Political Hypocrisy

House Floor Debate: Resolution on Rep. Joe Wilson

The House debated a Resolution of Disapproval against Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) for his outburst during Pres. Obama's address.

In today’s political climate, it seems that there is a lot of political hypocrisy going around in nation’s capital. Every time I look at up, it seems as if Republicans are quick and fast to point out the flaws of Democrats and Democrats are just as quick to point out the flaws of the Republicans however when it comes to members of their own political party’s neither party is quick to point out those flaws. There is tons of political hypocrisy in this nation when it comes to politicians committing adultery while in office and trying to cover it up, taking bribes, or evading taxes just to name a couple of the political hypocrisies taking place in this nation of ours.

Last Week the Republican National Committee sent out an email saying, “In another stunning example of hypocrisy, congressional Democrats wasted taxpayers' time and resources on a legislative measure to censure Congressman Joe Wilson so they don't have to talk about their exceedingly unpopular health care plan.” I agree that it was a waste of time to censure Congressman Wilson when there are so many other pressing issues plaguing this nation that it seems to get bogged down because Congress wants to make of spectacle out of non-pressing issues.

Still the RNC made some sense when they said, “If we are going to march Members down to the well of the House to apologize, Joe Wilson is going to have to get in line behind Nancy Pelosi, who attacked the intelligence community who protects us, Charlie Rangel who cheated on his taxes, Jack Murtha - a walking scandal, and we all know how the Democratic leadership tried to protect convicted felon William Jefferson.”

Check it out:
--First, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accuses the CIA of lying though an intelligence report indicates that she was briefed on the use of harsh interrogation tactics in 2002; contradicting her previous statements.
--Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is under investigation for misusing rent controlled properties, avoiding taxes, and using U.S. government letterhead to raise money.
--Reps. John Murtha (D-PA) and Peter Visclosky (D-IN) have been linked to lobbying firm PMA, which has been raided twice by FBI agents.
--Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) has refused to subpoena Countrywide Mortgage documents to investigate possible sweetheart loans; Towns received two loans from Countrywide.
--Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) forced aides to perform personal tasks against ethics rules and had them work on "several local and state campaigns including his wife's failed bid for a seat in the state senate."

Heard any apologies from these people? Where are the outcries of the Democrat leadership? This is why the political hypocrisy taking place in Washington is long and hard. While the RNC says, “The truth -- the Democrats don't want an apology. They want a side show -- something to shift the focus away from their government-run experiment on health care.” I say that both Democrats and Republicans want a sideshow. Neither one is willing to call out the members of its own parties when they do wrong and neither one is willing to stand up for the American people when their own party members are misusing or abusing taxpayer dollars and time while at the same time misleading us the American people.

Think about it people, we are in the midst of political hypocrisy that neither the Democratic National Committee nor the Republican National Committee want to admit to when members of their own party are caught red handed doing wrong while in public office. A recent blog I found said, “Not that you'd know about any of this if you just stuck with what you read in the mainstream press, yunno, MSNBC, ABC, NYTimes, WaPo, CNN, CBS, et al:
Funny thing. We’re not hearing the Democrats bang that culture of corruption drum much these days. Maybe it’s because they cleaned up all the corruption. Just kidding. It’s actually because the overwhelming number of politicians under investigation in Washington, DC these days are - drum roll, please - Democrats. Fact is, there are now 12 active investigations looking into Democrats and only 4 looking into Republicans.

Democratic members of Congress under investigation: Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Jesse Jackson of Illinois, Allan Mollohan of West Virginia, John Murtha of Pennsylvania, Charlie Rangel of New York, Linda Sanchez of California, Loretta Sanchez of California, Pete Visclosky of Indiana.

Democratic Senators under investigation: Roland Burris of Illinois, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

Republican members of Congress under investigation: Jerry Lewis of California, Garry Miller of California, Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, Don Young of Alaska.

Republican Senators under investigation: None.

Sad to say, we don’t attribute this to any great sense of honesty on the part of the Republicans. It’s more likely that they’re just so weak and ineffectual that they’re not worth trying to corrupt them anymore.

Now these lists are not officially accurate for this year considering that Senator Chris Dodd is not the list and Representative John Conyers is not on it. Nonetheless, political corruption has always posed a serious challenge to America because it threatens democracy and good governance, undermining the legitimacy of government and democratic values. Political corruption may be defined as bribery, graft, extortion, robbery, patronage, nepotism, cronyism, conflict of interest and kickbacks. Ethically questionable behaviors have haunted American politics from the time Europeans settled country.

Political corruption was already a problem before the American Revolution. Royal governors and corporate placemen used their official positions to enrich themselves. With the availability of land, bribery and graft led to highly unethical practices. Colonial merchants ignored tariff duties and mercantile regulations. The taming of corruption was a major feature of the federal Constitution of 1787.

By the early nineteenth century, governmental contracts provided possibilities for official malfeasance. From Bureau of Indian Affairs agents to the scandals of the Ulysses S. Grant era, the opportunities for all types of corruption was rampant. President Lincoln, at the height of the Civil War war, replaced department head Simon Cameron with Edwin M. Stanton because of corruption concerns. The disputed election of Rutherford B. Hayes, who lost the popular vote but won the presidency with one electoral vote was the worst political corruption until the 2000 presidential election. Local governments, such as Tammany Hall in New York and the Daley political machine in Chicago were corrupt and accepted illegal contributions from business and others.

There has been tons of ways of deter political corruption throughout history. Political corruption reform started with the Pendleton Act of 1883 which created a federal civil service to cope with patronage problems. The Tillman Act of 1907 stopped banks and corporation from contributing to federal elections. In 1910, the law was passed requiring congressional candidates and their organization to report contributions and expenditures however it had many loopholes. The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act was passed in 1946 however both the Truman and Eisenhower presidencies were accused of questionable behavior by lobbyists.

Robert G. “Bobby” Baker, secretary of the Senate Democrat Majority Leader, influence peddling resulted in the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct for members of congress and by 1971, the Federal Election Campaign Act. After the Watergate scandal of 1972-1974, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 which disallowed gifts to foreign officials by American companies. The 1978 Ethics in Government Act created the position of independent council. It was used in the Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton’s presidencies when it investigated charges of government misconduct. Other political corruptions include Koreagate scandals 1976-1978, the Abscam scandal of 1978-1980, the “Wedtech” affair of 1986 and the Abramoff congressional scandal of 2006.

However political corruption reforms were weakened by the Supreme Court during the 1970s and 1980’s. The court ruled that earlier laws and regulations regarding campaign contribution violated the right of free speech and limited the use of mail-fraud statutes in charging local and state officials with corruption. Political corruption affects the United States at every level. It undermines economic development, increases the cost of business, lowers compliance with environmental regulations and reduces the quality of government services. Unless the public is alert to local, state or federal corruption prevelance, it will continue to haunt every election and congressional action.

Political corruption breeds everyone. Take Chicago otherwise known as "The Windy City" not because it is windy (although anyone who tries to use an umbrella during a heavy rain in the Loop knows how difficult that can prove) but because of the blowhard politicians it has produced throughout the centuries. Chicago's scandalous history of political corruption began in the l9th century around the time of the Chicago Fire continuing through today, most notably, Governor Blagojevich's attempt to "sell" President Obama's Senate seat. Political malfeasance doesn't begin and end in Illinois, though. Other states have equal or worse reputations.

The Wall Street Journal, in an article titled, A Swamp of Corruption , noted that "Louisiana ranks third in the nation in the number of elected officials per capita convicted of crimes (Mississippi takes top prize)." Paging through the list of politicians on the take is like reading a who's who in the society pages. Most recently, former Democratic Louisiana congressman, Rep. William Jefferson, was convicted by a federal jury, "of taking bribes on 11 of 16 counts in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer." Corruption is not unique to what is referred to the modern era in our history.

"From the beginnings of European settlement to the American Revolution, the colonies witnessed some outrageous instances of corruption. Royal governors and corporate placemen used their official positions to enrich themselves in every possible way. Many of them considered this a privilege of their offices."

Clearly, the Founders were no strangers to corruption. Certainly, they did all within their power to stem its influence in the new system of government they created. A division of powers between the branches of government; between the Senate and the House; and between the federal and state governments were designed to prevent any groups from gaining the upper hand. James Madison wrote in Federalist #51:
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

James Madison, often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, is also quoted as saying: "The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse."

"We the People" ratified a Constitution which gave to the federal government very specific, enumerated powers which were intended to protect our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Powers not specifically given to the federal government were to be left to the states and to the people who reside within. The government was not charged with providing for our wants and needs. Of this, Benjamin Franklin said:
"The US Constitution does not guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself."

According to Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the American Center for Democracy, corruption wasn't unique to the New World. Indeed, "In the Old World, corruption in politics and business were regarded as inevitable." Corruption also existed among ancient societies and it contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. "Gradually, the Praetorian Guard gained complete authority to choose the new emperor, who rewarded the guard who then became more influential, perpetuating the cycle. Then in 186 A. D. the army strangled the new emperor, the practice began of selling the throne to the highest bidder. During the next 100 years, Rome had 37 different emperors - 25 of whom were removed from office by assassination."

This lesson in history is really pretty simple. Power breeds corruption. The Founders believed that If they could limit the amount of power given to the government, they could limit the amount of corruption in the government. We're now witnessing the largest expansion of our government's power in history. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Now, think about this idea for a moment. Power breeds corruption. Can you agree with this idea?

Political corruption and scandals has emerged through our nation’s three branches of government (Executive, Legislative and Judicial). That is way we as a people must hold all our political officials accountable no matter their political party affiliation. Democrats should be calling out their own members whenever they do wrong and Republicans must call their own members when they do wrong. This is the way it should be because if neither party is able to call out the wrong doing of their own members rather than excusing it or covering it up than why should we listen to either party when they accuse the other side of corruption and scandalous acts.

Political hypocrisy is something that takes place on both sides of the political spectrum but to truly deal with it than not only do we the people need to hold our own political parties to the same standard as we hold the opposition party to but we must be constant with it. Now is the time to finally weed out not only political corruption but the hypocrisy that comes along with. The DNC and RNC need to hold their own members to the same standard they try to apply to the opposition party.

Political corruption must end. The political scandals must stop and the poor excuses of apologies need to end once and for all. Politicians and members of Congress need to stop wasting us, the American people, time, money and resources trying to cover up their misdeeds or making a spectacle of things when so many other pressing issues aren’t being addressed like it should be.

Nonetheless below is a list of political scandals from 1850-2009. Clearly both political parties have its faults and blames but more needs to be done to get rid of those in Congress who are misusing and abusing our tax dollars.

2009-
Legislative Branch Scandals
Joe Wilson (R) The congressman from South Carolina interrupted a speech about health care reform by President Barack Obama to a joint session of Congress. After Obama said that no illegal aliens would be accepted under his plan, Congressman Wilson shouted, "You lie!" The incident resulted in a formal rebuke by the House of Representatives.[1] (2009)

2001–2008
Executive Branch scandals
Alphonso Jackson (R) Secretary of HUD resigned while under investigation by the FBI for revoking the contract of a vendor who told Jackson he did not like former President George W. Bush (2008)
Karl Rove (R) Special Advisor to the president was investigated in 2007 by the Office of Special Counsel for "improper political influence over government decision-making," as well as for his involvement in other scandals listed here.[2]
"Lawyergate"[3] - the Bush administration firing without explanation of a number of Republican federal prosecutors whom he himself had appointed. It is alleged they were fired for prosecuting Republicans and not prosecuting Democrats. As congressional hearings were called, a number of senior officials cited executive privilege and resigned rather than testify under oath, including:
1. Monica Goodling (R) White House Liaison to the Justice Department
2. Michael A. Battle (R) Director of Executive Office of US Attorneys in the Justice Deparment
3. Bradley Schlozman (R) Director of Executive Office of US Attorneys who replaced Battle
4. Michael Elston (R) Chief of Staff to Paul McNulty
5. Paul McNulty (R) Deputy Attorney General
6. William W. Mercer Associate Attorney General
7. Kyle Sampson (R) Chief of Staff to Alberto Gonzales
8. Alberto Gonzales (R) Attorney General
9. Joshua Bolten Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, found in Contempt of Congress
10. Sarah Taylor (R) Assistant to Karl Rove
11. Karl Rove (R) Assistant to the President
12. Harriet Miers (R) Legal Counsel to the President, found in Contempt of Congress
Lurita Alexis Doan (R) resigned as head of the General Services Administration. She was under scrutiny for conflict of interest and violations of the Hatch Act (2008)
Bush White House e-mail controversy - various high-level Bush administration officials used servers hosted by the Republican National Committee (RNC) for email, in possible violation of the Presidential Records Act and Hatch Act. Many records requested by Congressional investigators of other Bush administration scandals were therefore unavailable, lost, or deleted.
Jack Abramoff scandal in which Abramoff bribed administration officials and legislators as part of his lobbying efforts. See Legislative scandals.
1. David Safavian (R) Administrator of Procurement Policy for the OMB, found guilty of four counts of lying and sentenced to 18 months
2. Roger Stillwell (R) Staff in the Department of the Interior under George W. Bush. Pleaded guilty and received two years suspended sentence
3. Susan Ralston (R) Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to Carl Rove, resigned October 6, 2006 after it became known that she accepted gifts and passed information to her former boss Jack Abramoff
4. Steven Griles (R) (former Deputy Secretary of the Interior) pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to 10 months
5. Italia Federici (R) staff to Secretary of Interior, obstruction of justice, four years probation
6. Mark Zachares (R) staff in Labor Depart, bribed by Abramoff, guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Robert E. Coughlin (R) Justice Department official pleaded guilty to conflict of interest
Julie MacDonald (R) Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior, resigned May 1, 2007 after giving government documents to developers (2007)
Lester Crawford (R) Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, resigned after 2 months. Pled guilty to conflict of interest (2006)
Brian J. Doyle (R) Deputy Press Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security. Charged with 7 counts of using a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmitting harmful materials to a minor (2006)
The Don Siegelman prosecution scandal. Don Seigelman, Democratic governor of Alabama, was convicted in 2006 of corruption charges. Many argued that Karl Rove and the U.S. Department of Justice wrongfully engineered his prosecution.
Downing Street Memo minutes of UK government secret meeting (dated 23 July 2002, leaked 2005) include summary of MI6 Director Sir Richard Dearlove's report that "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and the facts were being fixed around the policy"
Bush administration payment of columnists to say nice things about administration policies. Illegal payments were made to Armstrong Williams (R), Maggie Gallagher (R) and Michael McManus (R) (2004–2005)
Sandy Berger (D) former Clinton security advisor pleads guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully removing classified documents from the National Archives in (2005)
Bernard Kerik (R) nomination as Secretary of Homeland Security derailed by past employment of illegal alien as nanny, and amid allegations of various other ethical improprieties (2004)
Torture: US officials authorized harsh interrogation of prisoners, called torture by many, by US troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere (2004)
Plame affair (2004), in which CIA agent Valerie Plame's name was leaked to the press in retaliation for her husband's criticism of the Bush administration
1. Kyle Foggo (R) (Dusty) Executive Director of CIA, guilty of bribery February 17, 2007
2. Lewis Libby (R) (Scooter) Chief of Staff to Dick Cheney, convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice March 6, 2007. Sentenced to 30 months and fined $250,000. Commuted by Bush July 1, 2007 CIA leak scandal (2003) and Plamegate.)
Thomas A. Scully, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), withheld information from Congress about the projected cost of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, and allegedly threatened to fire Medicare's chief actuary, Richard Foster, if Foster provided the data to Congress.
Yellowcake forgery: Just prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration presented evidence to the UN that Iraq was seeking material for making nuclear weapons from Africa. Though presented as true, it was later found to be not only dubious but outright false.
Karl Rove (R) was accused of conflicts of interest in making political decisions affecting companies whose stock he owned.
NSA warrantless surveillance Shortly after 9/11 President George W. Bush (R) implemented a secret program by the NSA to easedrop on American domestic telephone calls, but bypassing the FISA court which must approve all such actions. (2002)
Enron collapse (2002) leading to investigation of Kenneth Lay (R), a top political ally and financial donor to former President George W. Bush. Lay was found guilty of 10 counts of securities fraud, but died before sentencing. Attempts to link individual politicians with Enron malfeasance have not been particularly successful, due to the fact that so many politicians of both major parties received campaign contributions (including 158 Republicans and 100 Democrats in Congress (as of 2001) [5])

Legislative Branch scandals
Ted Stevens Senator (R-AK) convicted on 7 counts of bribery and tax evasion October 27, 2008. He continued his run for re-election, but lost. Upon review, new Attorney General Eric Holder (D) dismissed the charges "in the interest of justice" stating that the previous (Bush) Justice Department had illegally withheld evidence. Chicago Tribune, Section 1, pg 14, 'US to shelve Holder case' by Josh Meyer, April 2, 2009
Christopher Ward (R) treasurer for the National Republican Congressional Committee was accused of embezzling $800,000 during the last six years.[4]
Charles Rangel (D-NY) accused of failing to report $75,000 income from the rental of his villa in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (September 2008)
Rick Renzi (R-AZ) Announced he would not seek another term. Seven months later, on February 22, 2008 he pleaded not guilty to 35 charges of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering
Jack Abramoff Scandal, (R) lobbyist found guilty of conspiracy, tax evasion and corruption of public officials in three different courts in a wide ranging investigation. Currently serving 70 months and fined $24.7 million. See Scandals, Executive Branch. The following were also implicated:
Tom DeLay (R-TX) House Majority Leader, reprimanded twice by House Ethics Committee and aides indicted (2004-2005); eventually DeLay himself was indicted (October 2005); DeLay resigned from the House 9 June, 2006.
James W. Ellis (R) runs DeLay’s PAC, indicted
John D. Calyandro (R) runs Texans for a Republican Majority, indicted
Adam Kidon business partner of Abramoff, pleaded guilty to fraud, sentenced to 70 months
Michael Scanlon (R) former staff to Tom DeLay: working for Abramoff, pleaded guilty to bribery
Tony Rudy (R) former staff to Tom DeLay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy
Robert Ney (R-OH) bribed by Abramoff, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, sentenced to 30 months
Neil Volz (R) former staff to Robert Ney, pleaded guilty to conspiracy
William Heaton (R) former staff to Robert Ney, pleaded guilty to fraud, 24 months probation
John Albaugh (R) former COS to Ernest Istook (R-OK) pled guilty
Jared Carpenter (R) Counsel of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, pled guilty to income tax evasion, got 45 days, plus 4 years probation
Robert Coughlin (R-PA) pled guilty
Adam Kidan private citizen, pled guilty and received 70 months
Trevor Blackann private citizen, pled guilty
James Hirni, (R) former staff to Tim Hutchinson (R-AK) indicted for wire fraud
Kevin A. Ring, (R) former staff to John Doolittle (R-CA) indicted for 10 counts of corruption
John Doolittle (R-CA) both he and his wife are under investigation (January 2008). Under this cloud, Doolittle decided not to run for re-election in November 2008.
Duke Cunningham (R-CA) pleaded guilty on November 28, 2005 to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. Sentenced to over eight years.
Kyle Foggo CIA Exec. Director, number 3 in the agency, was indicted February 13, 2007 on charges of fraud, money laundering, conspiracy. Plea bargained to one count of fraud.
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) struck a U.S. Capitol Police officer in the chest after he attempted to stop her from going around a security checkpoint. McKinney apologized on the floor of the House and no charges were filed (March 29, 2006)
William J. Jefferson (D-LA) in August 2005 the FBI seized $90,000 in cash from Jefferson's home freezer. He was re-elected anyway. On August 4, 2009 he was convicted of 11 counts of bribery. (2009)
Brett Pfeffer (D) Jefferson's Chief of Staff was sentenced to 84 months. (2006)
Bill Janklow (R-SD) convicted of second-degree manslaughter for running a stop sign and killing a motorcyclist. Resigned from the House and given 100 days in the county jail and three years probation
Robert Torricelli Senator (D-NJ) after 14 years in the House and one term in the Senate, Torricelli declined to run again when accused of taking illegal contributions from Korean, David Chang (2002)
Jim Traficant (D-OH) found guilty on 10 felony counts of financial corruption, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison and expelled from the House (2002)
Edward Mezvinsky (D-IA) Pleaded guilty to 31 charges of bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud (2001)

1993–2000
Executive Branch scandals
Pardongate President Bill Clinton (D) granted 396 pardons at the end of his term, an amount which seemed excessive compared with the 74 granted by his predecessor George H.W. Bush(R), but not when compared to his predecessor Ronald Reagan(R) who pardoned 393. [5]
Henry Cisneros (D) resigns as Clinton's Housing Secretary and pleads guilty (1999) to lying to the FBI about the amount of money he paid his former mistress, Linda Medlar. He was fined $10,000 (1999)
Ronald Blackley, (D) Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy’s Chief of Staff, sentenced to 27 months for perjury http://laws.findlaw.com/dc/983036a.html (1999)
Monica Lewinsky Intern. President Bill Clinton (D) Impeached for lying about his relations with Lewinsky, was found innocent by the Senate and remained in office.(1998)
Teamstergate, in which Teamster president Ron Carey (D) allegedly gave money to Bill Clinton's 1996 presidential campaign and Clinton (D) gave money for Carey's campaign. Carey's re-election was invalidated, though he was later cleared of all charges. No charges were ever filed against the Clintons.
Webster Hubbell (D) Associate Attorney General, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion. Sentenced to 21 months in prison (1995)
Whitewater scandal (1994-2000) independent counsel Kenneth Starr (R) investigated the Clinton's role in peddling influence for the Whitewater (real estate) Development Corporation while he was Governor of Arkansas. No criminal charges were brought against either President Bill Clinton (D) or First Lady Hillary Clinton (D)
Wampumgate Bruce Babbitt (D), Secretary of the Interior 1993–2001, accused of lying to Congress about influencing a 1995 American Indian tribe casino decision. Babbitt was cleared of all wrongdoing.
Filegate alleged misuse of FBI resources by Clinton Security Chief, Craig Livingstone (D), to compile an 'enemies' list (1996); Investigation found insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing
Americorps head Eli Segal (D) was briefly investigated for improper campaign fundraising. The independent prosecutor closed the case without bringing charges. (1996) [6]
The People's Republic of China campaign finance controversy (1996) Refers to alleged efforts by China to influence the 1996 elections by directing campaign donations through intermediaries, largely to Democratic candidates including Bill Clinton and Al Gore
Vincent Foster (D) the White House lawyer was alleged to have been murdered by either Bill or Hillary Clinton, for various reasons and with varying degrees of involvement. The suicide was investigated by the Park Police Service and FBI, Independent Consultant Robert Fiske and finally by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr all of whom ruled that it was a simple suicide (1993)
White House Coffees and Lincoln Bedroom -- political donations linked to access to President Clinton. No wrongdoing was found.
Travelgate, involving the firing of White House travel agents. In 1998 Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr (R) exonerated President Bill Clinton of any involvement (1993)

Legislative Branch scandals
Wes Cooley (R-OR), Cooley was convicted of having lied on the 1994 voter information pamphlet about his service in the Army. He was fined and sentenced to two years probation (1997)
Newt Gingrich (R-GA), the Speaker of the House, was accused of financial improprieties leading to House reprimand and $300,000 in sanctions leading to his resignation (1997)
Walter R. Tucker III (D-CA) resigned from the House before conviction on bribery charges while Mayor of Compton, CA (1996)
Carol Moseley-Braun Senator (D-IL) With her siblings, she kept a $28,750 royalty check rather than reimburse her mother's Medicaid bill. They eventually repaid $15,240.(1993)
House banking scandal (1992) the House of Representatives Bank found that 450 members had overdrawn their checking accounts, but not been penalized. Six were convicted. Twenty two more were singled out by the House Ethics Committee.
Buzz Lukens (R-OH) convicted
Carl D. Perkins (D-KY) convicted
Carroll Hubbard (D-KY)convicted
Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH)convicted
Walter Fauntroy (D-DC) convicted
Jack Russ Sgt. at Arms, convicted
Tommy F. Robinson (R-AK) -996 checks, 16 months overdue
Robert Mrazek (D-NY) -920 checks, 23 months overdue
Robert W. Davis (R-MI) -873 checks, 13 months overdue
Doug Walgren (D-PA) -858 checks, 16 months overdue
Charles F. Hatcher (D-GA) -819 checks, 35 months overdue
Stephen J. Solarz (D-NY) -743 checks, 30 months overdue
Harold Ford, Sr. (D-TN) -743 checks, 30 months overdue
Charles Hayes (D-IL) -715 checks, 15 months overdue
Ronald D. Coleman (D-TX) -673 checks, 23 months overdue
Bill Alexander (D-AK) -497 checks, 18 months overdue
William F. Goodling (R-PA) -430 checks, 9 months overdue
Edolphus Towns (D-NY) -408 checks, 18 months overdue
Ed Feighan (D-OH) -397 checks, 8 months overdue
Mickey Edwards (R-OK) -386 checks, 13 months overdue
Bill Clay (D-MO) -328 checks, 9 months overdue
Tony Coelho (D-CA) -316 checks, 12 months overdue
John Conyers (D-MI) -273 checks, 9 months overdue
Joseph Early (D-MA) -124 checks, 13 months overdue
Douglas H. Bosco (D-CA) -124 checks, 13 months overdue
Jim Bates (D-CA) - 89 checks, 9 months overdue
Congressional Post Office scandal (1991–1995) Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) and Joe Kolter (D-PA) were accused of heading a conspiracy to launder Post Office money through stamps and postal vouchers. Rostenkowski was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison, in 1995.
Jay Kim (R-CA) accepted $250,000 in illegal 1992 campaign contributions and was sentenced to two months house arrest (1992)

Judicial Branch scandals
Bush v. Gore On December 12, 2000 the Supreme Court stepped in to resolve the 2000 presidential election by overturning the Florida Supreme Court decision, stopping the Florida vote recount and effectively deciding the election for George W. Bush (R). (2000)

1989–1992
Executive Branch scandals
Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, (R) Treasurer of the United States. Pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Only US Treasurer ever sent to prison (1992)
Iran-Contra Affair pardons. On December 24, 1992, George H. W. Bush granted clemency to former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.[57] Weinberger, who had been scheduled to stand trial on January 5, 1993, for charges related to Iran-Contra, was described by Bush as a "true American patriot".[57] Bush also pardoned Duane R. Clarridge, Clair E. George, Robert C. McFarlane, Elliott Abrams, and Alan G. Fiers Jr.[58]

Legislative Branch scandals
David Durenberger Senator (R-MN) denounced by Senate for unethical financial transactions and then disbarred (1990). He pled guilty to misuse of public funds and given one year probation (1995)
Jesse Helms Senator (R-NC), signed an admission of guilt for election tampering but was never prosecuted (1990)

1983–1990
Executive Branch scandals
Robert Bernard Anderson (R) former United States Secretary of Treasury (1957–1961) pled guilty to owning an offshore bank in (1987)
Raymond J. Donovan (R) Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, investigated and acquitted of larceny and fraud (1987)
HUD Scandal controversy concerning low income housing money to selected contractors
James G. Watt (R) Secretary of Interior, 1981–1983, charged with 25 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice, sentenced to five years probation, fined $5000 and 500 hours of community service
Phillip D. Winn (R) Assistant Secretary of HUD, 1981–1982, pled guilty to bribery in 1994. Was pardoned by Bill Clinton in November 21, 2000
Thomas Demery, (R) Assistant Secretary of HUD, pled guilty to steering HUD subsidies to politically connected donors
Joseph A. Strauss, (R) Special Assistant to the Secretary of HUD, convicted for accepting payments to favor Puerto Rican land developers in receiving HUD funding
Deborah Gore Dean, (R) Executive Assistant to (Samuel Pierce, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1981–1987, not charged). Convicted of perjury, conspiracy, bribery. Sentenced to 21 months in prison (1987)
Wedtech scandal Wedtech Corporation convicted of bribery for Defense Department contracts Edwin Meese (R) Attorney General, never convicted, but resigned
Lyn Nofziger (R) White House staff, conviction overturned
Mario Biaggi (D-NY) sentenced to 2 1/2 years (1987)
Savings and loan scandal in which 747 institutions failed and had to be rescued with $160,000,000,000 of taxpayer monies in connection with the Keating Five
Keating Five (1980–1989) The failure of Lincoln Savings and Loan led to Charles Keating (R) donating to the campaigns of five Senators for help. Keating served 42 months in prison. The five were investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee which found that:
Alan Cranston Senator (D-CA) reprimanded
Dennis DeConcini Senator (D-AZ) acted improperly
Don Riegle Senator (D-MI) acted improperly
John Glenn Senator (D-OH) used poor judgment
John McCain Senator (R-AZ) used poor judgment
Iran-Contra Affair (1985–1986); A plan conceived by CIA head William Casey (R) and Oliver North (R) of the NSC to sell TOW missiles to Iran for the return of US hostages and use part of the money received to fund Contra rebels trying to overthrow the left wing government of Nicaragua. Ronald Reagan appeared on TV stating there was no "arms for hostages" deal, but was later forced to admit, also on TV, that yes, there indeed had been:
Elliott Abrams (R) Asst Sec of State, convicted of withholding evidence. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush
Robert C. McFarlane (R) National Security Adviser, convicted of withholding evidence. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush
Alan D. Fiers Chief of the CIA's Central American Task Force, convicted of withholding evidence. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush
Clair George Chief of Covert Ops-CIA, convicted of perjury. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush
Oliver North (R) convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity, obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and destruction of documents but ruling was overturned on appeal
John Poindexter (R) convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, perjury, defrauding the government, and the alteration and destruction of evidence, but ruling was overturned on appeal
Caspar Weinberger (R) Secretary of Defense, pardoned before trial by President George H. W. Bush (R)
Duane R. Clarridge (R) pardoned before trial by President George H. W. Bush
Richard V. Secord pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress
Albert Hakim pleaded guilty to supplementing the salary of North
Thomas G. Clines convicted of four counts of tax-related offenses for failing to report income from the operations
Carl R. Channell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States
Richard R. Miller pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States
Joseph F. Fernandez indicted on four counts of obstruction and false statements; case dismissed when Attorney General Richard L. Thornburgh refused to declassify information needed for his defense
Inslaw Affair (1985-1994+); a protracted, legal case involving allegations that top-level officials of President Ronald Reagan's (R) Department of Justice were involved in software piracy, covert intelligence operations, and murder.
Earl Brian, the CEO of UPI and FNN, was later convicted on fraud charges specific to UPI and FNN; however his possible involvement in both the October Surprise Conspiracy and the Inslaw Affair may have contributed to Congressional investigations of the Iran-Contra Affair.
Edwin Meese (R) —During confirmation hearings for his position as Attorney General, it was learned that his wife had received several "sweetheart loans" for the purchase of stock in companies owned by Earl Brian
D. Lowell Jensen (R) —As Deputy Attorney General, under Edwin Meese, he approved all matters regarding Inslaw's Promis contracts with the Department of Justice though it was known that Jensen had competed with similar software known as Dalite during the mid-1970s against Inslaw for a California LEAA contract.
Michael Deaver (R) Deputy Chief of Staff to Ronald Reagan 1981–85, pleaded guilty to perjury and fined $100,000
William Casey (R) insider trading (1983)
Anne Gorsuch Burford (R) Sewergate Head of the EPA. Refused to turn over documents to Congress, whereupon she resigned with twenty of her top employees after being found in Contempt (1980)
Sewergate scandal in which Rita Lavelle (R) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ Assistant Administrator, misused ‘superfund' monies and was convicted of perjury. She served three months in prison, was fined $10,000 and given five yrs probation.
Hamilton Jordan (D) Jimmy Carter's advisor who became target of repeated rumors of coarse and even criminal behavior, but extensive legal investigations failed to substantiate any of them. (1979)

Legislative Branch scandals
House Post Office scandal: the investigation into the embezzling of House Post Office funds by the postmaster and the trading of post office stamps by lawmakers for cash (1992–1996)
Daniel Rostenkowski (D-IL), pleaded guilty to mail fraud. Served 15 of 17 months and was then pardoned by President Bill Clinton (1996)
Joseph Kolter (D-PA) indicted for mail fraud and served 6 months (1993)
David Durenberger Senator (R-MN), denounced by Senate for unethical financial transactions (1990) and then disbarred. In 1995 he pled guilty to misuse of public funds and given one years probation
Jesse Helms Senator (R-NC), signed an admission of guilt for election tampering in 1990 but was never prosecuted
Buz Lukens (R-OH), convicted of 5 counts of bribery and conspiracy and served one year in prison (1996)
Anthony Lee Coelho (D-CA) resigns after being accused of unethical finance practices including "junk bond" deal. He was never charged with any crime (1989)
Jim Wright (D-TX) House Speaker, resigned after ethics investigation led by Newt Gingrich alleged improper receipt of $145,000 in gifts by Wright and his wife (1989)
Abscam (1980) FBI sting involving fake 'Arabs' trying to bribe 31 congressmen. Arrested were NJ State Senator Angelo Errichetti (D) and members of the Philadelphia City Council. The following six Congressmen were convicted:
Harrison A. Williams Senator (D-NJ)
John Jenrette (D-SC)
Richard Kelly (R-FL)
Raymond Lederer (D-PA)
Michael Myers (D-PA)
Frank Thompson (D-NJ)
Mario Biaggi (D-NY), convicted on 15 felony counts of obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gratuities (1988)
James Traficant (D-OH), convicted of ten felony counts including bribery, racketeering and tax evasion (1988)
Frederick W. Richmond (D-NY), convicted of tax evasion and possession of marijuana (1982)

Judicial Branch scandals
Alcee Hastings (D-FL), federal district court judge impeached and convicted of soliciting a bribe (1989). Subsequently elected to U.S. House of Representatives (1992)

1979–1982
Executive Branch scandals
"Debategate": briefing book of President Jimmy Carter stolen and given to Ronald Reagan before U.S. presidential election, 1980
Hamilton Jordan (D), Carter's advisor who became target of repeated rumors of coarse and even criminal behavior, but extensive legal investigations failed to substantiate any of them (1979)
Bert Lance (D), Director of OMB, resigned amidst allegations of misuse of funds of a bank in Georgia. Acquitted of all charges (1977)

Legislative Branch scandals
Charles Diggs (D-MI), convicted on 11 charges of mail fraud and filing false payroll forms. Sentenced to 3 years (1978)
Herman Talmadge Senator (D-GA), denounced by the Senate for accepting over $43,435.83 in gifts. He failed to be re-elected (1979)
Tongsun Park "Koreagate" scandal involving alleged bribery of more than 100 members of Congress by South Korean government; charges were pressed only against congressmen Richard T. Hanna (D-CA) (convicted) and Otto E. Passman (D-LA) (not prosecuted because of illness); also implicated was South Korean President Park Chung Hee (1977–1980)
John Connally (R-TX), Milk Money scandal; acquitted of all charges (1975)

1974–1977
Executive Branch scandals
Controversial pardon of resigned President Richard Nixon (R) by President Gerald Ford (R), just before Nixon could be tried for conspiracy (1974)

Legislative Branch scandals
Wayne L. Hays (D-OH), resigned from Congress after hiring and promoting his mistress, Elizabeth Ray (1976)
James F. Hastings (R-NY), convicted of kickbacks and mail fraud. Took money from his employees for personal use. Served 14 months at Allenwood penitentiary (1976)
John V. Dowdy (D-TX), convicted of perjury (1973)
Bertram Podell (D-NY), pleaded guilty to conspiracy and conflict of interest. He was fined $5,000 and served four months in prison (1974)
Ted Kennedy Senator (D-MA) drove his car into the channel between Chappaquiddick Island and Martha's Vineyard, killing passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended sentence of two months (1969)

Judicial Branch scandals
Otto Kerner, Jr. (D): resigned as U.S. Seventh Circuit Judge Court after conviction for bribery, mail fraud and tax evasion while Governor of Illinois (1961–1968)(1974)

1970–1974
Executive Branch scandals
Spiro Agnew (R-MD), Richard Nixon's Vice President, convicted of bribery in Maryland and forced to resign. He was replaced by Gerald R. Ford, whom Nixon appointed as Vice President (1973)
Nixon Jewelry Violation of Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1881, as amended in 1966 (1974)
Bebe Rebozo investigated for accepting large contribution to Nixon campaign. No charges filed (1973)
Watergate (1972–1973) A burglary into the Democratic National headquarters and its coverup by President Richard Nixon (R) resulted in eleven convictions and the only resignation of a U.S. President. They are:
John N. Mitchell (R) Attorney General, convicted of perjury
Frederick C. LaRue (R) Advisor to John Mitchell, convicted of obstruction of justice
H. R. Haldeman (R) Chief of Staff for Nixon, convicted of perjury
John Ehrlichman (R) Counsel to the White House, convicted of perjury
John W. Dean III (R) Counsel to Nixon, convicted of obstruction of justice
Dwight L. Chapin (R) Deputy Asst to Nixon, convicted of false and misleading statements
Herbert W. Kalmbach (R) personal attorney to Nixon, convicted of illegal campaigning
Charles W. Colson (R) Special Consul to Nixon, convicted of obstruction justice
G. Gordon Liddy (R) Special Investigations Group, convicted of burglary
E. Howard Hunt (R) ‘security consultant,’ convicted of burglary
James W. McCord Jr. (R) guilty of six charges of burglary, conspiracy and wiretapping
Virgilio Gonzalez guilty of burglary
Bernard Baker guilty of burglary
Eugenio Martinez guilty of burglary
Frank Sturgis guilty of burglary
Pentagon Papers Exposed unconstitutional military actions by Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson (D) and Richard Nixon (R) in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos from 1964 through 1971
Richard Helms, Head of the CIA, denied their role in the overthrow of Chili President Allende. Convicted of perjury. Also destroyed all record of over 150 mind control experiments. No prosecution.

1963–1969
Executive Branch scandals
Pentagon Papers Exposed unconstitutional military actions by Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson (D) and Richard Nixon (R) in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos from 1964 through 1971
Bobby Baker (D), advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson: resigned after charges of favoritism (1963)
Billy Sol Estes (D): convicted felon who influenced TX elections (1961)

Legislative Branch scandals
Thomas J. Dodd, Senator (D-CT): censured for financial misconduct and corruption (1967)
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (D-NY): expelled from Congress but won the special election as his own replacement (1967)

Judicial Branch scandals
Abe Fortas, Supreme Court Judge (D): resigns after financial scandal, no charges filed (1969)

1960–1963
Executive Branch scandals
Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro rebels, trained by the US, but without US naval or air support. They were defeated in two days. (1961)

1951–1958
Executive Branch Scandals
Richard Nixon (R): V-P nominee delivers "Checkers Speech," to deflect scandal about $18,000 in gifts, maintaining the only personal gift he had received was a dog (1952)
(Llewelyn) Sherman A. Adams (R), Chief of Staff to Dwight Eisenhower: wife was given a Vicuna Coat as a possible bribe; cited for contempt of Congress in refusing to answer questions about gifts. Resigned (1958)

Legislative Branch scandals
McCarthyism: Joseph McCarthy, Senator (R-WI), Head of the House of Un-American Activites Committee, which was a well publicized and vicious congressional investigation into the supposed spread of Communism in the military, government, Hollywood and society in general. Aided by Congressman Richard Nixon (R-CA)(1948-1957)

1945–1951
Executive Branch scandals
Internal Revenue Service investigation by the Justice Department lead to the firing or resignation of 166 lower level employees causing President Harry Truman (D) to be stained by charges of corruption (1950)

Legislative Branch scandals
J. Parnell Thomas (R-NJ): a member of the House of Un-American Activities Committee, was convicted of fraud and given an 18 month sentence and a fine, resigning from Congress in 1950. He was imprisoned in Danbury Prison with two of the Hollywood Ten he had helped put there. Pardoned by Truman in 1952
Estes Kefauver (D-TN): took on Memphis, TN's boss E.H. Crump (D) (1948)

Judicial Branch scandals
Harold Carswell (R): withdrew from nomination to the Supreme Court (1970) after publication of a 20 year old speech: "I yield to no man... in the firm, vigorous belief in the principles of white supremacy." Arrested in (1976) for homosexual advances in a men's room

1924–1945
Andrew J. May (D-KY): convicted on July 3, 1947 of bribery during World War II. Served nine months. Pardoned by Truman in 1952
Marion C. Zioncheck (D-WA): convicted of assault and contempt of court (1936)

1920–1923
Warren G. Harding (R) President 1920-1923. See Sex Scandals. His administration was also marred by scandals stemming from men in his administration who followed him from Ohio who came to be known as the Ohio Gang. They include;
Albert Fall (R) Secretary of the Interior who was bribed by Harry F. Sinclair for control of the Teapot Dome federal oil reserves in WY. He was the first cabinet member to ever be convicted and serve two years. (1922)
Edwin C. Denby (R), Secretary of the Navy: resigned for his part in the Teapot Dome Scandal
Charles R. Forbes (R) appointed by Harding as the first director of the new Bureau of Veterans Affairs. After constructing and modernizing VA hospitals he was convicted of bribery and corruption and sentenced to 2 years in jail.
Charles Cramer (R) Forbes' general counsel, commited suicide. (1923)
Harry M. Daugherty (R), Attorney General: resigned on March 28, 1924, because of an investigation about a bootlegging kickback scheme by his chief aide Jess Smith. Found not guilty (1924)
Jess Smith (R) aid to Attorney General Daugherty (R) Destroyed incriminating papers and committed suicide.
Thomas W. Miller (R), Head of the Office of Alien Property: convicted of fraud. He sold valuable German patents seized after World War I for far below market price. He too had taken bribes.

1900-1920
Newport Sex Scandal: Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated an investigation into allegations of "immoral conduct" (homosexuality) at the Naval base in Newport, RI; the investigators were also accused of homosexuality (1919)
William Lorimer (R) Senator, The 'blond boss of Chicago' was expelled from the US Senate in 1912 for accepting bribes. Chicago Tribune Newspaper, December 26, 2008, Section 1, page 43, "An Illinois civics lesson from an early scandal' by Nina Owen

1850–1899
Nehemiah Ordway (R) Governor of Dakota Territory: removed by President Chester Arthur after charges of corruption (1884)
Ezra Ayres Hayt, Commissioner of Indian Affairs: forced to resign by United States Secretary of Interior Carl Schurz due to allegations of rampant corruption (1880)
La Fayette Grover, Governor (D-OR): tried to influence electoral college during Hayes/Tilden election (1878)
Stephen W. Dorsey, Senator (R-AR) Star Route: postal contract corruption (1881)
William Belknap (R), United States Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant: for bribery leading to his impeachment and resignation (1876)
Whiskey Ring: massive corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's administration involving regulations, taxes and bribery (1875)
Sanborn Contract: kick back scheme between William Adams Richardson (R) Secretary of the Treasury and John D. Sanborn (1874)
Salary Grab Act: Act that increased salaries of the President, Congress and the Supreme Court (1873)
Crédit Mobilier of America scandal: Oakes Ames (R-MA) bribed Congress with Union Pacific stock (1872)
Black Friday (1869): when Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the gold market (1869)
Andrew Johnson: President (D) impeached by United States House of Representatives and acquitted (1868)
Simon Cameron (R): Lincoln's Secretary of War resigned due to corruption charges (1860–1862)
Preston Brooks (D) Congressman from South Carolina burst onto the floor of the US Senate and beat Senator Charles Sumner (D) with a cane until he was bleeding and unconscious while two others held the Senate off at gun point. (1856)
Tammany Hall: political machine that controlled NY city politics (1789–1950)