It is hard to live in modern American society without coming across something mentioning the ongoing Donald Trump indictment and lawsuit for his actions during the 2020 presidential election. Given this modern controversy, people seem to forget that this is not the first presidential scandal where criminal activity was called out, but this is the first that has actually brought charges for his conduct as president. How does the rest compare to today? How does this change the future of US presidential conduct?
Andrew Johnson- The first documented impeachment of a United States president was conducted in 1868 when president Andrew Johnson was impeached. This occurred because of his vetoing of reconstruction policies that protected the rights of black people in the American south, and his dismissal of the war secretary without the senate’s approval. In the end, the jurors decided not to convict the president and dropped the last eight charges that were brought forth. Johnson’s conduct compared to Trump is considerably more destructive to society than any policy we’ve seen. Blocking rights for former slaves and reconstruction could’ve caused permanent damage to the relationship with not only former slaves, but the entire south as a whole.
Ulysses S. Grant- Famed civil war general and US president, was arrested while in office for speeding in a horse drawn carriage. He was released on bail the next day and continued serving as president.
Warren G. Harding- His conduct during the Teapot-Dome scandal earned him the reputation as being one of the least capable US presidents of all time. Teapot-Dome entailed Harding’s subordinates in government secretly leasing federal oil reserves to oil tycoons. While Harding has never been publicly proven to be involved in the dealings, he has been criticized extensively for letting corruption go under his presidency. While Trump has never been publicly proven to be involved in corruption, his trickle-down economics and tax cuts for the rich can be presented as a way to give his rich friends an advantage in today’s economy, similar to Harding.
Richard Nixon- The most famous presidential scandal in US history would be Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. The scandal began with a botched 1972 burglary at the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC’s) office in the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. It drew little immediate attention, but ended two years later with the first and only resignation of a president. It began with G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent who worked for Nixon’s re-election campaign. Liddy got $250,000 to implement a plan of dirty tricks and espionage that included late-night forays to install telephone bugs at the DNC office and scour the party’s files for useful information. Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein later reported on the president’s connection to the events. Nixon stepped down in 1974, and his successor, President Gerald Ford, gave him a full pardon for any crimes committed. There has never been such a public display of corruptness by a US president in its history.
Ronald Reagan- The Iran-Contra affair was one of the biggest political scandals during the Cold War and threatened to bring down Reagan’s presidency. In 1985, Reagan authorized a secret plan to sell anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Iran in exchange for releasing Americans who had been abducted by Iranian-backed armed fighters in Lebanon. The move was contrary to the government’s public policy of refusing to negotiate with “terrorists.” When news of the deal broke, it was revealed that part of the money earned from the arms sales had been used to circumvent congressional restrictions and buy weapons and supplies for the Contras, a right-wing rebel group in Nicaragua.
Bill Clinton- Was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice in the House of Representatives for lying under oath to a federal grand jury on sexual harassment allegations. The process was linked to a civil lawsuit filed against Clinton by Paula Jones, who had accused him of sexual harassment in an incident that she said occurred before Clinton became president. During a deposition in that case, Clinton denied having an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a 21-year-old White House intern. He later admitted to lying under oath.
Looking at the big picture, there are probably more instances of corruption and scandal in our nation’s history, but these were the most prominent. Trump has set a new precedent we’ve never seen before, he’s the first president that the government has tried to hold accountable for his actions. It may seem ironic that the rich and corrupt congressmen in government are the ones putting Trump on trial, and not the people of this country that have been affected by his actions, it is at least a good step in the right direction. This is a lesson for the future leaders of our nation, they are not above the law, and there will be consequences for their actions.
