In May 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.  Their mission was to steal campaign documents and “bug” the phones and offices for the purpose of stealing election campaign strategies. Eventually it was found out that these men worked for CRP; the Committee to Re-Elect the President. President Richard Nixon and his inner circle of political strategists devised the plan which was later exposed by The Washington Post with the help of an anonymous FBI informant. 

On June 13, 1971, the New York Times ran a front-page story detailing the unlawful possession of documents by private, non- governmental think tanks. These documents had been stolen from the Department of Defense and had been allegedly shopped around to several news outlets and actually found their way to the Soviet embassy. A former Pentagon official who had turned against the war in Vietnam, Daniel Ellsberg, was soon identified as the person responsible for the illegal leak. These documents came to be referred to as the Pentagon Papers.

The White House was quick to take steps to prevent any further loss of top secret information and its subsequent release to the public. A special unit was established to investigate leaks that could compromise America’s national security. This unit was to become known as “the Plumbers” given their mission to plug leaks.

The Plumbers were to  report to senior White House aide John Ehrlichman. Besides investigating leaks they were also assigned to de-classify materials that no longer contained sensitive information. Future Watergate figures, G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, and Howard Hunt, a former CIA agent, were soon chosen to become the Plumbers’ lead operatives.

A plan was hatched to crash the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis Fielding. The purpose was to gain information and documented conversations between the two to help prevent future security leaks or have material to publicly discredit Ellsberg. 

 On June 17, 1972, Frank Wills, a security guard at Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the Watergate office building found evidence of external door locks having been tampered with and called Washington D.C police. The burglars were caught and arrested. Material found in the burglar’s possession connected them to members of the White House staff.

Within a couple of days, the White House actively began orchestrating a cover-up.  Initially, Nixon agreed to let Haldeman and another aide, John Erlichman, instruct the CIA to thwart the FBI investigation.  The plan, however,  was captured on a voice-activated taping system in a recording that came to be known as “the smoking gun.” During the conversation, Nixon and Haldeman also discussed associate director of the FBI Mark Felt, who they thought would be helpful in protecting the president. Years later, the public would learn that Felt was keeping Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein informed about the investigation using the code name “Deep Throat.”

 The FBI would find evidence implicating several members of Nixon’s inner circle. Political investigations began in February 1973 when the Senate established a Committee to investigate the Watergate scandal. The public hearings of the Committee were sensational, including the evidence implicating John Dean, Nixon’s former White House Counsel. Soon  participants were starting to decide that it was more important to protect themselves than to protect the President. Soon enough Dean himself would turn state’s evidence. His decision to testify about the Watergate cover-up prompted the White House to attempt to blame the cover-up on him. 

Nixon came to  make three major speeches on the Watergate scandal during 1973 and 1974. The first was on April 30, 1973, in which he announced the departure of Dean, Haldeman and Ehrlichman. A more defiant speech was delivered on August 15, 1973. Perhaps the politically most difficult speech was the one on April 29, 1974, in which Nixon released partial transcripts of the White House tapes. Finally, Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation at 9pm on August 8, 1974, to announce that he would resign the presidency at noon the following day.

campaign strategies. Eventually it was found out that these men worked for CRP; the Committee to Re-Elect the President. President Richard Nixon and his inner circle of political strategists devised the plan which was later exposed by The Washington Post with the help of an anonymous FBI informant. 

On June 13, 1971, the New York Times ran a front-page story detailing the unlawful possession of documents by private, non- governmental think tanks. These documents had been stolen from the Department of Defense and had been allegedly shopped around to several news outlets and actually found their way to the Soviet embassy. A former Pentagon official who had turned against the war in Vietnam, Daniel Ellsberg, was soon identified as the person responsible for the illegal leak. These documents came to be referred to as the Pentagon Papers.

The White House was quick to take steps to prevent any further loss of top secret information and its subsequent release to the public. A special unit was established to investigate leaks that could compromise America’s national security. This unit was to become known as “the Plumbers” given their mission to plug leaks.

The Plumbers were to  report to senior White House aide John Ehrlichman. Besides investigating leaks they were also assigned to de-classify materials that no longer contained sensitive information. Future Watergate figures, G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, and Howard Hunt, a former CIA agent, were soon chosen to become the Plumbers’ lead operatives.

A plan was hatched to crash the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis Fielding. The purpose was to gain information and documented conversations between the two to help prevent future security leaks or have material to publicly discredit Ellsberg. 

 On June 17, 1972, Frank Wills, a security guard at Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the Watergate office building found evidence of external door locks having been tampered with and called Washington D.C police. The burglars were caught and arrested. Material found in the burglar’s possession connected them to members of the White House staff.

Within a couple of days, the White House actively began orchestrating a cover-up.  Initially, Nixon agreed to let Haldeman and another aide, John Erlichman, instruct the CIA to thwart the FBI investigation.  The plan, however,  was captured on a voice-activated taping system in a recording that came to be known as “the smoking gun.” During the conversation, Nixon and Haldeman also discussed associate director of the FBI Mark Felt, who they thought would be helpful in protecting the president. Years later, the public would learn that Felt was keeping Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein informed about the investigation using the code name “Deep Throat.”

 The FBI would find evidence implicating several members of Nixon’s inner circle. Political investigations began in February 1973 when the Senate established a Committee to investigate the Watergate scandal. The public hearings of the Committee were sensational, including the evidence of John Dean, Nixon’s former White House Counsel. Soon  participants were starting to decide that it was more important to protect themselves than to protect the president. Soon enough Dean himself would turn state’s evidence. His decision to testify about the Watergate cover-up prompted the White House to attempt to blame the cover-up on him. 

Nixon same to  make three major speeches on the Watergate scandal during 1973 and 1974. The first was on April 30, 1973, in which he announced the departure of Dean, Haldeman and Ehrlichman. A more defiant speech was delivered on August 15, 1973. Perhaps the politically most difficult speech was the one on April 29, 1974, in which Nixon released partial transcripts of the White House tapes. Finally, Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation at 9pm on August 8, 1974, to announce that he would resign the presidency at noon the following day.Nixon became the only president ever to resign the office.  He did so under threat of impeachment,  Since then, “Watergate” has become the symbol of high-level political scandal.wing day. Nixon became the only president ever to resign the office.  He did so under threat of impeachment,  Since then, “Watergate” has become the symbol of high-level political scandal.

IMHO

Watergate was not the first presidential administration scandal nor the last.

President Andrew Johnson (D/Union Party) was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act. He was acquitted by one vote. Ezra Ayres Hayt, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs under Rutherford B. Hayes, was forced to resign by Interior Secretary Carl Schurz due to allegations of rampant corruption. William McKinley had several members of his administration convicted of corruption. President Warren G. Harding‘s (R-OH) administration was marred by scandals stemming from men in his administration who followed him from Ohio, who came to be known as the Ohio Gang. Ulysses S. Grant had so many scandals they warrant their own Wikipedia webpage. Warren Harding had his Teapot Dome scandal; Ronald Reagan Iran-Contra arms scandal. And then there was Bill Clinton.

Certainly, America’s two-party system triggers the fueling of many political scandals. Those who have lesser power want more power. An effective way to turn social favor your way is to make the action of the other party appear corrupt or downright illegal. This stems from the loss of actual “statesmen” in government. Politicians have taken their place; loyal not to their constituencies, but to their party. Congressional bills and the subsequent voting are not for actions that can best aid the country, but instead for personal gain or political dealings. Influencers in the Executive branch act to enhance and protect the current president and ultimately to help their own careers.

American mass media is no longer a independent reporter of national news. Firstly, scandals of any kind is good news providing good ratings for national news coverage. Secondly, statisticians will tell you that due to the two-party adversarial system. whenever there is divided government (e.g. Republican President, Democratic Congress} there is higher likelihood for impeachment attempt. This is due to numerous factors according to my past Political Science professors, but I won’t go into that here. Thirdly, the economy is a big contributor to the scandal fertility landscape. Presidential approval ratings are a key barometer on how much a Commander-in-Chief can mess up and get away with. Nothing improves approval numbers like a strong economy.

Certainly, the current administration will be shown by history as being the most aggressive ever. Few presidential actions illustrate an end run around the other bodies of government like tariffs and executive orders. Whether Trump is successful in his efforts to hammer his agenda single-handedly or not, he will have succeeded in changing the executive branch. Regardless of who challenges his actions he either dismisses or attempts dismantle his critics. He may adjust his stance slightly but more commonly its full speed ahead. Is he headed for public reckoning and a setback in next year’s mid terms? Only time will tell.

I fear , given human nature, political scandals will continue to be a part of our society. One does not become President without having a huge ego. In a true democracy, leadership would be selected through a lottery. AI says the best way to describe our government is a constitutional federal republic. It is a system where citizens elect representatives to make important decisions for them. Those elected officials seem inclined to declare conditions where some peoples rights are ignored or argued to be null and void.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

I agree with Ben and hope we are not headed down that road.

Do you have a different point of view? Let us know about it