Gerald Ford

A month into his presidency, Ford granted Richard Nixon a full pardon for any crimes committed in office. His approval fell from about 71 to 50 per cent almost overnight, his press secretary resigned, and the decision is widely thought to have cost him the 1976 election. He argued that a trial would have consumed the country for years. Opinion shifted later; Ted Kennedy, an early critic, praised the decision in 2001. The debate over whether former presidents should face prosecution has since returned in force.