 The attempt backfired. The judge threw out the case due to numerous irregularities and illegal acts of the overzealous men doing a president's bidding. President Nixon eventually resigned in lieu of being impeached and convicted of various crimes associated with the Watergate scandal. Ellsberg spent the rest of his life serving the people as a tireless advocate for peace and reconciliation, a defender of the First Amendment rights, and a champion for nuclear disarmament.