Famous Political Scandals

Whitewater

• Clintons investigated for real estate fraud; President Clinton later impeached for perjury about Monica Lewinsky.

• The economic policies of the Clinton administration during the 1990s.

• The impact of the Whitewater scandal on the 2000 presidential election.

• The role of the Supreme Court in the impeachment process.

Petticoat Affair

• Peggy O’Neill Eaton was socially ostracized by cabinet wives, leading to mass cabinet resignations.

• Peggy O’Neill Eaton was a famous actress in the 19th century.

• Peggy O’Neill Eaton was the first female Secretary of War.

• Peggy O’Neill Eaton was a prominent abolitionist.

Iran-Contra Affair

• Reagan officials secretly sold arms and funneled proceeds to Nicaraguan anti-communist rebels; involved Colonel Oliver North.

• A scandal involving the illegal sale of weapons to Iran to fund a military coup in Venezuela.

• A political scandal where U.S. officials were accused of bribing foreign leaders for military support.

• An event where U.S. troops were sent to Iran to assist in a civil war.

Credit Mobilier

• A fake construction company formed by Union Pacific insiders to overcharge the federal government for railroad construction.

• A legitimate construction company that helped build the Union Pacific Railroad.

• A government agency that regulated railroad construction costs.

• A financial institution that provided loans to railroad companies.

Russiagate

• Russian hackers targeted the Clinton campaign and led to the Mueller investigation.

• A scandal involving the Obama administration's surveillance of Trump associates.

• An investigation into the Clinton Foundation's foreign donations.

• A bipartisan effort to improve cybersecurity in the 2016 election.

Pacific Scandal

• Canadian PM John Macdonald accepted campaign bribes from Hugh Allan for a transcontinental railroad contract.

• Canadian PM John Macdonald was accused of embezzling funds for personal gain.

• Canadian PM John Macdonald negotiated a peace treaty with the United States.

• Canadian PM John Macdonald implemented a new tax policy to fund infrastructure.

Black Friday

• A financial crisis caused by the stock market crash of 1929.

• An event where financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the U.S. gold market, causing economic panic.

• A day when retailers offer significant discounts to kick off the holiday shopping season.

• A historical event related to the Great Depression.

Whiskey Ring

• A conspiracy involving Treasury officials and distillers to defraud the government of taxes; President Grant’s secretary Orville Babcock was implicated.

• A political scandal involving the sale of government land to private companies.

• A secret society formed to promote temperance and the prohibition of alcohol.

• A financial scheme to manipulate stock prices in the 19th century.

Servergate/Email-gate

• Use of a private server during Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State was criticized.

• The investigation was closed in 2015 without any findings.

• Hillary Clinton used a government-issued email account exclusively.

• The emails were found to be unrelated to any investigations.

Dreyfus Affair

• Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused of spying; Emile Zola’s “J’accuse” denounced the miscarriage of justice. Dreyfus was eventually pardoned.

• Alfred Dreyfus was a French politician who advocated for the rights of Jewish people.

• The Dreyfus Affair was a scandal involving the French military and a case of mistaken identity.

• Emile Zola was a famous artist who painted a portrait of Alfred Dreyfus.