Presidential scandals affect the entire nation. While some are particularly worse than others, they can also help implement change in things that will make the nation grow stronger. For example, the election of 1876 with former president Rutherford B. Hayes helped the country understand how a president is elected into office and clarified the confusion between the importance of popular vote and electoral vote, which greatly impacted Washington D.C. However, there are other presidential scandals such as the Watergate Scandal in 1971 and the Iran-Contra Affair were peoples trust in the government diminished. During the Iran-Contra Affair, many events were largely forgotten or ignored, but the events that took place during Watergate will be difficult
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On 1972, several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, which at the time was located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. The intruders were connected to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign. It was discovered they were caught while attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents. Although Nixon maintained his innocence at first, he was guilty of covering the scandal up, which many frowned upon. Nixon even tried to persuade those involved with money and tried to stop the FBI from investigating the crime. Watergate was in large part about the arrogance of power. Older men, full of themselves, and their youthful, ambitious subordinates thought that the ends justified the means and that they could get away with illegal wiretappings, break-ins, and the targeting of their political enemies because they controlled the levers of power (Thompson, 2012). Not only did this bring Richard Nixon’s presidency to an abrupt end, but also people began to look at the media differently. The role of journalism played such an important role that taught us no ones secret is safe, not even the presidents. In the end, Nixon was never prosecuted, but the Watergate scandal changed American politics forever. Many Americans began to question the executive’s power and their leadership, which is why it should be considered the worse presidential
On 1972, several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, which at the time was located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. The intruders were connected to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign. It was discovered they were caught while attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents. Although Nixon maintained his innocence at first, he was guilty of covering the scandal up, which many frowned upon. Nixon even tried to persuade those involved with money and tried to stop the FBI from investigating the crime. Watergate was in large part about the arrogance of power. Older men, full of themselves, and their youthful, ambitious subordinates thought that the ends justified the means and that they could get away with illegal wiretappings, break-ins, and the targeting of their political enemies because they controlled the levers of power (Thompson, 2012). Not only did this bring Richard Nixon’s presidency to an abrupt end, but also people began to look at the media differently. The role of journalism played such an important role that taught us no ones secret is safe, not even the presidents. In the end, Nixon was never prosecuted, but the Watergate scandal changed American politics forever. Many Americans began to question the executive’s power and their leadership, which is why it should be considered the worse presidential