The Influence Of The Watergate Scandal

The Watergate Scandal changed the way people thought of President Richard Nixon. If the event had not occurred he would have been known as one of the better presidents and until this day people still do not trust elected officials or government because of it. It is hard to have a healthy society without out having faith in the government, especially when it comes to voting. This was a life changing event for many Americans. It was on the morning on June 17, 1972 that several burglars were arrested inside the DNC, otherwise known as the Democratic National Committee office. The office was located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. It was horrible because the burglars were linked to Nixon’s reelection campaign. The burglars were caught trying to wiretap phones and steal confidential documents. It is not known whether Richard Nixon knew about the operation before it had happened but he did try to cover it up afterwards. He raised “hush money for the burglars, trying to stop the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from investigating the crime, destroying evidence and firing uncooperative staff members.” (“Watergate Scandal”) This seemed extremely suspicious on his part. After his role in the conspiracy came to light in August of 1974, President Richard …show more content…
It was obvious that he was involved once he tried to help cover up for the men that were involved. Not only did he try and cover it up but he abused his power as a president and a “deliberate obstruction of justice”. (“Watergate Scandal”) Seven men were charged with charges that had to do with the Watergate affair. Five of them pleaded guilty and the other two were convicted. Many people such as Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, and the trial Judge, John J. Sirica, began to think that there was a much bigger situation going on. Conspirators that were involved began to come out because they were all under