watergate

Watergate
Before 1972, the word Watergate had little meaning in the United States. However, in summer of the same year events unfolded that came to be associated with the most significant political scandal of the 20th century. On June 17, 1972, five men wearing business suits were arrested breaking in the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee located at the Watergate. The men had been wire-tapping the premises as well as gathering information in the form of pictures.
Upon investigation by Bob Woodward, a journalist at The Washington Post, it became apparent that the burglary was linked to the White House. McCord was among those responsible for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP) and Barker`s notebook contained a former White House employee. It later tuned out that the employee was a member of the “Plumbers.” The “Plumbers” were the White House Special Investigation Unit and had been established by President Nixon. Their primary agenda was to prevent information leaks from the White House. Furthermore, the Plumbers were also involved in covert and illegal activities such as demeaning the opposition. However, they were unsuccessful when they tried to prevent further leak of confidential information by Pentagon employee Daniel Ellsberg.
“Deep Throat” was one of the essential elements of the scandal. The named referred to the source Woodward relied heavily on to connect the dots. “Deep Throat” was a confidential source who confirmed and identified the link between the burglar and the White House.

Later, it came to light the source was Mark Felt, a high ranking FBI official (Olson, 2016).
President Nixon played a vital part in the Watergate break-ins. In 1972, Nixon authorized the “Plumbers” to pay people to spy on the Democratic Party`s Headquarters before the elections. They were successful in installing wiretaps and recording equipment but later arrested while doing maintenance. President Nixon and the White House tried to downplay the burglary by silencing the intruders. He also decided to use the CIA to deter the FBI from investigating the allegations by classifying it a matter of national security.
Eventually, the Watergate incident led to the resignation of President Nixon and some members of the White House. The scandal also shaped the future of politics in the United States. Since then, Congress has gained more power and more oversight placed on the President.
Reference
Olson, K. W. (2016). Watergate: the presidential scandal that shook America. University Press of Kansas.