The Shadow of the Eagle, TL
- Thread starter Amagi
- Start date
The Eagle Takes Flight
The Agent Scandal
(Above, Nelson Rockefeller, who resigned following the scandal: George Romney, the next Vice President)
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On the 23rd January 1969, President Spiro Agnew met with his staffer, Bob Haldeman, and close advisor, William Safire. Riots and violence had continued and Agnew was enraged, he wanted to pass legislation to unify the nation in his grip. Haldeman and Safire agreed, Haldeman formed connections with congressors while Safire helped write the bill. By the 25th of January, through hard work and scrambling, the BUTA (Bring Us Together Act), named after a sign Safire saw at an Agnew rally in 1968, was formed. During this time, Vice President Rockefeller was shown the act and gave his approval. After showing it to chief House Democrats, it was met with disapproval, so Agnew had to find a way to pass it, and with the help of Charles Colson, he devised a plot.
On the morning of the 27th January 1969, all over Washington D.C., windows were smashed by agents in suits in every Democrat's congressional office, the agents stormed their way in and started roughly pushing the Democratic congressors, even in some case beating them with batons. The agents warned them to vote for "the new bill" and not tell anyone or be disappeared. As expected, these congressors rushed to newspapers to report it and the scandal was at the top of the headlines, Agnew's polls dropped from 46% to 30% and Rockefeller flew into a rage, hitting the President over the head with a file and then a briefcase before storming off. Rockefeller then rushed to Congress to give an unofficial press conference to hundreds of reporters and cameras, in which he referred to the President on live television as a "fucking bastard", acknowledged that he was not involved and announced his resignation while calling Agnew "a sick man, one of the worst I've ever met" and "the worst President in all of history". He then flew to New York City where he began preparing for a 1970 gubernatorial ticket.
Agnew himself launched a press conference, in which he condemned the scandal and denied responsibility, Agnew said "this whole incident is the fault of rogue agents led by rogue officials, I am currently chairing a very well-funded committee to investigate this incident", he also called Rockefeller a "misfit" and claimed that "I have a panel of people who I am scouting to replace Rockefeller after his unfortunate breach of temper".
One day later, his close friend and cabinet official, George Romney, a moderate opponent of Nixon during the primaries who had grown close to Agnew, was inaugurated as Vice President in the presidential limousine driving down Pennsylvania Avenue at 12:50 PM on the 29th January 1969. Romney was even more of a moderate than Rockefeller and would soothe the current political whirlwind in the wake of the Agent Scandal.
(Above, Nelson Rockefeller, who resigned following the scandal: George Romney, the next Vice President)
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On the 23rd January 1969, President Spiro Agnew met with his staffer, Bob Haldeman, and close advisor, William Safire. Riots and violence had continued and Agnew was enraged, he wanted to pass legislation to unify the nation in his grip. Haldeman and Safire agreed, Haldeman formed connections with congressors while Safire helped write the bill. By the 25th of January, through hard work and scrambling, the BUTA (Bring Us Together Act), named after a sign Safire saw at an Agnew rally in 1968, was formed. During this time, Vice President Rockefeller was shown the act and gave his approval. After showing it to chief House Democrats, it was met with disapproval, so Agnew had to find a way to pass it, and with the help of Charles Colson, he devised a plot.
On the morning of the 27th January 1969, all over Washington D.C., windows were smashed by agents in suits in every Democrat's congressional office, the agents stormed their way in and started roughly pushing the Democratic congressors, even in some case beating them with batons. The agents warned them to vote for "the new bill" and not tell anyone or be disappeared. As expected, these congressors rushed to newspapers to report it and the scandal was at the top of the headlines, Agnew's polls dropped from 46% to 30% and Rockefeller flew into a rage, hitting the President over the head with a file and then a briefcase before storming off. Rockefeller then rushed to Congress to give an unofficial press conference to hundreds of reporters and cameras, in which he referred to the President on live television as a "fucking bastard", acknowledged that he was not involved and announced his resignation while calling Agnew "a sick man, one of the worst I've ever met" and "the worst President in all of history". He then flew to New York City where he began preparing for a 1970 gubernatorial ticket.
Agnew himself launched a press conference, in which he condemned the scandal and denied responsibility, Agnew said "this whole incident is the fault of rogue agents led by rogue officials, I am currently chairing a very well-funded committee to investigate this incident", he also called Rockefeller a "misfit" and claimed that "I have a panel of people who I am scouting to replace Rockefeller after his unfortunate breach of temper".
One day later, his close friend and cabinet official, George Romney, a moderate opponent of Nixon during the primaries who had grown close to Agnew, was inaugurated as Vice President in the presidential limousine driving down Pennsylvania Avenue at 12:50 PM on the 29th January 1969. Romney was even more of a moderate than Rockefeller and would soothe the current political whirlwind in the wake of the Agent Scandal.