A new Special Prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, was appointed and continued Cox’s pursuit of the Nixon tapes. The matter eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which (like the Courts of the D.C. Circuit before it) rejected the claim of executive privilege. Jaworski began building a case against those suspected of covering up White House involvement in the break-ins.

Attorney General John Mitchell, Presidential Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, Chief Domestic Policy Advisor John Ehrlichman, and several other White House officials were indicted and convicted for making false statements, obstructing justice, and conspiracy. President Nixon resigned on Friday, August 8, 1974, and was later pardoned by his successor, President Gerald Ford.

Nixon Resigns Photo