| RESOLVED,
That Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes
and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment are to be exhibited to
the Senate:
ARTICLE 1
In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Richard M.
Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of
President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and
defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty
to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed, and impeded
the administration of justice, in that:
On June 17, 1972, and prior thereto, agents of the Committee for the
Re-election of the President committed unlawful entry of the headquarters of the
Democratic National Committee in Washington, District of Columbia, for the purpose of
securing political intelligence. Subsequent thereto, Richard M. Nixon, using the powers of
his high office, engaged personally and through his close subordinates and agents, in a
course of conduct or plan designed to delay, impede, and obstruct the investigation of
such illegal entry; to cover up, conceal and protect those responsible; and to conceal the
existence and scope of other unlawful covert activities.
The means used to implement this course of conduct or plan included one or more
of the following:
- Making false or misleading statements to lawfully authorized investigative
officers and employees of the United States;
- Withholding relevant and material evidence or information from lawfully
authorized investigative officers and employees of the United States;
- Approving, condoning, acquiescing in, and counseling witnesses with respect to
the giving of false or misleading statements to lawfully authorized investigative officers
and employees of the United States and false or misleading testimony in duly instituted
judicial and congressional proceedings;
- Interfering or endeavoring to interfere with the conduct of investigations by
the Department of Justice of the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
office of Watergate Special Prosecution Force, and Congressional Committees;
- Approving, condoning, and acquiescing in, the surreptitious payment of
substantial sums of money for the purpose of obtaining the silence or influencing the
testimony of witnesses, potential witnesses or individuals who participated in such
unlawful entry and other illegal activities;
- Endeavoring to misuse the Central Intelligence Agency, an agency of the United
States;
- Disseminating information received from officers of the Department of Justice of
the United States to subjects of investigations conducted by lawfully authorized
investigative officers and employees of the United States, for the purpose of aiding and
assisting such subjects in their attempts to avoid criminal liability;
- Making or causing to be made false or misleading public statements for the
purpose of deceiving the people of the United States into believing that a thorough and
complete investigation had been conducted with respect to allegations of misconduct on the
part of personnel of the executive branch of the United States and personnel of the
Committee for the Re-election of the President, and that there was no involvement of such
personnel in such misconduct: or
- Endeavoring to cause prospective defendants, and individuals duly tried and
convicted, to expect favoured treatment and consideration in return for their silence or
false testimony, or rewarding individuals for their silence or false testimony.
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as
President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause
of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial,
and removal from office.
Article 2
Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M.
Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of
President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and
defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty
to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct
violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper
administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws
governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposed of these agencies.
This conduct has included one or more of the following:
- He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavored to
obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of
citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposed not
authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens,
income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a
discriminatory manner.
- He misused the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, and other
executive personnel, in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens,
by directing or authorizing such agencies or personnel to conduct or continue electronic
surveillance or other investigations for purposes unrelated to national security, the
enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his office; he did direct, authorize,
or permit the use of information obtained thereby for purposes unrelated to national
security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his office; and he did
direct the concealment of certain records made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of
electronic surveillance.
- He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, in violation
or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens, authorized and permitted to be
maintained a secret investigative unit within the office of the President, financed in
part with money derived from campaign contributions, which unlawfully utilized the
resources of the Central Intelligence Agency, engaged in covert and unlawful activities,
and attempted to prejudice the constitutional right of an accused to a fair trial.
- He has failed to take care that the laws were faithfully executed by failing to
act when he knew or had reason to know that his close subordinates endeavored to impede
and frustrate lawful inquiries by duly constituted executive, judicial and legislative
entities concerning the unlawful entry into the headquarters of the Democratic National
Committee, and the cover-up thereof, and concerning other unlawful activities including
those relating to the confirmation of Richard Kleindienst as Attorney General of the
United States, the electronic surveillance of private citizens, the break-in into the
offices of Dr. Lewis Fielding, and the campaign financing practices of the Committee to
Re-elect the President.
- In disregard of the rule of law, he knowingly misused the executive power by
interfering with agencies of the executive branch, including the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Criminal Division, and the Office of Watergate Special Prosecution
Force, of the Department of Justice, and the Central Intelligence Agency, in violation of
his duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as
President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause
of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial,
and removal from office.
Article 3
In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Richard M.
Nixon, contrary to his oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United
States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of
the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws
be faithfully executed, has failed without lawful cause or excuse to produce papers and
things as directed by duly authorized subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary
of the House of Representatives on April 11, 1974, May 15, 1974, May 30, 1974, and June
24, 1974, and willfully disobeyed such subpoenas. The subpoenaed papers and things were
deemed necessary by the Committee in order to resolve by direct evidence fundamental,
factual questions relating to Presidential direction, knowledge or approval of actions
demonstrated by other evidence to be substantial grounds for impeachment of the President.
In refusing to produce these papers and things Richard M. Nixon, substituting his judgment
as to what materials were necessary for the inquiry, interposed the powers of the
Presidency against the the lawful subpoenas of the House of Representatives, thereby
assuming to himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the sole power of
impeachment vested by the Constitution in the House of Representatives.
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as
President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause
of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore, Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial,
and removal from office.
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