Political Scandals
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Political Scandals
Discover how fast controversy can move up in the polls in Parcast’s new limited series, Political Scandals. From greed and lust to deceit and cover-ups, we’ll unpack the most shocking events in American history—all leading up to the 2020 election. Every Tuesday, join us as we breakdown the rise and...
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54 Episoden
Scandal 1: Watergate
The first and only presidential resignation belongs to Richard Nixon, whose failed attempt at spying on his political opponents led to one of the most...
Scandal 2: Iran-Contra Affair
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s administration secretly — and illegally — traded weapons of war to Iran in exchange for the release of America...
Scandal 3: The Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal
In 1995, 49-year-old president Bill Clinton began an affair with 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The affair would lead to impeachment...
Scandal 4: Johnson’s Impeachment
On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives initiated impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdeme...
Scandal 5: Army-McCarthy Hearings
In the 1950s, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade polarized the nation. Convinced that officials had let Communists infiltrate...
Scandal 6: Florida Recount of 2000
The fight over Florida’s election results would become a fierce battle of wills between Al Gore and George W. Bush, with the clash over the presidency...
Scandal 7: COINTELPRO
It began in 1956: A covert FBI operation that targeted so-called “subversives” suspected of having Communist ties. Later, the domestic spying program...
Scandal 8: Scooter Libby and Valerie Plame Wilson
In July 2003, Valerie Wilson was outed as a spy in The Washington Post. The man behind her unveiling? Vice President Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff, a m...
Scandal 9: Woodrow Wilson’s Second Wife
Without even completing the traditional one-year mourning period for his deceased first wife, Woodrow Wilson met, courted, and proposed to a younger w...
Scandal 10: Warren G. Harding's “Ohio Gang”
After assuming the presidency in 1921, 55-year-old Warren G. Harding didn’t seem to take the job seriously. Not only did he spend most of his time pla...
Scandal 11: The Election of 1828
The intense feud between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams festered for years before the rivals went to head-to-head in a vicious rematch. Accusati...
Scandal 12: The Election of 1824
After President Monroe’s so-called “Era of Good Feelings,” bitter factions from the North, South and West fought for power. With four presidential can...
Scandal 13: John Edwards
From successful lawyer to Senator to disgraced presidential candidate… John Edwards’ political star rose and fell in the decade between 1997 and 2008....
Scandal 14: The Keating Five
By 1985, Charles Keating had parlayed his go-getter’s hustle and dubious ethical compass into a multi-million dollar banking and real estate empire. W...
Scandal 15: Alger Hiss
Dedicated public servant, or Soviet spy? In the late 1940s, the American public was transfixed by the accusations against Alger Hiss. But Hiss would n...
Scandal 16: William Blount Conspiracy
In the late 1700s, William Blount was a land speculator-turned-senator. A failed conspiracy to get himself out of debt triggered the first impeachment...
Scandal 17: Richard Helms
He made a career out of keeping secrets, starting in a wartime intelligence group and working his way up to Director of the CIA in 1966. But when Cong...
Scandal 18: The Eaton Affair
President Andrew Jackson had just secured the presidency in 1828 when his good friend married a scandalous Washington widow. As the wives and daughter...
Scandal 19: Gary Hart and Donna Rice
Colorado Senator Gary Hart was set to make a splash with his second attempt to campaign for the Democratic nomination for President in 1988… but he di...
Scandal 20: Daniel Webster’s Secret Mistress
The unspoken code of turning a blind eye to the private lives of Congresspeople was broken open in the 19th century. That’s when journalist Jane Swiss...
Scandal 21: Lincoln’s Secretary of War
Like some of the other figures we’ve covered, Simon Cameron reached the top of the political ladder, only to have to ultimately resign in shame. What...
Scandal 22: Spiro Agnew
Though Spiro Agnew’s life and political career is generally considered a footnote to that of his much more famous boss, unlike Nixon, Agnew actually w...
Scandal 24: Budd Dwyer
During the late 1980s, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer was in charge of awarding a bidding contract to repay state teachers for tax overpaymen...
Scandal 25: The Election of 1960
As the exciting game of cat and mouse between former Vice President Richard Nixon and Massachusetts senator John F. Kennedy came to a head in the gene...
Scandal 26: Abscam
In the late 1970s, the FBI’s Abscam case showed the American public exactly how low many elected officials were willing to go for money. Many American...
Scandal 27: Brooks-Sumner Affair
In 1856, a nearly deadly clash between two Congressmen occurred on the floor of the Senate. South Carolina Representative Preston Smith Brooks brought...
Scandal 28: The XYZ Affair
In the late 1790s, President John Adams sent three American envoys to Paris to negotiate with France's foreign minister in hopes of avoiding the slipp...
Scandal 29: Rod Blagojevich
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blajojevich made a name for himself in politics by insisting he was the anti-corruption candidate the state needed. Howev...
Scandal 30: Crédit Mobilier
In the 1860s, the Union Pacific Railroad Company was commissioned to build the first transcontinental railroad. Looking to cash in, their directors co...
Scandal 31: Chandra Levy
In 2001, former Washington intern Chandra Levy went missing after a hiking day trip. This prompted a months-long search revealing she had been entangl...
Scandal 32: George Ryan
In a state known for high-profile corruption, Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan was no exception. His corruption would help out his family, his...
Scandal 33: “Bathhouse” & “Hinky Dink”
In the early 1900s, “Bathhouse John” Coughlin and Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna set about rigging the city's political machine in their favor, contributi...
Scandal 34: The Blackmail of Lester Hunt
In the 1950s, at the height of Communist paranoia, Republican Senators Styles Bridges and Joe Welker went after Democratic Senator Lester Hunt in an a...
Scandal 35: Grover Cleveland’s Secret Son
President Grover Cleveland is often remembered for his mustache, or perhaps his anti-corruption agenda. Fewer people know about the son he fathered th...
Scandal 36: Carroll Hubbard
The 1991 House baking scandal may have rocked Capitol Hill, but it was proved to be the tip of the iceberg for Kentucky Democratic Representative Caro...
Scandal 37: Billygate
As Jimmy Carter’s younger brother, Billy Carter was no stranger to national attention or public scrutiny. Being next of kin to the President let him e...
Scandal 38: Whiskey Ring
Under President Ulysses S. Grant, John MacDonald created one of the most lucrative scams ever to grace the spirits business, leading to a trial that h...
Scandal 39: The Kansas Territorial Election
In the years before the American Civil War, the territory of Kansas was fraught with conflict between abolitionist Free Soilers and Pro-slavery Southe...
Scandal 40: The Eagleton Affair
On the surface, Tom Eagleton seemed the ideal running mate for George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign. But upon closer examination, there were o...
Scandal 41: James Traficant
He was one of the strangest, most colorful men to ever tread the House of Representatives. After successfully defending himself against a racketeering...