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What is Watergate? Several people were caught stealing documents and wiretapping phones at the Democratic National Committee's Watergate Headquarters in Washington D.C. The men were there to fix the wiretapping on the phones previously, because the technology had malfunctioned. The reason behind the original break in is not clear, and is still being debated today.
On August 1, 1972, President Richard Nixon gave $25,000 to one of the burglars bank accounts (also called, “hush money”) to help cover the crimes up. When the Supreme Court ordered President Nixon to hand over all evidence, he only handed over a few. Finally in July of 1974, Nixon was forced to hand over all records of anything involving the Watergate scandal. After listening to all the recordings, the House of Representatives votes to impeach President Nixon for violating his power. On August 5, 1974, President Richard Nixon became the first President to resign. Days later, Vice President Gerald Ford took the place of President Nixon, and in the video to the right, pardons Nixon. |
significance in history
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