The Other Side of Law and Order: Nixon and the Constraints of Law

The Example of Watergate.

President Nixon's emphasis on law and order often clashed with the way the Nixon administration operated. The administration often acted as if it were not subject to the limits of constitutional and statutory restrictions, particularly in its political-campaign activities. The conduct of the Watergate affair and cover-up provides the clearest example of this attitude. The Watergate affair started with the arrest of Nixon campaign operatives for attempting to burglarize the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Several officials, including Nixon, then became involved in an illegal cover-up. Their actions included destroying evidence, paying the Watergate burglars to keep silent, and refusing to obey court orders to provide evidence. The cover-up conspiracy failed only when one of the convicted burglars revealed the payoffs and prosecutors were able to persuade White House officials to cooperate. White...

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