Authoritarians kept believing Nixon was innocent long after his pardon.

Evidence

For a more telling connection between authoritarianism and tolerance of official malfeasance, consider the Watergate scandal. Most of over 700 American students, polled after Richard Nixon had accepted a pardon for his felonies, said they had believed the president for a very long time. In fact, many said they still believed Nixon was innocent. The correlations between RWA scores and this enduring trust were .48-.51. (RWA, pp. 224-227). — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 268 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Authoritarianism predicts enduring trust in corrupt leaders like Nixon — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 268

Broader Connections

• Authoritarianism predicts enduring trust in corrupt leaders like Nixon #expands (0.92) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 268