Watergate

Watergate

Let me welcome you firstly, I’m Justin. I am writing this today, because I’m here to explain the Watergate scandal. Watergate was a serious scandal in the 1970’s that crippled society. Today we don’t really talk about Watergate, but when we do it’s a sour subject about Americas past.

Watergate started in 1969 when Nixon was inaugurated into office. He began passing ludicrous plans a year later, only to tighten his grip on society. He had “plumbers” to cover up some of his leaks, such as trying to stop the Pentagon Papers, and other leaks. What they did though to obtain information on Daniel Ellsberg (who exploited the Pentagon Papers), was unimaginable. They went as far as burglarizing his psychiatrist’s office, for information. “As attorney general, Mitchell led the Justice Department in a sweeping law-and-order drive that many critics believed went too far. He increased the number of telephone wiretaps on private citizens and generally clamped down on political dissenters, especially those who opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. A number of these Justice Department initiatives were later ruled illegal by the courts. For example, in Ellsberg v. Mitchell, 353 F. Supp. 515 (D.D.C. 1973), the department sought to prosecute Daniel Ellsberg for leaking secret documents to the press regarding military involvement in Vietnam. The release of the Pentagon Papers infuriated the Nixon White House.”

On June 17, 1972, 5 men were arrested, caught trying to bug the office of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate hotel. They were caught by police, in an office of a secretary, with transmitters, tear gas; lock picks, counterfeit money with the serial numbers in order, and other things. What I believe the counterfeit money was used for, was to place it so they’d use it, and maybe they could track it. They later stated in court that they were anti-Communists. Later, John Mitchell, attorney general, reportedly controlled a secret...