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Archibald Cox, Jr., had been appointed special prosecutor in charge of investigating the Watergate Scandal. When he insisted upon receiving secret tapes that President Richard Nixon had made in the Oval Office, Nixon ordered Cox fired. On October 20, 1973, after both Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus resigned their position rather than fire Cox, Nixon assigned the task to U.S. Solicitor General Robert Bork. He also considered resigning, but Richardson convinced him that his resignation could leave the Justice Department in chaos, and Bork agreed to follow Nixon's order removing Cox from his position. The affair became known as the Saturday Night Massacre.
As a result of what Congress saw as a gross abuse of power, several bills of impeachment were introduced over the following days. As a result of the Massacre, in 1978, the Independent Counsel Act was passed.
Last updated: October 13, 2004.
