Republican Senator Howard Baker Jr. of Tennessee, Watergate Committee vice chairman (left), and Democratic Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, chairman (right), worked well together throughout the investigation. Baker’s question "What did the president know and when did he know it?" reflected the committee’s determination to uncover wrongdoing even at the highest level.
U.S. Senate Historical Office
Senator Howard Baker Jr. and Senator Sam Ervin at Watergate hearing, photograph, n.d.
The Watergate Break-in
On June 17, 1972, police arrested burglars wiretapping the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Evidence linked the break-in to President Richard Nixon’s re-election committee, and the Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor for the case. In February 1973 the Senate established a select committee chaired by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina to investigate the 1972 presidential election campaigns. The investigation revealed audiotapes incriminating President Nixon, which eventually led to Nixon’s resignation. Nationally televised, the hearings of the Watergate Committee inquiry boosted public confidence in Congress.
It has been alleged that, following the Watergate break-in, there has been a massive attempt to cover up all the improper activities . . . which, if true, represent interference in the integrity of the prosecutorial and judicial processes of the Nation.
Senator Sam Ervin of South Carolina, Hearings before the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities . . . , 1973
Republican Senator Howard Baker Jr. of Tennessee, Watergate Committee vice chairman (left), and Democratic Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, chairman (right), worked well together throughout the investigation. Baker’s question "What did the president know and when did he know it?" reflected the committee’s determination to uncover wrongdoing even at the highest level.
U.S. Senate Historical Office
