Ford Issues Full Pardon to Nixon for All Watergate Crimes, Ensures No Criminal Accountability

On Sunday, September 8, 1974—exactly one month after Nixon’s resignation—President Gerald Ford addressed the nation from the Oval Office to announce his decision to “grant a full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in” during his presidency. The pardon made Nixon immune from any arrest, investigation, or imprisonment for his involvement in Watergate and related crimes. Ford explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country, arguing that the Nixon family’s situation was “a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.”

The pardon’s sweeping language—covering not just known crimes but any offenses Nixon “may have committed”—ensured that no investigation could ever establish the full scope of presidential wrongdoing. Ford privately justified the pardon by carrying in his wallet a portion of the text from Burdick v. United States, a 1915 Supreme Court case stating that a pardon carries an imputation of guilt and its acceptance carries a confession of guilt. By accepting the pardon, Nixon was theoretically acknowledging guilt, though he never explicitly admitted to criminal conduct and continued to minimize his actions. The pardon prevented any trial that could have provided answers to lingering questions about Watergate and established legal precedents about presidential accountability.

The public reaction was overwhelmingly negative. Ford’s approval rating dropped from 71% to 50% overnight, and allegations of a “secret deal” between Ford and Nixon—promising a pardon in return for resignation—led Ford to take the unprecedented step of testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on October 17, 1974, becoming the first sitting president to testify before the House since Abraham Lincoln. Historians believe the pardon controversy was a major reason Ford lost the 1976 election. The pardon established a devastating precedent: that presidents who commit crimes, even extensively documented crimes that force their resignation, will not face criminal prosecution. While subordinates like H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and John Mitchell served prison time (18-19 months each), the president who directed their criminal activities faced no legal consequences. This dual system of justice—accountability for underlings, immunity for the president—would influence expectations about presidential accountability for decades, culminating in modern Supreme Court rulings granting presidents broad immunity for “official acts.”