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 elaborate cover-ups in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s administration secretly — and illegally — traded weapons of war to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages, then used the proceeds to fund a Nicaraguan rebel army known as the Contras. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 hearings in Congress, nearly ruin Lewinsky's reputation, and instigate an atmosphere of inexorable Congressional partisanship that continues to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives initiated impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors," eventually leading Johnson to become the first U.S. President to be impeached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 1950s, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade polarized the nation. Convinced that officials had let Communists infiltrate the military, McCarthy zeroed in on his biggest target yet: the Army. It took a month of tense Senate hearings to uncover the truth… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 eventually boiling into the federal courts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It began in 1956: A covert FBI operation that targeted so-called “subversives” suspected of having Communist ties. Later, the domestic spying program turned its focus toward the Civil Rights Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 man named Scooter Libby, who informed reporters about the undercover CIA agent in an act of retaliation against her husband. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Without even completing the traditional one-year mourning period for his deceased first wife, Woodrow Wilson met, courted, and proposed to a younger woman who claimed she wanted nothing to do with politics. She had no idea that someday, she’d be called upon to secretly govern in his stead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 playing poker and golf, he staffed his presidential cabinet with his best pals—some of whom turned out to be career criminals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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. Accusations of cannibalism and sex trafficking were just the beginning of their slanderous campaigns meant to tear the other down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After President Monroe’s so-called “Era of Good Feelings,” bitter factions from the North, South and West fought for power. With four presidential candidates battling for votes in the House of Representatives, the mudslinging was fierce—and the outcome contentious. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From successful lawyer to Senator to disgraced presidential candidate… John Edwards’ political star rose and fell in the decade between 1997 and 2008. With his wife Elizabeth dying of cancer, he had an affair, impregnated his mistress, and used everything—and everyone—at his disposal to cover it up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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. When a federal investigation threatened everything, he called in a favor to five U.S. senators, including John McCain and John Glenn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dedicated public servant, or Soviet spy? In the late 1940s, the American public was transfixed by the accusations against Alger Hiss. But Hiss would not be deterred by his nemesis Whittaker Chambers, a nine hour Congressional hearing, or even the dogged Richard Nixon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 trial in United States history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Congress questioned him about U.S. involvement in the 1970 Chilean presidential election, Helms found himself caught between two oaths—one to secrecy, and one to truth-telling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
President Andrew Jackson had just secured the presidency in 1828 when his good friend married a scandalous Washington widow. As the wives and daughters of D.C.'s elite retaliated, Jackson was forced to make a decision that would alter his cabinet—and set Martin Van Buren up for the future presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 didn't even make it to the July convention before the Miami Herald ran an explosive story about his affair with a young socialite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Swisshelm revealed the secret mistress and child of Senator Daniel Webster, bringing his unexpected vote for popular sovereignty during the Compromise of 1850 under direct fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 makes Cameron’s situation unique is that he stumbled into the wrong position at the wrong time—as Secretary of War, during the outbreak of the Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 was a convicted felon. And to this day, he’s the only vice president in history to resign in disgrace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
During the late 1980s, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer was in charge of awarding a bidding contract to repay state teachers for tax overpayments. But when an investigation into bribery ensued, Dwyer's mental health began to unravel, yielding dire consequences... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 general election, discrepancies in the electoral ballot count that slotted Kennedy as the winner came to light, opening a trove of questions about voting foul play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Americans applauded the Bureau for exposing the conmen in Congress. But some say Abscam was the FBI’s retaliation against Congress for investigating federal agents’ abuse of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1856, a nearly deadly clash between two Congressmen occurred on the floor of the Senate. South Carolina Representative Preston Smith Brooks brought his gold-tipped cane to confront Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner over what he deemed to be an inflammatory speech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 slippery slope to war. But the result of such diplomatic brinkmanship yielded grave consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blajojevich made a name for himself in politics by insisting he was the anti-corruption candidate the state needed. However, when he was arrested in late 2008 and charged with corruption, Blajojevich would prove that he was no different than the men who'd come before him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 1860s, the Union Pacific Railroad Company was commissioned to build the first transcontinental railroad. Looking to cash in, their directors contracted the work out to Crédit Mobilier, their shell corporation. After massively overcharging the federal government, they then sold their shares back to Congressmen as bribes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 2001, former Washington intern Chandra Levy went missing after a hiking day trip. This prompted a months-long search revealing she had been entangled with a much older California Congressman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
