50 years ago on August 8, 1974, Richard Nixon resigns as President of the USA. It comes to this after a high-ranking official known by his nickname "Deep Throat" does not decide to blow up the scandal.
But it all started on the night of June 16-17, 1972,
when five people were arrested at the headquarters of the Democratic Party on the sixth floor of the hotel and office complex "Watergate" in Washington. "The Fake Plumbers" they wear surgical gloves and are equipped with cameras and listening devices, recalls “France Press“, quoted by bTV.
The next day, the newspaper "Washington Post" front-page coverage of this bizarre intrusion, which took place in the midst of Republican President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign.
Two young journalists - Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein draw attention to the fact that among those detained is James McCord, a member of the Committee to Re-elect President Nixon and a former CIA employee. For journalists, the connection with the White House is obvious.
On June 22, Richard Nixon denied that his administration was involved in any way in the scandal. Oddly enough, the affair then did not affect public opinion.
The two journalists continue their investigation and learn from an informed source, who then becomes known as "Deep Throat", that two people who worked for Nixon and his special counsel, Charles Coulson, were directing the "fake plumbers" with radio stations from a hotel near the "Watergate".
In 2005, it became clear that the journalist's source, who became known as
nicknamed Deep Throat, is Mark Felt, who was deputy director of the FBI at the time of the scandal.
On October 10, 1972, the two journalists exposed the gigantic scandal of espionage and political sabotage orchestrated by the White House in order to re-elect Nixon. Despite the controversy, Richard Nixon triumphantly won the election on November 6, 1972 against the Democratic candidate George McGovern.
On September 15, 1972, seven men, including former White House advisers, were indicted for the Watergate break-in at Democratic Party headquarters. On January 8, 1973, a trial began against the "burglars" of "Watergate", which initially did not attract public attention. Between January 11 and 30, 1973, five of the men pleaded guilty to conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping. Two of them have been convicted.
In February 1973, the Democratic majority in the Senate created a commission to investigate the 1972 election campaign and the scandal "Watergate" .
On July 16, 1973, the Senate Committee to Investigate the "Watergate" established from testimony that all of Nixon's conversations in the White House were taped. Nixon initially refused to turn over the tapes to the committee.
On July 24, 1974, the US Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over the tapes.
Between July 27 and 30, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved three grounds of impeachment for the president: obstruction of justice, abuse of office and violation of the presidential oath, and failure to comply with House orders to testify .
On August 5, 1974, a tape was released showing Nixon approving his chief of staff's proposal to pressure the FBI to drop the Watergate investigation. Republicans who intended to support Nixon in the impeachment trial are abandoning him.
On August 8, 1974, Nixon resigned, and on September 8, the new Republican president, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.