What is a “SCANDAL”

● An action, behavior, choice, or event

● Something illegal
● Something morally wrong

● Someone tries to keep it a secret

● Might be a misunderstanding

● Done for selfish reasons

● Becomes BIG news

● Makes the public outraged

Slides 1, 2, 7, 8, & 9 were populated with details from whole class discussions using a
smart board. Notes in these slides are a summary of these discussions
 What is a “SCANDAL”
● Clinton emails…..Clinton & Lewinsky
● Trump affair with Stormy
● Kennedy & Marilyn Monroe

● Pres. Jefferson’s affair with his slave

● Pres. Wilson’s stroke
● Pres. Lincoln’s depression
Other Examples of political scandals:

Iran-Contra Affair

The quest to free American hostages in Lebanon ensnared the Reagan White House in a scandal that nearly
ended the president’s second term. The U.S. enlisted the help of Iran by selling them arms; it then used the
money from those sales to support the Nicaraguan Contras, a rebel group attempting to overthrow the communist
Sandinista government in that country. Those transactions violated both American policy (don’t negotiate with
hostage-takers, don’t pay ransoms) and law – Congress passed legislation(link is external) barring U.S. aid to the
Contras. An investigation by the attorney general led to the removal of the National Security Council’s John
Poindexter and Oliver North and intense congressional hearings. While President Reagan’s role in the scandal
was unclear, he told the nation in a televised address from the Oval Office that the buck “stops with me. I am the
one who is ultimately accountable to the American people.”

http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/blog-post/when-power-corrupts-16-biggest-
political-scandals-last-50-years
Examples of political scandals:

"D.C. Madam"

An escort service run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey catered to high-profile customers throughout the nation’s capital,
including Sen. David Vitter, a Republican from Louisiana. A jury in federal court convicted Palfrey, known as the
“D.C. Madam,” in 2008 for running a prostitution service. Vitter repeatedly apologized, calling the incident “a very
serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible.” But the issue turned up again during his
failed 2015 run for governor. Meanwhile, the lawyer who represented Palfrey is attempted to get her escort service’s
records unsealed, claiming that they “may contain information relevant to the upcoming presidential election.” He has
begun to release the names of some of the businesses that called the escort service.
Examples of political scandals:

Jim Traficant

The colorful congressman from Ohio had served 17 years before he was thrown out of office by the House of
Representatives in July of 2002. A few months earlier, he had been convicted of bribery, racketeering and
corruption. “It was only the second time since the Civil War and fifth time in its 213-year history that the
House chose to impose the ultimate penalty for unethical conduct and strip a member of office,” the New
York Times reported. Traficant was famous for using “Star Trek” references during his floor speeches, such as,
“Beam me up!” He served seven years in prison and died in 2014.
Examples of political scandals:

The Eagleton Affair

Hart was the campaign manager for eventual 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern. But
McGovern's status as nominee going into the party’s convention was uncertain, so the campaign did not
undertake an exhaustive search for a running mate. When the time came, McGovern’s campaign quickly selected
Sen. Thomas Eagleton to run on the ticket. However, Eagleton withdrew from the race after only 18 days when it
was revealed that he had been hospitalized for depression and received electroshock treatments in the past.
McGovern lost to Nixon in a landslide

This event has a direct link to Nixon and an indirect relation to Watergate…. Point out
that one scandal - a candidate who once had depression- was traded for another!!!
NY Times v. United States
Who: NY Times; Washington Post;
U.S. Gov’t; Supreme Court (Daniel
Ellsberg just got the ball rolling)
What: secret report about Gov’t
decisions in Vietnam
Where: NY City; Washington DC;
Supreme Court
When: 1971
WHY:
→ Can the U.S. Gov’t force the
newspapers to not publish
specific information?

→ Did the U.S. Gov’t PROVE the

Pentagon Papers threatened
national security? NO
→ Did the U.S. Gov’t violate the 1st
Amendment? YES
Significance:
→ government censorship
(right of people to know v gov’t right to keep secrets)

(1st time U.S. Gov’t issued injunction to stop a

newspaper from publishing)

→ “secrets” about gov’t

decisions in Vietnam
public….
while we were STILL in Vietnam!!
 Turn
in
homework
The 5-Ws from reading the Pentagon Papers
 Intro.
to
President
Nixon
Who was the most powerful president?
In 1973, Arthur Schlesinger argued that the
presidency had expanded well beyond the
intent of the Constitution, creating an
“imperial” presidency. Schlesinger argued
that Nixon was the most imperial president
to date.
 Schlesinger believed Nixon was “imperial”
because….

1. Presidential powers had accumulated significantly over time

a. War powers
b. Economic powers

2. He abused the powers that had accumulated:

- Impoundment
- Executive Privilege
“Tools” of the President
■ “War” Powers

NPR Podcast (4:45)

(This is an interesting podcast about the development of the

Presidential war powers…. It’s not a required listen)
“Tools” of the President
■ Budget

> Office of Management and Budget

- Prepare the president’s budget

- Reviews legislative proposals from cabinet
- Reviews regulations proposed by departments and
agencies
“Tools” of the President
■ Impoundment

Refusing to spend money appropriated

by Congress

* Used by all presidents from

Jefferson to Nixon

Nixon = Use of impoundment

◻ Led to a SCOTUS case upholding Congress’ “power of the purse”
and severely limiting this Presidential tool
BECAUSE OF Nixon →
SCOTUS case
Impoundment Control Act of 1974:

upholding Congress’
“power of the purse”
and
severely limited this Presidential tool
“Tools” of the President
■ Executive privilege

> the idea that the presidency has “inherent powers”

permitting them to order acts that would otherwise be
illegal…AND doesn’t need to explain, or show evidence, of
those actions
Nixon used executive privilege to
withhold information on his involvement in the
Watergate Scandal

Nixon=
■ Used executive privilege to withhold information on his involvement in
the Watergate Scandal
■ Frost-Nixon Interview
President Nixon on Executive privilege

“When the President does it, then it is not illegal.”

 Pass out
“Watergate 5 W’s”
notetaker
DUE FRIDAY
Video on Watergate. Guided viewing included recording the Who, What, When,
Where, Why, and How details. In addition to this, I wrote 8 additional questions to
help students keep the big ideas concerning Watergate organized.
For future lessons on Watergate, I would edit the video for length and
simplifying/clarifying the presentation of the information.
Copy of the extra questions I wrote to help the students focus on some of the more
important facts of Watergate