Watergate Scandal (jun 17, 1972 – aug 9, 1974)

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The Watergate scandal was a significant political scandal in the United States that began in 1972 and ultimately led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974. It involved members of a group associated with Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign breaking into and planting listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972. Following the arrest of the burglars, both the press and the Department of Justice connected the money found on those involved to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the fundraising arm of Nixon's campaign.

The FBI's "Deep Throat" source provided leads provided by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who uncovered an enormous campaign of political spying and sabotage directed by White House officials and illegally funded by donor contributions. Nixon dismissed the accusations as political smears and won the election in a landslide in November. Further investigation and revelations from the burglars' trial led the Senate to establish a special Watergate Committee and the House of Representatives to grant its Judiciary Committee expanded authority in February 1973. The burglars received lengthy prison sentences that they were told would be reduced if they co-operated, which began a flood of testimony from witnesses.

Attorney General Elliot Richardson appointed Archibald Cox as a special prosecutor for Watergate in May, but Nixon continued to resist. In the "Saturday Night Massacre," Nixon ordered Richardson to fire Cox, and Solicitor General Robert Bork carried out the order. The incident bolstered public belief that Nixon had something to hide, but he continued to defend his innocence. In July, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to release the tapes, and the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment for obstructing justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Nixon was pardoned by his vice president and successor Gerald Ford on September 8.

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