Question

30 days after President Nixon resigned President Ford gave Nixon a full, free and absolute pardon. Not only did Nixon not have to stand trial, he never even admitted that he broke the law. All he ever admitted to was using poor judgement and spent his remaining years trying to rebuild his reputation. Some historians believe the pardon was the right move; he suffered enough. Others believe this left a terrible legacy. If you are "top dog" you can get away with breaking the law while those who worked for you go to jail and have their lives ruined. Do you think Ford did the right thing in pardoning Nixon? Create an argument through the use of historical evidence

Answer 1

The democracy gives us fundamental rights and most importantly freedom. Democracy might not be the best option but it is considered as far better than other options. The freedom of speech and individual to act without harming society is one of the best aspects of democracy. However, it was one of the biggest scandals which did take place in one of the oldest democracy when the president of the US himself spied on rival political party. However, the real blow came in when president Nixon used the CIA to impede any investigation by the FBI and also declined to release any tapes regarding that.

A whistleblower and two reports from the Washington Post uncovered the whole truth and as impeachment seem inevitable, Nixon resigned as a president of the US. He is by far only president to resign from the post.
The next president Ford pardoned Nixon and he did not stand any trial. Nixon's aides were convicted and sent to jail for varying terms. This is one of the worst cases of abuse of power in the US and it was completely illogical that Nixon had been set free without even admitting the crime. Even after several years, he argued that his actions were not illegal as a president of the US and indicated that he was above the law.

President Ford definitely set a wrong and unethical precedent by pardoning Nixon.