How Did The Watergate Scandal

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The Watergate Scandal of 1972 was one of the most infamous events in U.S. politics and forever altered the legacy of President Nixon and his administration. The break in at the Watergate complex quickly escalated to expose the secret operation that the Nixon Re-Election Committee had been covering up the whole time. This abuse of power on Nixon’s part permanently altered the public’s view of his presidency and their trust in the government for decades to follow. Even though Nixon did help the U.S. achieve many milestones during his presidency, such as opening trade relations with China and aiding in the downfall of the Soviet Union in the Cold War, all these achievements were overshadowed by his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. When he was eventually exposed, Watergate …show more content…
It began after the initial burglary of the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, which Nixon denied any knowledge of. It was discovered soon after the break in that there were connections between the 5 burglars and people a part of his administration, specifically John Mitchell, Gordon Liddy, Herbert Porter, and Jeb Magruder. This, along with other pieces of evidence, such as the suspicious shredding of documents in the White House, quickly made it clear that the Nixon Administration was trying to inhibit the investigation being made by the FBI. It would later be revealed that President Nixon was using the CIA to prevent the FBI from continuing their work as it was a “national security risk”. Once the tapes which contained film of Nixon discussing the cover ups were released, the public completely lost their trust in the administration, as they no longer could believe anything Nixon or his advisors said. When the Watergate scandal reached its finale and Nixon was exposed for the entire cover-up operation, he chose to resign from his position in office. This made him the first and only president to step down from office during his