A Comparison of Two Scandals and their Investigations.
Watergate and Iran-Contra are two of the most publicized scandals of all time. In Watergate, President Nixon bowed to extreme public pressure and a probability of an impeachment vote against him, and resigned (McNeely-Johnson, United States v. Nixon, 252). In the Iran-Contra scandal, President Reagan escaped any impeachment charges claiming he was "uninformed" (Hurwitz et. al., Presidential Support During Iran-Contra, 360). This paper will attempt to examine the context and surrounding events in which independent counsel investigations were undertaken in both the Reagan and Nixon administrations. We will first examine the reasons and authority for investigation. Next we will attempt to explain the results of the investigations: dealing first with Watergate, then Iran-Contra. Finally we will determine the effect of Iran-Contra and Watergate on the presidency and society as a whole. Before looking at the effects of the aforementioned scandals, it is necessary for one to first know the reasons for investigating in the first place.
Part I: Reasons and Authority for Investigations.
A: Leading to the Investigation of Iran-Contra.
Throughout the Reagan administration, the US had always taken an anti-terrorist stance, with the idea that we would never negotiate with terrorists (Hurwitz et al., 360). In fact, since 1979,. the US had an embargo against Iran because it was believed to be a government which supported terrorism (Timberg, 414). In spite of this, in August of 1985, the US began a covert mission of selling arms to Iran in exchange for US hostages in Lebanon (Hurwitz et al., 360). Throughout the 15 months in arm sales, only 3 of the 6 original hostages were released. These 3 were then replaced by 3 more (Timberg, 414). In January of 1986, the administration decided to use the profits from the arm sales to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Watergate Scandal Watergate was the biggest political scandal in the United States. ... The Watergate scandal ended with Nixon resigning from being the President. ... The Watergate Scandal also involved a cover-up of the brake-in. The Watergate scandal got its name from the Watergate complex of apartment and office buildings in Washington, D.C. ... Two people who planned the Watergate burglary were G. ...
There are two co-plotters who organized the break-in. ... Gordon Liddy helped plan the Watergate scandal. ... Hunt's telephone number was found in the Watergate's burglars" address books. ... Colson tried to help cover up the scandal. ... There is one important question that should still be answered: How could President Nixon be totally unaware of everything that went on in the Watergate scandal when so many of his close colleagues were involved?...
Frank Sturgis, the last burglar, was an American soldier-of-fortune (Watergate: Scandal in the White House). ... But as we all saw this would end up one of the most unique political scandals ever to take steps on United States" soil. ... Ervin's Watergate committee begins public hearings on Watergate (The Whole Truth: The Watergate Conspiracy). ... Nixon: The Watergate Tapes). ... This was the first time a chief executive had resigned from office (Watergate: Scandal in the White House). ...
Watergate was the largest political scandal ever to be inside of the nation's capitol. ... On September 15, the Grand Jury indicted the five burglars along with two other men: G. ... Shortly after, Nixon claimed that John Dean, White House counsel, had conducted an investigation into the Watergate scandal and supposedly found that no one from inside the White House was involved. ... McCord and Liddy, two former Nixon aids, both of which had pleaded not guilty, are convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping in the Watergate incident. ... Easter Sunday, Nixon sent John Dean to Ca...
The Watergate Scandal involved a number of illegal activities that were designed to help President Richard Nixon win re-election. ... The Watergate Scandal got its name from the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. ... The "Plumbers-, as they were nicknamed, were headed by two of Nixon's top aides, G. ... The actual Watergate Scandal began on June 17, 1972, with the arrest of five men for breaking into the Democratic Party's National Headquarters located in the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. ... Dean served four months in prison for his part in the Watergate Scandal, but throug...
THE WATERGATE SCANDALS The Watergate Scandal involved a number of illegal activities that were designed to help President Richard Nixon win re-election. ... The Watergate Scandal got its name from the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. ... The "Plumbers-, as they were nicknamed, were headed by two of Nixon's top aides, G. ... The actual Watergate Scandal began on June 17, 1972, with the arrest of five men for breaking into the Democratic Party's National Headquarters located in the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. ... Dean served four months in prison for his part in th...
watergate scandal George McGovern, the Democratic presidential nominee the year of 1973, called it ''the mother of all White House scandals.'' Watergate was in fact the name of the biggest political scandal in United States history. ... Throughout 1972 little was said about the Watergate scandal. ... Within days he had named John dean, counsel to the president as well as two others. ... For the first time in this intriguing scandal the preside...
The Watergate Scandal involved a number of illegal activities that were designed to help President Richard Nixon win re-election. ... The Watergate Scandal got its name from the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. ... The "Plumbers-, as they were nicknamed, were headed by two of Nixon's top aides, G. ... The actual Watergate Scandal began on June 17, 1972, with the arrest of five men for breaking into the Democratic Party's National Headquarters located in the Watergate Complex in Washington D.C. ... Dean served four months in prison for his part in the Watergate Scandal, but throug...
A major issue at the beginning of Nixon's second term became known as the Watergate scandal. ... The Watergate scandal presented such crisis for our Constitutional system because the Supreme Court issued a major decision on executive privilege. ... A free press was essential to the outcome of the Watergate scandal because reporters, such as Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post, were able to uncover useful information and piece together facts that proved Nixon's involvement. ... Thus, Nixon might have been able to get away with the scandal and the cover-up. By...