling for Nixon’s impeachment .

Who was fired from the Watergate scandal?

One of the most controversial episodes of the Watergate scandal, the so-called “Saturday Night Massacre” came on October 20, 1973, when embattled President Richard Nixon fired Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox and accepted the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus.

Who fired Cox?

On October 20, 1973, in an unprecedented show of executive power, Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox, but both men refused and resigned their posts in protest.

What was the Watergate massacre?

The “massacre” stemmed from an inquiry into the notorious June 1972 break-in at the Watergate complex, in which five Nixon operatives were caught trying to bug the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

Who was fired after Richardson submitted his resignation?

After Richardson submitted his resignation, the President directed Ruckelshaus to dismiss Cox. When Ruckelshaus refused to carry out the President's directive, he also was "discharged," Ziegler said. The President's letter to Bork said Ruckelshaus resigned. Mr. Nixon then directed Bork to carry out the instruction.

Who met with Nixon at the White House?

Richardson met at the White House in the late afternoon with Mr. Nixon and at 8:25 p.m. Ziegler appeared in the White House press room to read a statement outlining the President's decisions.

Why did Richardson not dismiss Cox?

Before taking action, Ziegler said, the President met with Richardson to instruct him to dismiss Cox, but Richardson felt he could not do so because it conflicted with the promise he had made to the Senate, Ziegler said. After Richardson submitted his resignation , the President directed Ruckelshaus to dismiss Cox.

Who said "no desire to come out and talk to newsmen"?

At the Justice Department, where there were repeated requests by newsmen to interview Richardson and Ruckelshaus, department spokesman John W. Hushen said they had "no desire to come out and talk to newsmen.". Hushen quoted Bork: "All I will say is that I carried out the President's directive.".

Who was the attorney general in the Nixon case?

United States v. Nixon. John Newton Mitchell (September 5, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was an American lawyer, the 67th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon, chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns, and a convicted criminal. Prior to that, he had been a municipal bond lawyer and one ...

Who was the attorney general in Nixon v. United States?

For other people named John Mitchell, see John Mitchell (disambiguation). United States v. Nixon. John Newton Mitchell (September 5, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was an American lawyer, the 67th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon, chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns, and a convicted criminal.

Why was Mitchell in prison?

Due to multiple crimes he committed in the Watergate affair, Mitchell was sentenced to prison in 1977 and served 19 months. As Attorney General, he was noted for personifying the "law-and-order" positions of the Nixon Administration, amid several high-profile anti-war demonstrations.

What did Mitchell say about the Justice Department?

He brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, likening them to brown shirts of the Nazi era in Germany. Mitchell expressed a reluctance to involve the Justice Department in some civil rights issues. "The Department of Justice is a law enforcement agency," he told reporters.

What did Nixon tell the press about Martha Mitchell?

Nixon aides, in an effort to discredit her, told the press that she had a "drinking problem". Nixon was later to tell interviewer David Frost in 1977 that Martha was a distraction to John Mitchell, such that no one was minding the store, and "If it hadn't been for Martha Mitchell, there'd have been no Watergate.".

What was Nixon's strategy for desegregation?

Near the beginning of his administration, Nixon had ordered Mitchell to go slow on desegregation of schools in the South as part of Nixon's " Southern Strategy ," which focused on gaining support from Southern voters.

What did Mitchell do to suppress crime?

From the outset, Mitchell strove to suppress what many Americans saw as major threats to their safety : urban crime, black unrest, and war resistance. He called for the use of "no-knock" warrants for police to enter homes, frisking suspects without a warrant, wiretapping, preventive detention, the use of federal troops to repress crime in the capital, a restructured Supreme Court, and a slowdown in school desegregation. "This country is going so far to the right you won't recognize it," he told a reporter.

Who fired Cox after the Stennis compromise?

After the failure of the Stennis Compromise, Nixon ordered Richardson to dismiss Cox. Richardson refused and resigned, as did his deputy, Ruckelshaus. Bork ultimately was the one to fire Cox.

Why did Nixon erase the tapes?

Most plausible, according to Drew, is Ehrlichman's allegation that Nixon personally erased the tapes, presumably because they contained yet more discussion of a cover-up. Three days after the tapes’ existence became known to the public, Nixon resigned from the presidency.