What was the Watergate scandal and how did it affect the presidency?

The Watergate scandal (1972-1974) is one of the greatest political affairs in contemporary U.S. history. It damaged the image of the presidency and undermined the trust of Americans in their politicians. For the first time, a U.S. president resigned.

In 1972, president Richard Nixon, a Republican, ran for reelection. But he gave instructions to members of a committee formed to promote his reelection to spy on the Democratic campaign. In June 1972, police arrested some men who had broken into the offices of the Democratic Party campaign located in a building called Watergate in Washington. At the beginning, it looked like a common burglary, but authorities started to suspect someting unusual because it was discovered a link of these men with the Nixon campaign. The FBI investigated, and soon, two reporters of the daily The Washington Post started to do it.

The Post published new materials for many months, as the investigative reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Berstein advanced. The Justice Department and the Senate also conducted investigations. Nixon denied any involvement , but in reality, he tried to stop the Justice Department investigation.

After the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to disclose the record of his secret tapes, it became clear he knew the whole issue and had given orders.  In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach him for abuses of power, obstruction of justice, criminal cover-up and violating the Constitution. Before being removed from office, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. The Watergate scandal changed the public´s perception of their leaders and undermined trust in the presidency.

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