this was one of the biggest political
scandals in American history welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’ll be
learning more about the Watergate
scandal the thing that’s so appalling to
me is that the president when this whole
idea was suggested to him didn’t in
righteous indignation rise up and say
get out of here you’re in the Office of
the President of the United States how
can you talk about blackmail and bribery
and keeping witnesses silent in mid 1971
the Pentagon Papers were leaked that
report proved that administration’s from
Truman to Johnson had intentionally
expanded their Vietnam War efforts in
contrast to what the public was told the
Nixon administration then panicked and
formed a covert group to halt leaks
Nixon advisor John Ehrlichman assembled
the White House plumbers and included
former CIA agent EE Howard hunt and
former FBI agent G gordon Liddy soon the
president’s political rivals were
recorded on Nixon’s enemies list
politicians journalists and even
Hollywood actors Nixon feared could stop
his reelection were included and were
harassed by the administration with tax
audits legal action and more prior to
the 1972 election the Republicans
created a committee for the re-election
of the President or CRP John Mitchell
stepped down as Attorney General to
chair that committee the CRP used
questionable and illegal means to
achieve their goal for example Mitchell
kept a slush fund to subsidize
information gathering on the Democrats
ultimately a plan was approved to bug
and steal information from the
Democratic National Committee
headquarters at the Watergate Hotel on
June 17 1972 during the second of these
break-ins the burglars were arrested
Democratic National Committee is trying
to solve a spy mystery it began before
dawn Saturday when five intruders were
captured by police inside the offices of
the committee in Washington the FBI
quickly linked those arrested with hunt
because of Hunt’s connection to the
plumbers Nixon ordered his chief of
staff Bob Haldeman to instruct the CIA
to block further
VI investigation into the finances
behind the Watergate break-in the
cover-up began mr. Nixon did you know
about the burglary of our Democratic
National Headquarters at the Watergate
the Nixon administration then officially
denied involvement in the burglary
however more clues emerged that
conflicted with this aside from the hunt
connection one of the burglars was a
republican party aide and a paper trail
led to the CRP On June 20th Washington
Post journalist Bob Woodward and Carl
Bernstein reported on the hunt
connection with confirmation from their
anonymous source deep throat this team
was instrumental in unraveling the
Watergate case and in implicating the
Justice Department the FBI the CIA and
the White House in 2005 deep throat was
revealed as former FBI deputy director
mark felt by September 1972 the burglars
hunt and Liddy were indicted by a grand
jury
despite connections to the scandal Nixon
was decisively reelected that November
the burglars pleaded guilty before hunt
and Liddy went to trial in early 73 the
scandal soon exploded when many of the
administration’s important figures were
implicated in April 4 top Nixon aides
lost their jobs due to their involvement
in the cover-up Haldeman Ehrlichman
attorney general Richard Kleindienst and
White House lawyer John Dean official
investigations began in mid 1973 led by
Senator Sam Ervin and special prosecutor
Archibald Cox they proved the connection
between the burglary and the White House
and CRP Dean became a valuable witness
when he divulged Nixon knew about the
cover-up in July Nixon assistant
Alexander Butterfield explosively
revealed the existence of Nixon
installed recording devices throughout
the White House those tapes were
subpoenaed
however Nixon refused to release them
citing executive privilege this
principle of confidentiality of
presidential conversations is at stake
in the question of these tapes I must
and I shall oppose any efforts to
destroy this principle
which is so vital to the conduct of this
great office to save himself
Nixon dismissed the Attorney General his
deputy and Cox in the Saturday night
massacre public outcry followed and
Nixon responded with one of his most
quoted speeches in November 73 people
have got to know whether or not their
presidents a crook well I’m not a crook
I earned everything I’ve got by March
the Watergate seven were indicted many
spent time in prison and though Nixon
was named he remained unindicted the
Watergate tapes were finally released in
July 1974 an 18-minute erased section
proved controversial of the exposed
facts it was found that some involved in
the break-in had received hush money
most importantly the smoking gun tape
undeniably proved Nixon knew about the
cover-up since mid 1972 Nixon was forced
to step down or face impeachment on
August 8 1974 Nixon resigned and was
replaced by Gerald Ford exactly one
month later Ford officially pardoned him
this controversy resulted in multiple
arrests the creation of new laws renewed
interest in investigative journalism and
the first resignation of a US president
the Watergate scandal undoubtedly
changed American politics forever
scandals in American history welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’ll be
learning more about the Watergate
scandal the thing that’s so appalling to
me is that the president when this whole
idea was suggested to him didn’t in
righteous indignation rise up and say
get out of here you’re in the Office of
the President of the United States how
can you talk about blackmail and bribery
and keeping witnesses silent in mid 1971
the Pentagon Papers were leaked that
report proved that administration’s from
Truman to Johnson had intentionally
expanded their Vietnam War efforts in
contrast to what the public was told the
Nixon administration then panicked and
formed a covert group to halt leaks
Nixon advisor John Ehrlichman assembled
the White House plumbers and included
former CIA agent EE Howard hunt and
former FBI agent G gordon Liddy soon the
president’s political rivals were
recorded on Nixon’s enemies list
politicians journalists and even
Hollywood actors Nixon feared could stop
his reelection were included and were
harassed by the administration with tax
audits legal action and more prior to
the 1972 election the Republicans
created a committee for the re-election
of the President or CRP John Mitchell
stepped down as Attorney General to
chair that committee the CRP used
questionable and illegal means to
achieve their goal for example Mitchell
kept a slush fund to subsidize
information gathering on the Democrats
ultimately a plan was approved to bug
and steal information from the
Democratic National Committee
headquarters at the Watergate Hotel on
June 17 1972 during the second of these
break-ins the burglars were arrested
Democratic National Committee is trying
to solve a spy mystery it began before
dawn Saturday when five intruders were
captured by police inside the offices of
the committee in Washington the FBI
quickly linked those arrested with hunt
because of Hunt’s connection to the
plumbers Nixon ordered his chief of
staff Bob Haldeman to instruct the CIA
to block further
VI investigation into the finances
behind the Watergate break-in the
cover-up began mr. Nixon did you know
about the burglary of our Democratic
National Headquarters at the Watergate
the Nixon administration then officially
denied involvement in the burglary
however more clues emerged that
conflicted with this aside from the hunt
connection one of the burglars was a
republican party aide and a paper trail
led to the CRP On June 20th Washington
Post journalist Bob Woodward and Carl
Bernstein reported on the hunt
connection with confirmation from their
anonymous source deep throat this team
was instrumental in unraveling the
Watergate case and in implicating the
Justice Department the FBI the CIA and
the White House in 2005 deep throat was
revealed as former FBI deputy director
mark felt by September 1972 the burglars
hunt and Liddy were indicted by a grand
jury
despite connections to the scandal Nixon
was decisively reelected that November
the burglars pleaded guilty before hunt
and Liddy went to trial in early 73 the
scandal soon exploded when many of the
administration’s important figures were
implicated in April 4 top Nixon aides
lost their jobs due to their involvement
in the cover-up Haldeman Ehrlichman
attorney general Richard Kleindienst and
White House lawyer John Dean official
investigations began in mid 1973 led by
Senator Sam Ervin and special prosecutor
Archibald Cox they proved the connection
between the burglary and the White House
and CRP Dean became a valuable witness
when he divulged Nixon knew about the
cover-up in July Nixon assistant
Alexander Butterfield explosively
revealed the existence of Nixon
installed recording devices throughout
the White House those tapes were
subpoenaed
however Nixon refused to release them
citing executive privilege this
principle of confidentiality of
presidential conversations is at stake
in the question of these tapes I must
and I shall oppose any efforts to
destroy this principle
which is so vital to the conduct of this
great office to save himself
Nixon dismissed the Attorney General his
deputy and Cox in the Saturday night
massacre public outcry followed and
Nixon responded with one of his most
quoted speeches in November 73 people
have got to know whether or not their
presidents a crook well I’m not a crook
I earned everything I’ve got by March
the Watergate seven were indicted many
spent time in prison and though Nixon
was named he remained unindicted the
Watergate tapes were finally released in
July 1974 an 18-minute erased section
proved controversial of the exposed
facts it was found that some involved in
the break-in had received hush money
most importantly the smoking gun tape
undeniably proved Nixon knew about the
cover-up since mid 1972 Nixon was forced
to step down or face impeachment on
August 8 1974 Nixon resigned and was
replaced by Gerald Ford exactly one
month later Ford officially pardoned him
this controversy resulted in multiple
arrests the creation of new laws renewed
interest in investigative journalism and
the first resignation of a US president
the Watergate scandal undoubtedly
changed American politics forever
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