Watergate ScandalFord and Nixon
...Many people seem to think so. Gerald Ford was the man replacing Richard Nixon for the rest of is mandate on September 8, 1974. A month after Nixon’s resignation, the new President made a public apparition in which he states that he gives the full, free and absolute pardon to the accused for his involvement in the Watergate affairs and for all his offences against the United States of America. He said that he had suffered enough from the disgrace and the dishonour that were caused by his resignation. The funny part of this is that Nixon indirectly committed to have taken part in the whole affair when he said that he accepted the pardon and that he regretted his mischief and everything he did that could have hurt the country in any way. That event gave America another look of their leaders. There are more sceptics in regard to their politics. There is less blind confidence in the presidency. Today, it is sure that there is still a lot of people who would do anything Bush wants them to do, but some Americans seem to think by themselves. Secondly, because of his full degree of guilt, Nixon should have been aired in court. Since Ford pardoned him, it implies that he committed offences and therefore should suffer the consequences. It is an American principle that all men are equal before the law. At least this is why they try to show all around the world even if it is the opposite that is true. It is not true today and it was not true yesterday. According to this ethical view, Nixon should then have been prosecuted, but he escaped the punishment because he was the President. Some of his aides went to jail and some others were found innocent for crimes that they committed with him. That advanced pardon shows that this famous statement does not, in truth, apply to everyone in the same way. The highest executive is in fact superior to the lowliest citizen in front of the judiciary system. President Ford’s action was wrong. Because of him, even if the Prosecutor and the grand jury assembled a lot of evidences against Nixon, they were never allowed to indict him. This is too much of a power for a person. It needs lots of opinions in order to give an answer that will not be too subjective. Someone who does something wrong shall suffer the consequences of his acts. Thirdly, it was almost sure that the former President of the time would be indicted and that all the Watergate secrets would be revealed to the public. Because of Ford’s act of mercy towards Nixon, the matter changed from guilt to equity. Maybe that Nixon would have been found innocent, even if the probabilities are drastically low, but it is ...