Nixon Impeached

What if Nixon did not resign, and decided to go through the long impeachment process. Of course, I wanted this because I wanted Ford to be able to be reelected in '76 and also in 1980...

Gerald Ford 1974-1984, possible?
 
So Nixon decides to go down with the sinking ship.

Not sure how this makes Ford a two term president. Sure, the dates work, but Nixon actually being impeached (a relativly long process) can't help him. He can't pardon nixon as in OTL without being identified with the ex-president, but even if he doesn't he is still a lame duck at best. The bottom line is, while it is mathematically possible for ford to be a two termer if the imeachment succeeds, it makes it infeasible for that to actually happen.

The republicans might be best served in '76 by nominating reagan. It was a close run thing in the primaries, and the little bit of extra stigma attached to ford may be enough to make reagan the nominee (with or without Schweiker).
 
As I understand the events the House Committee had voted by more than two thirds to impeach BEFORE the most damning evidence came out from tapes.

I am not certain whether Congress was in recess that August or not. However I am certain that it would take days for the House to vote impeachment articles.

I believe that Nixon would have been convicted by the Senate before the mid term elections. (By the way under the 22nd Amendment this excludes Ford from having 2 elected terms)

In principle Ford could still give Nixon a pardon under Civil law. (I think that Nixon could have pardoned himself the night before the Senate's vote on conviction.)
 
What if Nixon Pardoned himself?

That would be legal but blatantly unconstitutional...

[Note: I suspect a Governor of Illinois may consider that line of action today]
 
I read that Ford did little about Watergate, speaking out wise during Watergate. Could Ford have done a lot more action - at least words - during the situation, to seem like some sort of white knight, especially if Nixon pardons himself.
 
What if Nixon Pardoned himself?

That would be legal but blatantly unconstitutional...

[Note: I suspect a Governor of Illinois may consider that line of action today]

I am guessing that the Illinois governor's actions may have been contrary to Federal Law so a Pardon would not help him.

Then again if Nixon ordered that anything illegal (in the relevant state) happen outside DC he could have been prosecuted by a State.
 
What if Nixon did not resign, and decided to go through the long impeachment process. Of course, I wanted this because I wanted Ford to be able to be reelected in '76 and also in 1980...

Gerald Ford 1974-1984, possible?

Well, his 1976 loss was quite narrow in OTL. Should be reversible with a minimalist POD, which would not have the impact a successful impeachment would have.
 
What if Nixon Pardoned himself?

That would be legal but blatantly unconstitutional...

[Note: I suspect a Governor of Illinois may consider that line of action today]

After Ford pardoned Nixon, Senator Mondale proposed the following constitutional amendment:

No pardon granted an individual by the President under section 2 of Article II shall be effective if Congress by resolution, two-thirds of the members of each House concurring therein, disapproves the granting of the pardon within 180 days of its issuance.

It went nowhere; but if Nixon had actually issued a self-pardon, perhaps it would have passed Congress and gone to the states for ratification.
 
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