| November 17 |  |
Editor says, what if Richard Nixon died in office muses Eric Lipps? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
| Share this Article on: |  Facebook |  Twitter |
In 1973, President Spiro T. Agnew, under investigation both for his possible role in offenses relating to the June 1972 break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s Watergate Hotel and for alleged bribery and kickbacks dating from his time as governor of Maryland, gave a rambling speech defending himself which was most memorable for his assurance that "I am not a crook. The President of the United States is not a crook".
Driven from Office by Eric LippsAgnew had succeeded to the presidency upon the unexpected death of President Richard M. Nixon from an aortic aneurysm on January 24, just days after Nixon had been sworn in for a second term after winning a landslide victory over Democrat George S. McGovern in the 1972 presidential election.
"I am not a crook. The President of the United States is not a crook".Later, some would argue Nixon had been the luckier one. The Watergate investigation would turn up extensive evidence of presidential misconduct, which would certainly have put him at risk of impeachment. His death in effect left Agnew holding the bag for those misdeeds. But it would be the revelations emerging from Maryland which would prove more damaging, ultimately not only forcing Agnew from office but making him the first U.S. President ever sentenced to prison. Although the prison sentence was suspended, ex-President Agnew would be fined $10,000 and would live out the remainder of his life as a political pariah, shunned even by Republican conservatives who had once looked to him to speak for them.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Beasts Source: Wikipedia Labels: Spiro T. Agnew, Richard Nixon, America, Presidency, Watergate. Comment from Jeff Mayers on Facebook: Well, if that would have occured, we still might have had a constutitional crisis(since Agnew was under investigation and resigned because of an unrelated scandal), but due Watergate... Comment sent to author for response if appropriate. Ed.
Comment from John Ritzert on Facebook: In this timeline, it's important to know who Agnew would have appointed as VP under the 25th Amendment. Any ideas? Comment sent to author for response if appropriate. Ed.
~ Would Woodward and Bernstein have pursued the story so vigorously if Nixon were gone? As I understand it, a lot of what they did was at least partly because they, and people they liked, loathed Nixon personally.
~ I don't know that I buy the personal-vendetta angle; it sounds like something Nixon's supporters would have dreamed up to make their man the innocent victim of a left-wing media conspiracy. But in any event, it's not hard to believe that Woodward and Bernstein might have disliked Agnew--they would have had plenty of company, even within the (former, in this timeline) Nixon administration.
~ Actually, Woodward and Bernstein were not alone in investigating Watergate. More important, Woodward was and remains a Republican. Agnews choices for a vice president were limited the requirements of the 25th amendment -- congressional approval. Pressure for Gerald Ford was very great at the time, and he was appointed as a politically neutral "nice guy" who could work with Democrats. It's likely that Agnew would have done the same, or appointed Gov. Rockefeller. It would not have been Reagan or Goldwater.
The only outsider that I can think of might have been Scranton, but feel free to add more.
~ Woodward a GOP guy? I never knew that?
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
