November 17, 1973: Nixon: ‘I Am Not a Crook’

President Nixon during the press conference. [Source: Business Week]During a press conference, President Nixon denies any involvement in the Watergate conspiracy, and declares, “I am not a crook.” [Washington Post, 11/18/1973] A defensive Nixon says he has never profited from his years of public service: “I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice. People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.” The statement about his finances comes from allegations that he paid insufficient taxes in 1970 and 1971. In regards to Watergate, Nixon only admits that he made mistakes in letting campaign officials operate with insufficient supervision. He says that the telephone conversations of his brother, Donald Nixon, were taped, but refuses to say why; sources have said that Donald Nixon’s phone was tapped because of his potentially embarrassing financial dealings. [Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum, 7/3/2007]