Ford Pardons Nixon

Former President Richard Nixon resigned in a cloud of disgrace and under accusation of criminal behavior. Some of the public eagerly awaited his trial, but President Gerald Ford granted Nixon a full pardon for any offenses committed during the presidency.

Ford defended himself by suggesting that the nation would be traumatized by the trial of a former president, and said that Nixon was not healthy enough for court. This controversial move triggered open speculation that Nixon had set Ford on the track to the presidency in exchange for a big favor.

Ford, in his defense, carried around a Supreme Court ruling in his wallet, Burdick v. United States, which states that a pardon carries the imputation of guilt, meaning that Nixon was pardoned not because he was innocent, but to spare the nation of more conflict.