ipl-logo

Breaking The Law Essay

1052 Words5 Pages

Throughout the years, many presidents have committed crimes, and gotten away with it. Presidents breaking the law is controversial because in Article. II. Section. 3. of the Constitution of the United State, it states that “He [The president] shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” (Foner). Even the president needs to follow the law. The president has a responsibility; to be attentive, in order to follow all the laws. Yet, presidents still break the law, without retribution. Nixon succeeded in sending spies into Watergate to wiretap phones, in order to receive information about the Democratic National Committee. Nixon went as far as to bribe the men to not mention the white house while they were on trial. Many other offenses …show more content…

Nixon committed crimes, in order to achieve his goals. He didn’t only want to win the reelection, he wanted to win by a colossal amount. Nixon is the key example of what imperial presidency truly is. He took advantage of his power, to accomplish his means. Even more, he used his status to commit crimes, without being tried for them. Nixon is not the only president to have commit crimes. William Clinton also committed crimes, in an effort to hide information. In the year 1998, Clinton had an ongoing affair with Monica Lewinsky. According to Give Me Liberty! He opposed the affair during “The Jones lawsuit” (Foner). Lying under oath is considered perjury, which is an impeachable offense. Along with perjury his lying was also considered obstruction of justice. Obstruction of justice and perjury were the two crimes that Clinton committed, which caused him to be impeached. Clinton did not consider the legal ramifications of lying about the affair. He was more concerned about his own motives, such as hiding the affair from his wife and daughter. This is an example of imperial presidency, because instead of following the law and constitution, Clinton broke laws in order to obtain his own goals. He is not taking care that the laws be faithfully executed, instead he is pursuing his own

Show More
Related
695 Words | 3 Pages

“Tench Coxe argued that while Britain’s king ‘is hereditary, and may be an ideot, a knave, or a tyrant,’ America’s president ‘cannot be...for those, whom nature makes so discover [i.e., reveal] it before the age thirty-five’” (Amar, p.160). Through “an impeachment standard...the Constitution structured… a system of national accountability” (Amar, p. 200-201). The process for impeachment was also not an easy one as it first had to show that the president was “unfit to serve [due to] treason, bribery, or any other ‘high Crimes [or] Misdemeanors’” (Amar, p. 198).

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

Andrew Johnson became the President of the United States after the assassination of President Lincoln. Johnson stepped into office after the Civil War, which was a fragile time for the country. As president after the war, it was Johnson’s duty to assist in unifying the southern slave states and the northern rebellious population, as one country. This was a difficult task to complete, especially after the assassination of a former president who really helped in the Civil War and with slavery. Johnson tried to quickly restore the states in the Union, however his actions lead to a presidential impeachment.

Read More
1216 Words | 5 Pages

President Nixon is one of the most famous Presidents in American history for being the first one to resign from office. While Nixon is famous for doing such an unthinkable act, he is also the one that gave one of the best and most well known speeches in political history, The Checkers Speech. The speech was given by (Senator at the time) President Nixon when he was running for Vice President on General Eisenhower’s Presidential ticket. A newspaper, the New York Post, had a front page with the headline "Secret Rich Men's Trust Fund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary"; the article alleged that people were donating to a secret fund that Nixon had for his personal benefit in trade for political favors.

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

The water gates scandal is why President Nixon was being impeached but he resigned before the house voted on the Articles hence Nixon was not impeached during the

Read More
1234 Words | 5 Pages

Question 7 (for 10 points): After Nixon was connected to the break-in of the offices of the DNC at the Watergate business complex, in part due to the affiliation of his connection to one of the burglars, who was an employee of Nixon’s Committee for the Re-election of the President (CREEP), it gradually became apparent that the Watergate break in was largely a result of Nixon’s beliefs concerning the degree of latitude his office afforded him with regards to transgression of federal law. As the result of an investigation by a senate committee prompted by the Watergate scandal, it was discovered that during his presidency Nixon had committed a number of crimes, which included “extending political favors to powerful business groups in exchange

Read More
465 Words | 2 Pages

Before he was president, George Washington crossed the Delaware in the middle of the night to attack the British army even though his troops were tired, cold, and starving. In the end, George Washington’s men won the battle because of the decision made by their virtuous, devoted General. When it came to determining who would be the leader in this new country, he George Washington was the best option because he proved himself a good leader. George Washington did not adhere to his troops wishes, but pressed on in the fight because it was what was best for the country. In other words, presidents are not obligated to follow public opinion, two reasons for this being: presidents are not directly elected by the people and doing so could be a danger to society.

Read More
1415 Words | 6 Pages

Although we like to pretend the President of the Unites States is a perfect leader capable of leading this country to glory, no President is without scandals. They are humans just like the general population, and with every new president, rumors spread. Some turn out to be just that, but in some cases those rumors turn out to be true. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and during his presidency there was a report that he and a woman by the name of Sally Hemings were engaged in a sexual relationship. Jefferson got married to Martha Wayles Skeleton in 1772 and in 1773 Mrs. Hemings was brought onto Jefferson's plantation as a slave because of Martha's inheritance.

Read More
1748 Words | 7 Pages

the president by majority vote for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors”.  After going from the house, two-thirds of the Senate must approve this request within the presence of the chief justice of the Supreme Court. o There have only been two successful impeachments in the history of the United States.  Andrew Johnson went against his own party in terms of policies regarding the Reconstruction era after the North won the Civil War.

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

But in Clinton's case, he was impeached on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Trump, on a different note, was impeached on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to his attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate joe biden so that he can get dirt on him so that he can win his next election. Something that is interestingly similar about these cases is that both presidents were ultimately acquitted ( to free someone from criminal charge by being proven not guilty) by the Senate. In Clinton's case, the Senate acquitted him on both charges, while in Trump's case, the Senate acquitted him on the charge of abuse of power and failed to reach a verdict on the charge of obstruction of

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

Nixon's presidency was impacted by both notable achievements and the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to his resignation. Nixon introduced many domestic policies like

Read More
395 Words | 2 Pages

They sparked fierce debates and protests over the constitutional grounds, evidentiary standards, and political implications of impeaching a president. They also had significant impacts on the 2020 election, the 2021 insurrection, and the 2024 election. The previous impeachments of Johnson, Nixon, and Clinton were less controversial, contentious, and consequential. They involved more clear-cut cases of presidential misconduct and more consensus on the impeachment process and outcome. They also had less impact on the political landscape and public opinion.

Read More
389 Words | 2 Pages

Felon disenfranchisement is not only unconstitutional but also further institutionalizes racism. For example, in communities consisting of minorities like African Americans and Hispanics felony disenfranchisement unlawfully create a disadvantage for freedom of speech. As stated by Eric H. Holder, JD a US Attorney General “although well over a century has passed since post-Reconstruction …the impact of felony disenfranchisement on modern communities of color remains both disproportionate and unacceptable.” The act of taking away someone’s right to vote notably mirrors the act of forbidding African Americans to vote during the post-Reconstruction Era. Holder refers to the fact that taking away the right to vote essentially withdraws any opinions that minorities

Read More
2152 Words | 9 Pages

Which at first glance looks like a positive thing but once you dive deeper into what his real motives are, it's rather eye opening. Let's start with the war on crime. During this time you had the black panthers who were people fighting for civil rights, people who were fighting for women's rights, and people who were fighting for gay rights. Nixon felt the need to fight against these movements and therefore one was more likely to get arrested for attending these rallies— for committing a crime which really wasn't a crime. He strategically blinded the public to this by calling it "the war on crime".

Read More
669 Words | 3 Pages

All of this deceit only made Nixon viewed as dishonest and shady to the American people, making his impeachment seem almost predictable. But something that was not predicted was Richard Nixon’s

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

One aspect of Machiavelli’s theory which significantly contributes to his reputation as the “philosopher of evil,” is his advice to the prince on keeping their word to the public. In chapter eighteen, Machiavelli states, “a wise ruler cannot, and should not, keep his word when doing so is to his disadvantage, and when the reasons that led him to promise to do so no longer apply” (pg. 37). To simplify, Machiavelli says princes are obligated to lie in certain circumstances. He also states that while it is unnecessary for the prince to have positive qualities, such as honesty, trustworthiness, sympathy, compassion, or be religious, it is essential for the prince to be viewed so by the public (pg. 37). While many people argue that Machiavelli’s legitimization of lying and deception in politics is immoral, I argue the opposite.

Read More

More about Breaking The Law Essay

Related Topics

Open Document