Nixon resigned from office in 1974.

ATLANTA — As New York prepares for Tuesday’s arraignment of former President Donald Trump, his case is a reminder of another U.S. president who was investigated by a Grand Jury.

The Watergate scandal led to criminal charges against seven people who were part of President Richard Nixon’s administration. In 2018, the National Archives released documents that revealed how a federal grand jury viewed the president’s involvement in the scandal.

Question

Was Richard Nixon ever formally charged with any crimes?

Our sources

Answer

No, Richard Nixon was never officially charged with any crimes.

What we found

In June of 1972, while Nixon was campaigning for re-election, five men were caught breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee located on the 6th floor of the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C.

President Nixon denied any involvement, but evidence tied the burglars to the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Audio tapes linked President Nixon to a cover-up.

Documents released by the National Archives include a draft presentment from a federal Grand Jury. Dated February 1, 1974, the draft presentment states that the president “unlawfully, willfully, and knowingly” conspired to “commit offenses against the United States.

The six page document also shows the Grand Jury planned to charge Nixon with bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and obstruction of a criminal investigation.

But as Congress prepared to impeach him, Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974.

A month later, President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon, protecting him from criminal prosecution.

So, we can verify that while a draft report shows a federal Grand Jury was willing to indict President Richard Nixon, he was never officially charged with any crimes.