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Importantly, Nixon was never charged with anything, so we don't know exactly what the pardon was intended to subvert -- but the underlying crime of the Watergate break-in was related to Nixon's reelection campaign, and reelection campaigns are not official duties of the president but are separated by statutes (isn't that correct?) that draw a clear-ish line between presidential duties and campaign activities. So isn't it likely that if Nixon had been charged, it would've been related to his political campaign -- using presidential powers in the service of his campaign? -- which would be categorically outside of his enumerated presidential duties.
I'm not sure this works. The opinion doesn't make a distinction based on duties, it makes a distinction based on the function. That is to say "using presidential powers" is squarely inside what is protected.
Somewhat counterintuitive in a way -- if a President breaks the law in his capacity a regular citizen, he is not immune. But he is immune if he not only breaks the law but does so via the exercise of any of his core presidential powers.
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Nixon's actions were not really those of a candidate for office. By all accounts he did not know about and was not involved in the actual break in. Any actions he would have been charged for were squarely within the court's grant of immunity today. Most likely obstruction of justice for attempting to interfere in the DoJ's investigation of the break-in, including by firing several high level officials.
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