Corruption at the highest level in usa's government: the watergate scandal

In terms of modern political issues, few have had the impact on how politics are conducted as that of the Watergate Scandal. Given the nature of this scandal and the events which transpired that catalyzed the eventual downfall of Nixon’s administration, many of these moments are historically tied to Washington DC as they transpired in the capital itself. At the time, the scandal set an unprecedented tone for the relationship between Richard Nixon as a President and the body of the citizenry to which he was supposed to defend and protect. Furthermore, the investigative journalism of those involved helped to catalyze a new wave of citizen involvement, and proved that even those within the White House can be subject to the repercussions of their actions when the public unites against them.

The scandal originally happened immediately after a break-in that happened at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, located at the Watergate building. Five men were arresting for breaking into the building. This happened in the year 1972 and was met with a high level of scrutiny from people throughout DC. (Allen, 101) As the FBI began to investigate the crime itself, there was a connection that was discovered between money that had been located on the robbers and a fund that had been used by Committee for the Re-Election of the President, which was an organization that officially represented President Nixon and his interests. As such, it was immediately noticeable that the administration could have some type of involvement and this led to a continued effort to probe and interpret the findings from the break-in itself.

Furthermore, this compounded upon itself as the administration at the time tried to cover up any and all involvement that it may have had. At first, the controversy appeared as little more than a conspiracy but as Nixon’s administration attempted to suppress their involvement with the ordeal, it caused a subsequent investigation by Congress. The overall lack of compliance on Nixon’s administration’s part eventually led to a complete and utter constitutional crisis and the unfolding events reshaped the history of the Presidency and the United States itself. There were many different tricks that the administration attempted to use, such as wiretapping the offices of various opponents that Nixon had at the time, and further surveillance on those that Nixon believed to be detrimental to his causes and actions. Furthermore, Nixon also utilized the CIA, FBI and IRS to order different types of investigations and surveillance programs on groups related to activism and notable political figures at the time. Evidence began to manifest itself against the President’s administration in July of 1973, and this included various members of his staff. (Gettlin, 431) The investigation itself came to be known as the Senate Watergate Committee, which was also conducted in Washington DC. The investigation concluded that the President had some sort of device which was used to record audio from the offices. It was concluded that he had done this many times, and after a series of investigations and court cases, the Supreme Court ruled that he had involvement with the break-in itself.

The Watergate Scandal was one of the most formative moments in American political history. It eventual led to the resignation of Richard Nixon and shaped how many individuals in the country viewed politics and the active engagement of the media. This moment is intertwined with the history of Washington DC because of the fact that it happened largely in the city. Given the developments of the Watergate Scandal, Americans were soon introduced to the prominence of the media and the fact that elected officials were subject to the same limitations as the individuals that they represent.