Believing his first choice, John Connally, would not be confirmed by Congress,[237] Nixon chose Gerald Ford, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, to replace Agnew.[238] One researcher suggests Nixon effectively disengaged from his own administration after Ford was sworn in as vice president on December 6, 1973.[239]
On November 17, 1973, during a televised question-and-answer session[240] with 400 Associated Press managing editors, Nixon said, "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."[241]

Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of the Watergate tapes, April 29, 1974
The legal battle over the tapes continued through early 1974, and in April Nixon announced the release of 1,200 pages of transcripts of White House conversations between himself and his aides. The House Judiciary Committee opened impeachment hearings against the President on May 9, 1974, which were televised on the major TV networks. These hearings culminated in votes for impeachment.[236] On July 24, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the full tapes, not just selected transcripts, must be released.