President Agnew

President Spiro Agnew?

Lets say the scandal breaks about corruption same as OTL however Vice President Agnew decides to run out the rest of his term then retire. Thus just like in OTL Watergate happens and a very angry Nixon resigns leaving the Presidency to the now disgraced Agnew. What happens next?

Does Agnew nominate a successor and resign? or does he hang on to the end of Nixon's term? and if so how would he be as President? Already publicly disgraced?
 
If Agnew's earlier scandals still came out he could well be impeached. If he does not nominate a tolerable Vice President I can see Congress changing the rules on succession beyond the VP.

I wonder what are the chances of this causing a Presidential election in 1974.
 
I wonder what are the chances of this causing a Presidential election in 1974.

Heh. We've gone over this: we need to kill the 25th Amendment (and have an earlier breaking Watergate) to have any chance at a '74 Special Election.



Look Agnew is a dead duck. At best he'll consult the Congressional Republican leaders and appoint an acceptable VP to them and to pass through the Democratic controlled Congress. As in OTL, that probably means Ford.

Could Agnew choose to stay? Probably, and he might well have survived an impeachment vote…*before Nixon. After Nixon, Congress is responding to the public's problems.

That said, Carl Albert (Speaker) had no intention of being a Democratic President after the Republicans won that office.


So, Agnew's stuff comes out after Nixon steps down or Agnew chooses to stay and fight. First one is probably better, but it doesn't matter.

A) Agnew is forced to step down or is rapidly impeached. Carl Albert becomes President, appoints (probably) Ford as VP, and steps down himself.

B) Agnew appoints (probably) Ford as VP, and then steps down/is impeached.
 
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