Being one of the largest scandals of all time, the Watergate Scandal occurred during President Richard Nixon’s administration (1969-1974). it involved all three branches of government and would result in the only president to not have been elected to be sworn in: Gerald Ford (1974-1977).

It occurred when Richard Nixon approved of the wiretapping of the Democratic national Headquarters so he could have an advantage over his opponents. The men were caught and questions were asked over their motives and why they had such high-end surveillance equipment. From there, it all went downhill for Nixon.

The Senate would create a bipartisan committee to investigate the situation, ultimately culminating in United States V. Nixon where the President had to surrender confidential tapes of his to the special prosecutor.

Ford, who was the former House Minority Leader, became Vice President due to Spiro Agnew’s corruption sandals and his subsequent resignation. After the House Judiciary Committee moved forward with articles of impeachment Nixon resigned, with Ford being sworn in as President and then pardoning him.