Watergate is the statement used in order to describe the complex scandals that occurred in 1972 to 1974. It refers to the event that occurred in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. The scandals uncovered during Watergate were bribery, political burglary, extortion, phone-tapping, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, tax fraud, illegal use of government agencies such as the CIA and the FBI, illegal campaign contributions, and use of public money for private purposes. This event led to the resignation of President Nixon and the conviction of government officials involved with Nixon. The event of Watergate led to the reduction of trust in the federal government.
The Watergate Scandal occurred in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. on June 17, 1972. The "third-rate burglary" was encountered by a security guard in the hotel at approximately two am. Inside the Democratic National Committee office five men in suits and latex gloves were taking photos of documents and attempting to repair wiretapping equipment. The men, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, Frank Sturgis, and James W. McCord Jr., were arrested. McCord was connected to the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP). This was one of the connections that got the White House and Nixon involved. Two of the men, Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, were members of the The White House’s Special Investigation Unit, also known as the Plumbers, and were then connected to the White House. After the arrests of the five men involved in the Watergate burglary, a cover-up was immediately initiated in order to hide the paper trail of the involvement of other government officials such as Jeb Magruder, acting director of the FBI L. Patrick Gray, and White House Chief of Staff Robert Haldeman. The involvement of all government officials led to the accusations of Nixon being involved.
The implied intent of the Watergate burglary was to re-elect President Nixon into office. After the associations of Nixon's involvement, Nixon attempted to order the FBI and the CIA to cease all investigations in order to prevent any evidence to convict him. The investigations were influenced on media through the works of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and the mysterious "Deep Throat". The investigations led to the unveiling of hidden tape recordings in the White House, tax evasion, bribery, extortion, and conspiracy.
With the deceit of the government officials and Nixon people began to trust the federal government less. The trust that was already faulted due to the Pentagon papers dissipated exponentially due to the accusations of Nixon's involvement in Watergate. The affect of the dishonesty of the government accumulates and leads to the suspension of the government's intents. The attitude of the press became more cynical and criticizing about the involvement of the government in internal affairs.
In conclusion, the Watergate Scandal was the breaking point of the trust in the federal government. This event caused a ruckus in media and brought out the weaknesses of the government. With the association of important government officials and the resignation of the President Nixon, the people began to lose hope in the idea of a honest government.
