Eventually, White House counsel John Dean gave evidence that the scandal information was coming from the White House, including an order from Nixon to cover up of the scandal. Nixon continued to proclaim his innocence, and repeatedly denying foregoing knowledge about the campaign sabotage and claiming to have learned about the cover-up in early 1973. Nixon answered directly to the people by staging an emotional televised press conference in November 1973, during which he famously declared, "I'm not a …show more content…
Facing increased political pressure, Nixon released 1,200 pages of texts of conversations between him and White House aides but still refused to release all of the recordings. The House Judiciary Committee, taken by Democrats, opened impeachment hearings against the president in May 1974. In July, the Supreme Court denied Nixon's claim of executive privilege and ruled that all tape recordings must be released to the special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski. In late July 1974 the House Judiciary Committee passed the first of three articles of impeachment against Nixon, charging obstruction of justice. Upon the threat of a likely post-impeachment conviction, Richard Nixon resigned from the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974. He was succeeded by Gerald Ford, whom Nixon had appointed vice president in 1973 after Spiro Agnew resigned his office surrounded charges of corruption, blackmailed and tax dodging during his time as governor of Maryland. Nixon was forgiven by President Ford on September 8,