Final Thought

I learn a lot in this project. I learn that most of the scandal have to deal with money. Also the people that were involved are people in with power in the government and the think they wont get caught since they think they are above the law. When they get caught the people in the in these scandal they usually get impeach or they would resign. I hope i can do something like this again this was fun in finding the information and find out this about people that get involved in scandal that are in the government.

House banking scandal

Around 1992 there was a scandal call the "House Banking scandal. The House banking scandal was people in the House of Representative allowed members to overdraw their House checking accounts, but were not being penalized by the House Bank The scandal involved more than 450 people in the House of Representative, they didn't actually break any laws. Some members of House of Representive were were singled out by the House Ethics Committee for leaving their checking accounts overdrawn for at least eight months out of a sample of 39 months. The scandal was made public when Republican Minority Whip Newt Gingrich, along with 7 freshman Republicans also known as "The gang of seven" decide to make the scandal public because since most of the people in the scandal were Democrats they thought get impeach more than the Republicans that were involved in the scandal. 77 Representatives that were involved in the scandal resigned or were ousted in the 1994 election.

Here's a list of the 22 worst, as identified by the House Ethics Committee:
Tommy Robinson (Republican-Arkansas) 996 checks/16 months overdue
Robert Mrazek (Democrat-New York) 920/23
Robert Davis (Republican-Michigan) 878/13 ($350,000)
Doug Walgren (Democrat-Pennsylvania) 858/16
Charles Hatcher (Democrat-Georgia) 819/35 ($273,000)
Stephen Solarz (Democrat-New York) 743/30
Charles Hayes (Democrat-Illinois) 716/15
Ronald Coleman (Democrat-Texas) 673/23 ($275,848)
Carl C. Perkins (Democrat-Kentucky) 514/14
Bill Alexander (Democrat-Arkansas) 487/18
William Goodling (Republican-Pennsylvania) 430/9
Edolphus Towns (Democrat-New York) 408/18
Edward Feighan (Democrat-Ohio) 397/8
Harold Ford (Democrat-Tennessee) 388/31 ($552,447)
Mickey Edwards (Republican-Ohio) 386/13 ($54,000)
William Clay (Democrat-Missouri) 328/9
Tony Coelho (Democrat-California) 316/12
John Conyers (Democrat-Michigan) 273/9
Mary Rose Oakar (Democrat-Ohio) 213/18
Joseph Early (Democrat-Massachusetts) 124/13
Doug Bosco (Democrat-California) 124/13
Jim Bates (Democrat-California) 89/9

Here are the people that left congess after the public found out about the scandal:
Left Congress
Bill Alexander (Democrat-Arkansas)
Albert Bustamante (Democrat-Texas)
Robert W. Davis (Democrat-Michigan)
Edward F. Feighan (Democrat-Ohio)
Charles Hatcher (Democrat-Georgia)
Charles A. Hayes (Democrat-Illinois)
Carroll Hubbard, Jr. (Democrat-Kentucky)
Bill Lowery (Republican-California)
Nicholas Mavroules (Democrat-Massachusetts)
Mary Rose Oakar (Democrat-Ohio)
Carl C. Perkins (Democrat-Kentucky)
Gus Savage (Democrat-Illinois)
Lawrence J. Smith (Democrat-Florida)
Stephen J. Solarz (Democrat-New York

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The Race-Track Scandal

Otto Kerner, Jr. was a Democratic governor of Illinois from 1961 to 1968. Kerner soon later became judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on May 20, 1968 after he resigned as a governor. In 1968 in a routine audit of Kerner tax return revealed that he was getting income form a stock call "Chicago Company". In 1969 ,Marge Lindheimer Everett, manager of Arlington Park race tracks ammited that bribing Otto Kerner, to gain additional racing dates and turning Washington Park into a track, which would increase her income. The bribes was if Kerner get additional racing dates and turning Washington Park into a track she would give him 50 share in her stock the "Chicago Company". He then later was sue for bribery, extortion and income tax fraud. Goverment investor soon learned that Kener also was getting income of $22,400 in a 10 month period on stock in different Everett interests. Kerner has lose his case and he was convicted on 17 counts of bribery, conspiracy, perjury, and related charges. He was also sentenced to three years in federal prison and fined $50,000. He also resign as U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 1974 after he lose his case. However Kerner was released early from prison when it was determined that he was suffering from terminal cancer.

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Watergate scandal part 2

Senate committee has televised the investigation of members of the president Nixon White house staff and his case vs. the united state. The Watergate tape was a collection of recordings of conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and several White House staff in February 1971. In addition to the line-taps placed on the telephones, small lavaliere microphones was installed at various locations around the rooms of the Watergate.

The tape was first discovered by Senate Committee staff member, Donald Sanders, on July 13, 1973 in an interview with White House Aide Alexander Butterfield. Three day after he found the tapes he made it public during the televised testimony of Butterfield. In his testimony he said that there was a system in the White House that automatically recorded everything in the Oval Office. It was also determined that Nixon's private office in the Old Executive Office Building was also bugged, where most of Nixon meet were place. The Senate committee then learned that it was the president who was responaible for taped every conversation in the White House office. However Nixon refuses to use the tapes as evidence. Nixon prosecutor, Archibald Cox was hired to be Nixon prosecutor and he filed a subpoena to secure tapes Nixon had secretly taped in the Oval Office of the White House. This led to the Saturday Night Massacre.

When Nixon found out he was so angry that he wants to fire Cox for this, he told Attorney General Richardson and ordered him to fire the special prosecutor. However Richardson refuses and resigns in protest. So Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General Ruckelshaus to fire Cox; he also refused and resigned in protest. Nixon then contacted the Solicitor General, Robert Bork, and ordered him as acting head of the Justice Department to fire Cox. So Richardson and Ruckelshaus had both personally assured the congressional committee to overseeing this special prosecutor investigation that they would not interfere, however Bork had made no such assurance to the committee. Bork complied with Nixon's order and fired Cox. Congress then infuriated by the act, which was seen as Nixon was abuse his presidential power. In that followed day, there were numerous bill of impeachment against Nixon were introduce to the congress.

The Supreme Court soon ruled that due to the process of law is more important then executive privilege. Which Nixon use to argue when the Supreme Court ask to use the tapes as evidence. So Nixon the released the tapes July 30, 1974, which revealed that right after the break-in, Nixon tried to protect those who were responsible for the Watergate break-in. Since it was legal to cover up the crime, Nixon action would also be a crime. The court found him guilty of covering up the crime. Nixon resigns 10 days later. Nixon served as an example to subsequent presidents not to overstep the limits of their constitional power.

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Watergate scandal

Watergate scandal is a series of political scandals that happen during the presidency of Richard Nixon that began when five men was arrested after breaking and entering into the Democratic National ommittee headquarters at the Watergate hotel complex in Washington, D.C. On June 17, 1972, Frank Wills, a security guard at the Watergate Complex, noticed tape covering the locks on several doors in the complex. He called the police and within minutes, five men were arrested inside the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) office. The Five men were Virgilio González, Bernard Barker, James W. McCord, Jr., Eugenio Martínez and Frank Sturgis. On Stember 15 On September 15, a grand jury indicted them for conspiracy, burglary and violation of federal wiretapping laws. They later found out that their main taret were the offices of Larry O'Brien, the Chairman of the DNC.

During the second term of President Nixon the Watergate crisis broke out. In 1973, news reporters suggested that the break-in was planned by the staff of the White House and prehap even the president himself. The FBI began to investgate this, and two reporters from the Washington Post revealed that certain officials close to the president may have planned the break-in. On April 30, 1973, Nixon was forced to ask for the resignation of two of his most influential aides, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, both of whom were indicted and ultimately went to prison. Meanwhile, Nixon repeatedly stated that he had no previous knowledge of the break-in and had no attempted on covering it up.

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The tapes of the watergate, the case of United v. Nixon and the aftermath will be in a part of this blog.

Pentagon Papers

The Pentagon papers was popular name for a 7,000-page top-secret United States government report about the history of the Government's internal planning and policy concerning the Vietnam War. These documents became famous when an State Department officer Daniel Ellsberg gave these paper to the to his friend Neil Sheehan, a New York time reporter, which was later publist in 1971. The document revel a 47-volume, 7,000-page, top-secret Department of Defense history of the United States' politico-military involvement in the war in Vietnam, from 1945 to 1967. The Pentagon Papers revealed many things, among of them, that the US deliberately expanded its war with airstrikes against Laos, coastal raids of North Vietnam, and U.S. Marine Corps attacks — before President Lyndon B. Johnson informed the American public, though promising to not expand the war. The revelations widened the credibility gap between the U.S. government and its people, which hurted Nixon administration's war effort. Anthony Lewis a writer for the New York Time said that the press had a First Amendment right to publish information significant to the people's understanding of their government's policy.Yet, President Nixon argued that Ellsberg and Russo were guilty of felony treason , because they had no authority to publish classified documents.

Another controversy that was in the Pentagon paper was that President Johnson sent combat troops to Vietnam by July 17, 1965, after pretending to consult his advisors on July 21–27, per the cable stating that Deput Secretary of Defense Cyrus Vance informs McNamara that President had approved 34 Battalion Plan and will try to push through reserve call-up. In 1988, when that cable was declassified, it was revealed that: there was a continuing uncertainty as to Johnson's final decision, which would have to await Secretary McNamara's recommendation and the views of Congressional leaders, particularly the views of Senator Richard Russell.

When the governer found out they sue the New York Time on June 26,1971, the Supreme Court agreed to hear both cases, consolidating to the 'New York Times Co. v. United States'. On June 30, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court decided, that the injunctions were unconstitutional prio restraint and that the Government failed didnt have enough to proof that the injunction were unconstitutional prio restraint. The New York time won case on First Amendment free speech absolutists, others people felt that it was a mild legal victory of little protection for publishers against national security claims to prior restraint of publishing. The Pentagon paper was some of the reason why the people were mad at the Vietnam war.

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Bobby Baker scandal

Bobby Baker was an aid to Senator Lyndon Johnson, who was involve in server scandalous activities with prominent mob bosses. Baker started out as a page for Johnson when he was only fourteen year old. Baker was so loyal to Johnson that when he became a vice president for John F. Kennedy Baker was his secretary. In 1962 Baker got with mobster Giancana and Meyer Lansky in helping the Intercontinental Hotels Group in build a casinos in the Dominican Republic, which would later serve as the new "Cuba" for the Mob. Baker continued to do business with the mob in the Dominican Republic, believing that the Dominican Republic could be the next Mafia in replacement for Cuba. Baker later get involve in the Quorum Club, which was secretly own by Johnson. He later would establish the Serve-U-Corporation with his friend, Fred Black, and mobsters Ed Levenson and Benny Sigelbaum. The company was to provide vending machines for companies that were working on federally granted programs. A company that was secretly own by Sam Giancana manufactured the machines and other mobsters based in Chicago.

Even though Bobby Baker official income came from this aid from Lyndon B. Johnson, he was a wealth man. Then rumors began to spread that he was involve in corrupt activities. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy stated to investigate baker, he discovered Baker's links to several Mafia bosses. Robert Kennedy also found evidence that Johnson was also involved in political corruption, including the awarding of a $7 billion contract for a fighter plane to Texas-based General Dynamics. Throughout the investigation Robert Kennedy also found that Baker was, involve in procuring women for President John F. Kennedy. In 1967, Bobby Baker was found guilty of 7 counts of theft, fraud and income tax evasion, also he resign as Secretary to the Senate on October 7, 1963.

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Teapot Dome scandal pt 2

Teapor Dome scandal was reveal to the public in 1924 when the Wall Street Journal reported a secret arrangement in which Fall had leased the petroleum reserves to a private oil company without competitive bidding. Fall denies this claim, the money Fall he receives was illegal—not the lease itself.

Thomas J. Walsh led the investigation to seek answer to many questions. For two years, Walsh was unable to find any answers and not evidence that show that was Fall was receiving money from the oils company. By 1924, the Committee had found all they needed to find but there was still one unanswered question: How did Fall become so rich so quickly? Walash later found one piece of evidence that fall forgot to cover up. Doheny's loan to Fall in November 1921, for $100,000. Over the next few months, dozens of witnesses testified before the committee. On January 24, 1924, Edward Doheny admitted that he had lent Fall $100,000. Fall was found guilty of bribery in 1929, fined $100,000 and was sentenced to one year in prison. Harry Sinclair, was charged with contempt, fined $100,000, and received a short sentence for tampering with a jury. Edward Doheny was acquitted in 1930 of attempting to bribe Fall.


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Teapot Dome scandal

The origin of the Teapot Dome scandal data back when presidents Teddy Roosevelt, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson, create a naval petroleum reserves in Wyoming and California. The three naval oil fields was the Elk Hills and Buena Vista Hills in California and Teapot Dome in Wyoming, were tracts of public land that were reserved by previous presidents to be emergency underground supplies that was to be used by the navy only when the oil supplies was diminished. Many politicians and private oil company interests was to opposed the restrictions placed on the oil fields, they claimed that the reserves were unnecessary and that the American oil companies could provide for the U.S. Navy.

One of the politicians who opposed the conservation was Senator Albert B. Fall,a member of the Ohio Gang, who later became Secretary of the Interior in 1921. The Ohio Gang was a group made up of politicians and industry leaders who believe that the government control business and that we shouldn't deal in the affairs of Europe. Fall using his power as the Secretary of the Interior convinced the Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby to turn over the control of the oil fields over to him. Fall then leases the Teapot Dome to Harry Sinclair's Mammoth Oil Company and he reserve Elk Hills to Edward Doheny's Pan American Petroleum Company. In return for leasing the oil Fields, Sincair and Doheny gave Fall a total about $400,000

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Whiskey Ring Scandal

The Whiskey Ring was a scandal that was expose in 1875 through the efforts of Secretary of the Treasury Benjamin H. Bristow. In prior to 1875 statistics shows that United State,in St. Louis, Mo., alone, had lost about $1,200,000 of tax revenue which it should have received from whiskey, Bristow use secret agents from outside the Treasury department to conduct a series of raids across the country on May 10, 1875. The Whiskey Ring Scandal began in St. Louis, but later it was also that found there were other branches in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Peoria. It occurred to some politicians to have the revenue officers raise a campaign to fund among the distillers. The officers later modified this idea, raising money for themselves, and giving money to people that about the scandal to keep hush. Huge corruption funds was distributed among gages, storekeepers, and tax collectors, according to a fixed schedule of prices. Because of the investigation by Secretary Bristow, arrests were made in nearly every city that were involved in the scandal. Indictments were found against 152 liquor men and other private parties, and against 86 government officials, notably the chief clerk in the Treasury Department, and President Ulysses S. Grant's private secretary, Gen. Orville E. Babcock. Babcock however escaped conviction only because of a presidential pardon

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Source index 2 New York time January 16, 1921,

Credit Mobilier of America scandal

A construction company call Credit Mobilier was own by Union Pacific stockholders who was give them a huge contract to build 1,074 km train track. They were ａ　given a huge contract because the construction company was funneling money from Union Pacific. The Union Pacific was a company that owns the majority of the stock at the time. The company also gave cheap shares of stock to members of Congress who agreed to support additional funding. With the money the Union Pacific was getting from the government funds, and subsidies, they union pacific were making a lot of money.

In 1867 a congressional representative name Oakes Ames were allowed members of Congress to purchase shares at face rather than market value, those are the same people who voted the government funds to cover the inflated charges of Credit Mobilier. When the police were investing this case they found that the company had given stocks to over thirty representatives of both parties. Some of the members of congress that were involve in this scandal included Schuyler Colfax, James W. Patterson ,Henry Wilson and James A. Garfield. When Garfield was running for president he decline these charges and went on becoming the twentieth president of the United Stated.

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Intro

Everyone has made a mistake in there a time or two during their lifetime. Would you ever think your senator or governor would make a mistake or a scandal? Throughout history, several sentors and governors were involved in some political scandals. Most of the senators or governor would use their power to try getting away with stealing money from the government. They would try to use taxes, stocks and other way to get richer. Usually when they get caught, either they would resign or they would loose their job. If it is dealing with money they would usually get bankrupt.