1. The President of the United States

2. Roles of the President The President of the United States is:
Chief Executive: enforces the laws of the United States that are passed by Congress
Commander-in-Chief: Leader of the Armed Forces and Military of the United States
However, only Congress can declare war
Head of Government and Head of State

3. Other Powers
Executive Privilege: the right of a president to withhold or keep private from the public any documents or communications made that may interfere with the function of the executive branch
State Secrets Privilege: the president may withhold any information or documents that if revealed would violate national security

4. Abuse of Power Richard Nixon
President,
1972: 5 men were arrested breaking in to the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel

5. The Watergate Scandal
First, the Attorney General (the head of the Department of Justice) was accused
Then, White House Chief of Staff (the president’s senior aide) was accused next
Then the White House Counsel (the president’s official lawyer) was accused
The new attorney general appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the cover-up
The special prosecutor intended to subpoena President Nixon to find out what he knew

6. The Scandal Blows Up
The White House Counsel, John Dean, became the lead witness against Nixon
Nixon then ordered his attorney general to fire the special prosecutor
The attorney general and deputy attorney general both refused and resigned instead; the solicitor general fired the prosecutor
The Supreme Court in U.S. vs. Nixon ruled that Nixon couldn’t hide behind executive privilege
The House of Representatives voted to begin impeachment proceedings
Nixon resigned August 9, 1974 rather than face impeachment

7. Limits on Presidential Power
Presidents are limited by the power of impeachment
When accused of “high crimes and misdemeanors” the House of Representatives brings articles of impeachment against the president
The president then stands trial before the U.S. Senate: if 2/3 of the Senate votes to convict, the president is removed from office

8. Term Limits
The president can only serve two, four-year terms under the TWENTY-SECOND AMENDMENT
Before this, a president could theoretically serve for life, as long as they kept getting elected

9. Summarize
In your interactive notebook, at the bottom of your notes page, write a short paragraph about today’s lesson. Write about:
What the main idea of the lesson was
AND what you learned today.
Your summary should be able to explain today’s lesson to someone who was not in class today.