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The Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major milestone in shaping the current politics and democracy of the United States government. The scandal was discovered when five burglars were caught breaking into the Watergate complex which housed the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to steal documents and bug telephones. The burglars were later found out to be connected to President Richard Nixon who had just been re-elected to office. The scandal was investigated by the Senate Congress after a massive outcry by the public pressuring the president to resign for infringement on the constitution and abuse of office. The investigation led to the discovery of the illegal activities which had been undertaken by the Nixon’s administration some which heavily infringed on the rights of others especially the competitors who were running for the presidency against the incumbent. The scandal had many benefits to the American people but most specifically showed the independence of the three arms especially the legislature’s role of maintaining oversight over government.
The scandal began when huge amounts of cash and spying devices used by the burglars were discovered raising suspicion among the citizens. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was called in to investigate the break in only to discover that it was no ordinary burglary since the thieves were connected to President Nixon re-election campaign. The presidency took very aggressive measures to try and cover up on the issue but in August 1974, Nixon resigned after discovering that the House of Representatives and Senate had drafted impeachment motions against him for abuse of office and violation of the constitution (Genovese and Morgan 1-28). During the period of the presidential election in 1972, America was facing a lot of challenge due to the Vietnam War which had left the country sharply divided. A ruthless and aggressive presidential campaign was thus needed to ensure that the incumbent president remained in power so as to finish his agendas. Some of this aggressive tactics adopted by the committee were unconstitutional and extreme.
In November 1972, Nixon was re-elected to office despite the looming allegations against him in a landslide victory. This was after the speech he gave on August 1972 absorbing the White House of any involvement in the break in. It was later discovered that upon assumption of office, President Nixon tried to use state resources such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to cover his tracks and impede justice (Wittekind 50-63). On 1st March, 1974 that things took a new twist when a special prosecutor was appointed by a grand jury to investigate the Nixon administration especially the aides close to The President. This investigation led to the prosecution and sentencing to some of these aides after they took an early plea to avoid the complicated court process.
The discovery of the Watergate scandal had many benefits to the American people and has been instrumental in the shaping of current United States politics. The scandal set a benchmark for future leaders by ensuring that values such as integrity, transparency and honesty became the main requirements for any office holder. The United States still lives in the Watergate scandal era since voters are becoming more and more involved in critiquing the government on some of the development agendas that they are adopting. This distrust in government originated during that period when voters came to discover that government always engaged in suspicious activities without their knowledge (Fremon 62-74). The government must therefore be cautious when it comes to spending the taxpayers’ money since they know that the emergence of another scandal could have negative effects on the office bearers and their reputations.
The Watergate scandal majorly portrayed the independence the judiciary and its ability to execute its mandate without coercion or influence from the executive. President Nixon made frantic efforts to cover up the scandal including the sacking of prosecutor Archibald Cox for demanding for the tapes containing evidence incriminating him (Shepard 214-224). This move led to many Justice Department officials tendering their resignations in protest. The judiciary and the legislature demonstrated their independence by ensuring that public interest always prevailed. The legislature took a step of courage by ensuring that the scandal was effectively resolved to ensure that the constitution that they swore to uphold was not violated (Stevens 64-73).
The ghosts of the Watergate scandal continue to haunt current leaders and office holders reminding them that accountability and integrity are a must and not privileges since they are just custodians of the public interest. It also serves to remind leaders that they are only one scandal away from ruining their reputations. Current leaders continue to struggle with the distrust and constant critique from voters which was created by the Watergate scandal. However, for any government to run effectively, a certain level of trust has to exist between the policy makers and the voters so as to ensure success of development agendas. It is therefore crucial for leaders to uphold the constitution and to always make decisions that safeguard the public interest rather than their own selfish needs.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Fremon, David K. The Watergate Scandal in United States History. 1st. New York: Enslow Publishers, 2014.
Genovese, M. and Iwan W. Morgan. Watergate Remembered: The Legacy for American Politics. edited. New York: Springer, 2012.
Shepard, Geoff. The Real Watergate Scandal: Collusion, Conspiracy, and the Plot That Brought Nixon Down. 1st. Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2015.
Stevens, Dakota. The Watergate Scandal Including the Break-in, Tapes, Investigation, the Pardon, and More. 1st. Charleston: BiblioBazaar, 2011.
Wittekind, Erika. The United States v. Nixon: The Watergate Scandal and Limits to US Presidential Power: The Watergate Scandal and Limits to US Presidential. 1st. Minnesota: ABDO, 2012.