Political scandals of the United States

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This article provides a list of major political scandals of the United States.

Contents

[edit] Scope and organization of political scandals

[edit] Categorizing and listing scandals

Division of this article's list of American political scandals into three categories --- (1) federal; (2) state-and-local; and (3) sex ---- is somewhat arbitrary and sometimes overlapping. It seems possible that separate sub-categories could be developed, within the "federal" rubric, for example, for scandals that have emerged during the course of the confirmation hearing for a political or judicial appointee. Another approach might be to categorize American political scandals by the nature of the alleged wrongdoing (separating "private immorality" scandals, where possible, from graft, bribery, and other abuse of the public trust; separating misconduct that led to criminal indictment, from non-criminal matters).

The arrangement of the list of federal-level scandals in this article follows a more or less chronological order; in the case of state and local scandals, the arrangement is alphabetical, by state.


[edit] Political "scandal"

It is not always clear whether a particular flap involving a politician should count as a "scandal." For example, the alcohol-related problems that plagued Senator Ted Kennedy probably never rose to the level of a "scandal," apart from the question of drunk driving in the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident involving the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.

The illegal mining of Nicaraguan harbors, and the Reagan administration's refusal to inform or consult the Senate about this, caused an enormous uproar in the Congress (including condemnations by Republican Senator Barry Goldwater), but its status as a "scandal" is debatable, even though, as a result of the U.S.-sponsored paramilitary actions in Central America, the United States in the case Nicaragua v. United States, ultimately became the only nation ever adjudged by the International Court of Justice to have been guilty of sponsoring terrorism. Scandalous though it no doubt was that United States intelligence agencies had been covertly and unlawfully engaged in terrorism, neither the World Court judgment nor the covert violent acts were treated in mainstream media exactly as a "scandal." On the other hand, the secret funding of the contras (of which the Nicaraguan harbor mining and other covert violence were part), in the context of secret negotiations with Iran concerning embassy hostages, was ultimately treated as a scandal and dubbed the "Iran-Contra affair".

[edit] "Political" scandal

Even when public officials are involved, a scandal is not always considered "political" in nature. An example of this might be the Tailhook scandal, which was generally regarded as a military, rather than a political scandal. Likewise, the 2004 photographs of degradation and alleged torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were viewed by some to implicate highly placed Defense Department officials, but the events at Abu Ghraib were generally treated as a matter for military discipline rather than as a political scandal.

Some major news stories that surely count as "scandals" are nevertheless not usually considered "political" scandals. An obvious example would be the story concerning allegations that entertainer Michael Jackson (who is not a politician or a public official, although he is a public figure) engaged in improper relations with children. Likewise, the ImClone "insider" stock investigation that led to the conviction of Martha Stewart was certainly a celebrity scandal, and there was doubtless a political dimension to her prosecution, but Martha Stewart was not acting as a public official or a politician, so her case is not normally considered a "political scandal." Again, although the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy certainly exercises political power, the recent ecclesiastical scandal involving priest sexual misconduct and alleged coverup is not directly related to federal, state, or local governments and thus is not included among "political" scandals.

[edit] "Major" political scandal

There is no bright line to distinguish "major" scandals from "minor" scandals. The nature of the particular act or occasion of wrongdoing need not be great, but the consequences (such as resulting notoriety, resignation, etc.) are normally significant. For example, a single "innocent" remark by then U.S. Senate majority leader Trent Lott of Mississippi in appreciation of Strom Thurmond on the occasion of Senator Thurmond's 100th birthday ultimately brought attention to Senator Lott's poor record on civil rights and associated him with white supremacy and racial segregationism, which ultimately caused this powerful political leader to step down from his role as majority leader.

This article includes a category of scandals on the "state and local" levels; this suggests a relative scale concerning the extent to which a scandal must be publicized or celebrated in order to be deemed "major."

At times, investigative news coverage of a political scandal may itself be considered scandalous if it is deemed to violate journalistic standards, as happened in 2004 in connection with allegations that CBS News and Dan Rather were negligent or malicious in allowing fabricated military records to be used in connection with a report of allegedly dishonorable conduct by President George W. Bush in avoiding his military service obligations. Even though the falsified records in question were only a tiny part of the evidence and were corroborated by other testimony and documents, the focus suddenly shifted from the alleged dereliction of duty on the part of Mr. Bush, to Dan Rather's irresponsible, improper, and possibly biased, authentication of a particular set of records. Similarly, an official investigation into alleged wrongdoing can itself come to be viewed as scandalously wrong if it appears to be politically motivated.

One of the most famous examples of an official investigation itself being perceived as scandalous was the Joseph McCarthy anti-communist investigation of the 1950s, which came to be widely viewed as an abusive witchhunt that violated civil liberties. One's perception of whether an official investigation has itself become scandalous is likely to depend on one's own political point of view. Thus, the perception was especially strong among supporters of President Bill Clinton, that malicious abuse of prosecutorial powers had pervaded the investigations conducted by Kenneth Starr, which ranged from Whitewater to Travelgate to Filegate to the Monica Lewinsky matter.

[edit] Coverup

A frequent element of major political scandals is stonewalling, and often a cover-up is involved, which in some cases can even lead to formal criminal charges of obstruction of justice or perjury. In many cases, the "damage control" denials and other deception involved in efforts to "cover up" a scandal became themselves more scandalous, and more damaging to political careers, than the underlying problem. As embarrassing to the Nixon administration as the Watergate burglary was, what ultimately caused him to resign was the erosion of congressional support as it came to light that Nixon and his associates were concealing information and destroying evidence.

[edit] Campaign attacks distinguished

A distinction should perhaps be drawn between allegations in negative campaign ads and political scandals. It has become commonplace for the campaigns or the surrogates of political candidates to accuse opposing candidates of scandalously unworthy behavior. Although some of this mudslinging can on occasion lead to investigations that bear fruit as scandal, more often than not the purpose of such ads is simply to create a temporary negative association with a certain candidate, only long enough to influence an upcoming election. In the race for the 1988 Democratic nomination, campaign attacks were launched against various candidates, including allegations of plagiarism by Senator Joe Biden, and allegations of attack videos secretly prepared by the campaign of Governor Michael Dukakis, etc., but it appears that few of these campaign allegations (even when substantiated) were widely considered to constitute major political scandals. On the other hand, one Democratic hopeful in 1988, Gary Hart, famously withdrew from the race after being caught in the Donna Rice "Monkey Business" illicit sex scandal, which was apparently deemed sufficiently salacious to qualify as a major political scandal.

[edit] Systemic scandals

Not included in this article are pervasive systemic scandals, such as the role of money in the political process.

[edit] Campaign finance

Supporters of grass roots democracy have called the dominance of campaign contribution money in the political process the "great scandal" of modern democracy. Details of this systemic scandal are well documented by the Federal Election Commission, the Center for Responsive Politics, and elsewhere. Thus, except for the more extreme or celebrated cases of outright quid-pro-quo bribery, the "normal" purchase of access and influence by means of political donations is not covered in this article.

[edit] "Revolving door" conflicts of interest

An increasing phenomenon is the facility with which government officials have come to move between serving in public office and working for private interests. Former members of Congress often join private lobbying firms upon leaving Congress; policymakers and other appointees to regulatory agencies are often selected from within the industries those agencies are charged with regulating, and then the "public servants" often quickly slip back into their private roles at the end of the appointment. Because private interests may well be at odds with the public interest, this situation has at times been widely viewed as a systemic political scandal. Rules designed to slow down this so-called "revolving door" process have had no substantial effect on this practice. And even some of the more celebrated instances of this type of conflict of interest, such as President Ronald Reagan's acceptance of a million dollar speaking fee from Japanese company, Fujisankei Communications Group, after leaving office, or large book advances for the Clintons, have come to be treated simply as routine practice.

[edit] Corporate scandals, including accounting scandals

Because of the close connection between certain politicians and certain corporations, some corporate accounting scandals that have come to light in recent years could reasonably be considered political scandals. For example, both the Enron scandal and the Harken Energy scandal implicated close associates of President George W. Bush. Occasionally a particular episode of corporate fraud will be treated as a "political scandal," but the widespread extent of corporate wrongdoing, and the systemic influence of corporate power on politics, would make it difficult to present a comprehensive account of all "political scandals" involving corporate misconduct.

[edit] Salacious gossip versus crisis of legitimacy

News coverage of some of the more sensationalized political scandals has tended to focus on salacious details, resembling gossipy tabloid coverate of Hollywood celebrity scandals. On the other hand, some political scandals have been treated more soberly as crises implicating the legitimacy of government. In either case, it is widely believed that political scandals are capable of profoundly undermining the credibility of government, in the public mind.

[edit] List of scandals

[edit] Federal-level scandals

[edit] 18th century

[edit] 19th century

[edit] 1900 - 1945

[edit] 1946 - 1974

  • Department of Justice tax scandal (1951-1952) leading to the firing or forced resignations of 166 employees of the agency; investigations were widely regarded as a systematic cover-up for high-level wrongdoing
  • McCarthyism (1948-1954)
  • 1952 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Richard Nixon (R) delivers televised "Checkers Speech," to deflect scandal about $18,000 in gifts, maintaining that the only personal gift he had received was a cocker spaniel dog named "Checkers"
  • Vicuña Coat scandal of Eisenhower's chief of staff Sherman Adams (R) (1958); See State and Local level (New Hampshire)
  • Billy Sol Estes (D) (1961)
  • Bobby Baker (D) (1963) aide to LBJ was involved with underworld figures
  • Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (D-NY) expelled from Congress (1967) but re-elected anyway
  • Senator Thomas J. Dodd (D-CT) censured for financial misconduct and corruption (1967)
  • Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) drove his car off the Dike Bridge and into the channel between Chappaquiddick Island and Martha's Vineyard, killing passenger Mary Jo Kopechne, a former 1968 presidential campaign staff member. Kennedy pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended sentence of two months in jail (1969)
  • Supreme Court Associate Justice Abe Fortas (D) resigns in financial scandal (1969) that emerged during his nomination to become Chief Justice
  • Harold Carswell nominated by President Nixon as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court withdrew (1970) after publication of a speech 20 years earlier: "I yield to no man . . . in the firm, vigorous belief in the principles of white supremacy."
  • Pentagon Papers (1971)
  • Watergate (1972-1973)
  • Bebe Rebozo (D) (1973) investigated for accepting large contribution to Nixon campaign.
  • Nixon Jewelry (1974) Violation of Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1881, as amended in 1966.
  • Spiro T. Agnew (R-MD) scandal (1973)
  • Judge Otto Kerner, Jr. (D) resigned U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (1974) after exhausting appeals in conviction for bribery, mail fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion while Kerner was Governor of Illinois
  • Nixon Pardon by President Ford (R) (1974)

[edit] 1975 - 1989

  • John Connally (R-TX) Milk Money scandal (1975)
  • "Lancegate": President Carter's OMB Director Bert Lance (D) resignation amidst allegations of misuse of funds (1977)
  • Jimmy Carter's Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan (D) target of special prosecution (beginning 1979)
  • "Billygate": President Jimmy Carter's brother Billy Carter was found to be a paid agent of the government of Libya (1980); ensuing scandal did not help President Carter's bid for re-election in 1980
  • Tongsun Park "Koreagate" scandal involving alleged bribery of more than 100 members of Congress by South Korean government; charges were pressed only against congressmen Richard T. Hanna (D-CA) (convicted) and Otto E. Passman (D-LA) (not prosecuted because of illness); also implicated was South Korean President Park Chung Hee (1977-1980)
  • Betty Ford addictions (1978)
  • Senator Herman Talmadge (D-GA) punished after his ex-wife produced cash "gifts" he had hidden in an overcoat (1979); Talmadge later wrote, "I wish I'd burned that damn overcoat and charged everything on American Express." Talmadge the same year admitted to having spent five weeks in alcohol rehabilitation; he was not re-elected to the Senate in 1980.
  • Abscam (1980)
  • "Debategate": briefing book of President Jimmy Carter stolen and given to Ronald Reagan campaign before 1980 presidential election debate in Cleveland, Ohio (1980)
  • Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan investigated (beginning 1981) for wrongdoing and ultimately acquitted of larceny and fraud (1987)
  • Anne Gorsuch Burford refusal to turn over EPA documents (1982)
  • William Casey insider trading (1983)
  • 1983 Congressional page sex scandal
  • Iran-Contra affair (1985-1986); Oliver North (R) was convicted (1989) of accepting an illegal gratuity, aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and destruction of documents, but the convictions were later (1990) overturned by appeals court.
  • Savings and loan scandal and the Keating Five (1980-1989): Alan Cranston (D-CA), Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), Don Riegle (D-MI), John Glenn (D-OH), and John McCain (R-AZ)
  • Preferential treatment for military contractor Wedtech implicates Attorney General Edwin Meese (R) and White House aide Lyn Nofziger (R) (1987)
  • Robert Bernard Anderson (R) former US Secretary of Treasury pleaded guilty to owning an offshore bank. (1987).
  • "Pothead jurist," 1987: President Reagan's first controversial nominee to replace Justice Powell was Judge Robert Bork. Judge Bork, who coincidentally had fired Archibald Cox in the Nixon-era Saturday Night Massacre, was rejected for his allegedly extreme judicial philosophy; the second nominee was Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, who had to drop out of consideration after he admitted having smoked marijuana while a Harvard Law School professor.
  • Senator John Tower's (R-TX) nomination as Defense Secretary derailed due to allegations of habitual and extreme alcohol abuse and improper ties to defense industry (1987)
  • Mario Biaggi (D-NY) convicted (1988) in Wedtech scandal of bribery, extortion, racketeering, filing a false tax return, mail fraud, and false financial disclosure; resigned from U.S. House before he could be expelled
  • Speaker of the U.S. House Jim Wright (D-TX) forced to resign after ethics committee investigation found dozens of violations of House rules, including alleged improper receipt of $145,000 in gifts by Wright's wife from a Fort Worth developer and large profits from "sale" of Wright's speeches (1989)
  • Anthony Lee Coelho (D-CA) resigns from U.S. House for unethical finance practices including "junk bond" deal (1989)
  • Alcee Hastings (D-FL), federal district court judge impeached (1989) and convicted of soliciting a bribe; subsequently elected (1992) to U.S. House

[edit] 1990 - 1999

Name # of Checks/# Months Overdue
Tommy F. Robinson (R-AK) 996/16
Robert Mrazek (D-NY) 920/23
Robert W. Davis (R-MI) 878/13
Doug Walgren (D-PA) 858/16
Charles F. Hatcher (D-GA) 819/35
Stephen J. Solarz (D-NY) 743/30
Charles Hayes (D-IL) 716/15
Ronald D. Coleman (D-TX) 673/23
Carl C. Perkins (D-KY) 514/14
Bill Alexander (D-AK) 487/18
William F. Goodling (R-PA) 430/9
Edolphus Towns (D-NY) 408/18
Ed Feighan (D-OH) 397/8
Harold Ford (D-TN) 743/30
Mickey Edwards (R-OK) 386/13
Bill Clay (D-MO) 328/9
Tony Coelho (D-CA) 316/12
John Conyers (D-MI) 273/9
Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH) 213/18
Joseph Early (D-MA) 124/13
Douglas H. Bosco (D-CA) 124/13
Jim Bates (D-CA) 89/9
  • Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH) (1992) allegations of "ghost employees" on payroll
  • President George H.W. Bush's (R) pardon of 6 Iran-Contra affair figures on December 24, 1992 after he had failed to win a second term, days before the perjury trial of Casper Weinberger (R) was scheduled to begin.
  • Travelgate (1993)
  • Zoe Baird's (D) nomination as Attorney General and Kimba Wood's subsequent near-nomination were derailed by past employment of illegal aliens as nannies. (1993)
  • Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) and other Democratic Members of Congress in the Congressional Post Office Scandal (1991 - 1995)
  • The evident suicide (1993) of White House lawyer Vince Foster (D), together with accusations that documents from Foster's office relating to an investigation had disappeared mysteriously, fueled scandalous speculations, including the widely publicized suggestion (dismissed by investigators) that Foster's death had not been suicide.
  • White House Coffees and Lincoln Bedroom -- political donations linked to access to President Clinton, including inviting donors to events at the White House.
  • Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) conspired with her siblings to hide $28,750 of Medicaid money, and was fined by the U.S. Senate. She also made an unauthorized trip to Nigeria in August 1996 to meet with dictator General Sani Abacha, who was in power due to an illegal military coup that he had staged, and was also accused of embezzling nearly one billion dollars of the Nigerian citizens' money. The U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions on Nigeria, but Moseley-Braun opposed it.
  • The 1996 United States campaign finance controversy refers to alleged efforts by the People's Republic of China to influence the 1996 elections by directing campaign donations through intermediaries, largely to Democratic candidates.
  • Americorps head Eli Segal (D) investigated (1996)
  • Wes Cooley (R-OR) (1996)
  • Filegate -- Misuse of FBI resources by White House Security Chief Craig Livingstone (D), allegedly to compile an enemies list (1996); investigation found insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing
  • Walter R. Tucker III (D) of California resigned before bribery conviction (1996)
  • Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) financial improprieties leading to House reprimand and assessment of $300,000 sanction (1997)
  • Secretary of Agriculture Michael Espy (D) forced to resign from office despite ultimate acquittal on criminal corruption charges (1998)
  • Labor Secretary Alexis Herman (D) investigated (1998) in connection with alleged illegal fundraising and other financial improprieties, ultimately cleared (2001)
  • Bruce Babbitt (D), Interior Secretary, independent probe (1998-2000) of alleged lying to Congress concerning influence of money in 1995 American Indian tribe casino decision finds no criminally prosecutable perjury by Babbitt
  • Vice-President Al Gore (D) (1998) allegations of improper fundraising and "no controlling legal authority" defense
  • Whitewater scandal (1994-2000) No criminal charges were brought against President Bill Clinton (D) and First Lady Hillary Clinton (D) as there was insufficient evidence that either of them had engaged in criminal wrongdoing
  • Teamstergate Ron Carey's (D) and Bill Clinton's (D) 1996 campaigns for the Presidency of the union and the United States, respectively, swapped Teamsters' Union general treasury funds into Clinton's campaign, for Clinton Campaign funds into Ron Carey's campaign warchest. The Teamsters' political director was jailed. No Clinton officials were charged. Carey's re-election was invalidated; James Hoffa, Jr. was elected when Teamsters election was rerun.
  • Henry Cisneros payments controversy - Henry Cisneros (D) resigns as Housing Secretary and, after lengthy probe that began in 1995, pleads guilty (1999) to lying to the FBI about money he paid former mistress Linda Medlar a.k.a. Linda Jones; later pardoned by President Clinton in 2001 (Possibly reclassify or cross-reference to Sex scandal)
  • Pardongate (1999 - 2001) -- President Bill Clinton (D) appeared to write out pardons, during his lame duck tenure, in response to massive contributions linked to the pardoned. This included a scandal which has become traditional for departing presidents; the sudden flurry of pardons during the final month in office, which would probably not have been deemed tolerable at any other time.

[edit] 2000 -

  • Linda Chavez (R), nomination as Secretary of Labor derailed by past employment of illegal alien (2001)
  • Enron collapse (2002) leading to investigation of Kenneth Lay (R), a top political ally and financial donor to the election campaign of President George W. Bush; Lay, who had been named as a leading candidate for Secretary of the Treasury, eventually indicted (2004). Attempts to link individual politicians with the Enron malfeasance have not been particularly successful, perhaps partly due to the fact that so many politicians of both major parties received campaign contributions (including 158 Republicans and 100 Democrats in Congress (as of 2001) [2]).
  • Jim Traficant (D-OH) financial corruption conviction and expulsion from House (2002)
  • Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) bribery scandal (2002)
  • Trent Lott (R-MS) resigned as Senate majority leader amid racial controversy
  • Bill Frist (R-TN), becomes Senate majority leader and is alleged to have been deeply involved in campaign finance improprieties. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating insider-trading issues in connection with Frist's July 2005 sale of Hospital Corporation of America shares immediately before the stock's value fell precipitously.
  • Yellowcake forgery. Evidence alleged to be forged was presented in the case for 2003 invasion of Iraq (2003)
  • Plame affair (2004), leading to the CIA leak grand jury investigation, eventually implicating Vice Presidential Chief of Staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (R), who was indicted October 28, 2005 on five counts of obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements; convicted of four counts on March 6, 2007, sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, $250,000 fine, and 2 years supervised release on June 5, 2007; after bail refused pending appeal of the verdict, 30-month prison sentence commuted by President George W. Bush on July 2, 2007. (Also known as: CIA leak scandal (2003) and Plamegate.)
  • Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal (2004-2005)
  • Tom DeLay (R-TX), reprimanded twice by House Ethics Committee and aides indicted (2004-2005); eventually DeLay himself was indicted (October 2005); DeLay resigned from the House 9 June, 2006
  • Bernard Kerik (R), nomination as Secretary of Homeland Security derailed by past employment of illegal alien as nanny, and amid allegations of various other ethical improprieties (2004)
  • Former Clinton administration National Security Advisor Sandy Berger (D) pleads guilty (2005) to unlawfully removing classified documents from the National Archives in October 2003
  • Bush administration payment of columnists including Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher and Michael McManus (2004-2005)
  • Downing Street Memo minutes of UK government secret meeting (dated 23 July 2002, leaked 2005) include summary of MI6 Director Sir Richard Dearlove's report that "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and the facts were being fixed around the policy."
  • Duke Cunningham (R-CA) resigned from the House of Representatives and pleaded guilty on November 28, 2005 to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004. Prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes.
Name Pled Guilty/Convicted Sentenced Sentence Started Serving Current Location
Duke Cunningham (R-CA) November 28, 2005 March 3, 2006 100 months March 3, 2006 Tucson USP
Mitchell Wade February 24, 2006
Thomas Kontogiannis February 9, 2007
Robert Fromm October 9, 2007
Brent Wilkes November 5, 2007 February 19, 2008 144 months February 19, 2008
John T. Michael February 4, 2008 (May 5, 2008)
Kyle Foggo
  • Jack Abramoff, Republican lobbyist is indicted on wire fraud charges (August 2005). The following people have been convicted:
Name Pled Guilty/Convicted Sentenced Sentence Started Serving Current Location
Michael Scanlon November 21, 2005
Adam Kidan December 15, 2005 March 29, 2006 70 months October 23, 2006 Elkton FCI
Jack Abramoff January 3, 2006
Jack Abramoff January 4, 2006 March 29, 2006 70 months November 15, 2006 Cumberland FCI
Tony Rudy March 31, 2006
Neil Volz May 8, 2006 September 12, 2007 24 months probation N/A
David Safavian June 20, 2006 October 27, 2006 18 months
Roger Stillwell August 11, 2006 January 9, 2007 24 months probation N/A
Bob Ney (R-OH) October 13, 2006 January 19, 2007 30 months March 1, 2007 Cincinnati CCM
William Heaton February 26, 2007 August 16, 2007 24 months probation N/A
J. Steven Griles March 23, 2007 June 26, 2007 10 months September 14, 2007 Petersburg FCI (Low)
Mark Zachares April 24, 2007
Italia Federici June 8, 2007 December 14, 2007 2 months halfway house N/A
Jared Carpenter July 6, 2007 December 14, 2007 45 days halfway house N/A
Robert Coughlin April 22, 2008
  • William J. Jefferson (D-LA) under investigation for bribery after the FBI seized $90,000 of a $100,000 bribery payment from Jefferson's home freezer (August 2005)
Name Pled Guilty/Convicted Sentenced Sentence Started Serving Current Location
Brett Pfeffer January 11, 2006 May 26, 2006 96 months March 1, 2007 Loretto FCI
Vernon Jackson May 3, 2006 September 8, 2006 87 months March 1, 2007 Morgantown FCI
William J. Jefferson (D-LA) Trial: Delayed
  • Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) struck a U.S. Capitol Police officer in the chest after he attempted to stop her from going around the security checkpoint at the Longworth House Building. Members of Congress have identifying lapel pins and are not required to pass through metal detectors, but McKinney didn't wear her pin and the officers didn't recognize McKinney as a member of Congress (March 29, 2006).
  • "Lawyergate" -[3] The Bush administration firing of several Republican appointed lawyers. It became a scandal after it became known that the firings may have been politically motivated, rather than based on the stated reason "poor job performance." The lawyers had refused repeatedly solicitations by Republican politicians to investigate claims of voter fraud by Democrats after the 2006 elections.

[edit] State and local-level scandals

[edit] 19th century

  • Arkansas Governor Powell Clayton (R-AR) investigated for corruption but cleared (1868-1871)
  • Florida Governor Harrison Reed (R-FL) subjected to three separate impeachment inquiries (1868-1872)
  • Kansas Governor Charles Robinson (R-KS) impeached but acquitted of state bond scheme (1862)
  • Kentucky State Treasurer James "Honest Dick" Tate (D-KY) ran off with the entire state treasury and was impeached (1888)
  • Kentucky 1899 gubernatorial election dispute leading to armed conflict and assassination of William Goebel (D-KY) (1900)
  • Mississippi Governor John A. Quitman (D-MS) resigned (1851) after indictment for violation of Neutrality Act in connection with Cuban insurrection against Spain (later acquitted of charges)
  • Nebraska Governor David C. Butler (R-NE) impeached and removed from office (1871)
  • North Carolina Governor William Woods Holden (R-NC) impeached and removed from office in corruption scandal (1870)
  • Dakota Territorial Governor Nehemiah Ordway (R) corruption (1884) See Federal-level scandals.
  • Oregon Governor La Fayette Grover (D-OR) (later U.S. Senator) implicated, but eventually exonerated, in vote-rigging scheme to give Oregon's electoral votes in the 1876 presidential election to Samuel Tilden (D)
  • Wisconsin Governor William Augustus Barstow (D-WI) resigned 1856 amid investigation of corrupt business practices and election wrongdoing

[edit] 1900-1945

  • California San Francisco Mayor Eugene Edward Schmitz convicted of graft and bribery, including misconduct during the Great Earthquake (1906-1907); convictions later overturned on appeal.
  • Indiana Governor Warren McCray (R-IN): forced to resign after conviction for mail fraud (1924)
  • Indiana Governor Edward F. Jackson (R-IN): taking bribes and trying to bribe a previous Governor on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan (1928)
  • Missouri Thomas J. Pendergast (D-MO) "machine boss" in Kansas City convicted of tax fraud (1939)
  • New York Tammany Hall, Democratic Party political machine (1854-1934) See Federal-level scandals, because the influence of the New York City political machine was felt at the national level
  • North Dakota Governor William Langer (R-ND) removed from office (1934) for alleged racketeering
  • Oklahoma Governor John C. Walton (D-OK) impeached and removed (1923)
  • Oklahoma Governor Henry S. Johnston (D-OK) impeached twice, second time convicted and removed (1928-1929)
  • Texas Governor James Edward Ferguson (D-TX) impeached and removed from office for financial misconduct (1917)
  • Texas Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson (D-TX), first woman elected Governor of a state in the U.S. and wife of the removed ex-governor, was implicated in the same financial improprieties that had brought "Pa" down and lost the Democratic primary in 1926

[edit] 1946-1974

  • Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts Orville Hodge (R) pleaded guilty to bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1956.
  • Illinois Governor Otto Kerner (D-IL) was convicted of bribery, conspiracy, income-tax evasion, mail fraud and perjury in connection with money he earned from racetrack stock (1973)
  • Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell (D-IL) was found with $800,000 in cash in a shoebox in his hotel room. He died in 1970 and was never convicted (1970)
  • Louisiana Governor Earl Long (D-LA) committed to insane asylum while in office (1959)
  • New Hampshire former Governor Llewelyn Sherman Adams (R-NH), Chief of Staff to President Eisenhower, forced from office in "Vicuna Coat" scandal involving giving special favors to givers of gifts (1958)
  • Ohio Cincinnati City Council member (and later Mayor) Jerry Springer (D) resigned (1974) after vice investigation uncovered personal check he had paid a prostitute
  • Texas George Parr (D), the so-called "Duke of Duval County," suspected but never convicted of various illegal activities, including ballot box stuffing and fraud (1905-1975)
  • Texas The Veterans Land Board Scandal tainted many prominent state politicians, including Governor Allan Shivers (D-TX) in (1954)
  • Texas Sharpstown scandal (1971-1972)

[edit] 1975-1989

  • Arizona Governor Evan Mecham (R-AZ) impeached and removed from office 1988, faced with recall, pending criminal charges for illegal financial dealings (of which he was later acquitted), and public outcry over his derogatory remarks about African-Americans and gays, and his cancellation of Arizona's observance of the Martin Luther King holiday (which led to a boycott of Arizona by various groups)
  • Illinois former Governor Daniel Walker (D-IL) convicted (1987) of wrongdoing in connection with Savings & Loan and sentenced to federal penitentiary
  • Illinois Operation Greylord, involving influence peddling and bribery of Circuit Court judges (1980s)
  • Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel (D-MD) convicted of mail fraud and racketeering (1977)
  • Maryland State Senator Tommie Broadwater, Jr. (D-MD), convicted of food stamp fraud (1983)
  • Nebraska Omaha Mayor Mike Boyle (D-NE) was recalled in a special election after being accused of misconduct in office (1987)
  • Nebraska Attorney General Paul Douglas (D-NE) impeached by Legislature for his dealings with the head of a failed savings and loan (1984)
  • Ohio Summit County Probate Judge James V. Barbuto corruption by trading sexual favors with female defendants for leniency in their cases, exposed on national TV by Geraldo Rivera (1980) (classified here because it was less a Sex Scandal than a "crooked judge" scandal, although Geraldo played up Judge Barbuto's preference for being spanked while wearing women's undergarments)
  • Oklahoma After his term, Governor David Hall (D-OK) convicted of criminal financial acts committed while in office (1975)
  • Oklahoma OkScam, or the County Commissioner scandal, a purchasing kickback scandal resulting in the conviction of 200 individuals, including over 2/3rds of the sitting county commissioners, representing 60 of 77 Oklahoma counties (1981-1984)
  • Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer (R-PA) committed suicide on television before he was to be sentenced on bribery and related convictions (1987)
  • Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton (D-TN) (1976-1979) lost his reelection bid after exposure of a bribery scandal. Just before leaving office, he issued a large number of pardons to convicted felons, apparently in exchange for bribes. His successor was sworn in ahead of schedule in order to terminate Blanton's issuance of pardons.
  • Tennessee: Operation Rocky Top, launched in 1986, was a three-year FBI and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation undercover investigation into bribery of state officials and other illegal activities related to charity bingo. It resulted in the December 1989 suicide of the Tennessee Secretary of State, Gentry Crowell (D-TN), and the incarceration of several other politicians, most notably state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnett (D-TN).

[edit] 1990-1999

  • Alabama Governor Harold Guy Hunt (R-AL) convicted of improperly using campaign money and removed from office (1993); received a rare full pardon due to the confession of his accountant, Gene McKenzie (1998).
  • Arizona "AZSCAM" legislators caught on videotape taking payoffs for favors to gambling figure. Ten members resigned or removed. (1991)
  • Arizona Governor John Fife Symington III (R-AZ) convicted of fraud (1997)
  • Arkansas Governor James Guy Tucker, Jr. (D-AR), convicted of fraud conspiracy (1996); See related Whitewater scandal, under Federal-Level Scandals
  • Arkansas Governor William Jefferson Clinton (D-AR): See Federal-level scandals, which dogged President Clinton
  • California State Senator and Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Alan Robbins (D-CA) resigned on November 21, 1991, in advance of pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges in connection with insurance-industry bribes.
  • Florida Katherine Harris (R-FL) is elected to the State Senate in 1994 after receiving at least $20,000 in donations from key Riscorp employees who had been given bonuses specifically to enable their donations. Several other prominent Florida politicians were accused of writing preferential legislation that benefited Riscorp.
  • Illinois state representative James DeLeo (D-IL) caught in the "Operation Greylord" investigation of corruption in Cook County. He was indicted by a federal grand jury for taking bribes and negotiated guilty plea on a misdemeanor tax offense, and was placed on probation (1992)
  • Illinois state representative Joe Kotlarz (D-IL) convicted and sentenced to jail for theft and conspiracy for pocketing in about $200,000 for a sale of state land to a company he once served as legal counsel (1997)
  • Illinois state senator Bruce A. Farley (D-IL) sentenced to 18 months in prison for mail fraud (1999)
  • Illinois state senator John A. D’Arco Jr. (D-IL) served about 3 years in prison for bribery and extortion (1995)
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Lawrence S. Bloom (D) sentenced to 6 months in 1999 for filing a false tax return.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Jesse J. Evans (D) sentenced to 41 months in prison in 1997 for racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, attempted extortion, mail fraud, influence peddling, filing false tax returns, and obstruction of justice.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Virgil E. Jones Jr. (D) in 1999 was sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison for extortion.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Joseph A. Martínez (D) in 1998 pleaded guilty to ghost payrolling and was sentenced to 5 months in prison.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Ambrosio Medrano (D) pleaded guilty to extortion in 1996 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Allan J. Streeter (D) pleaded guilty to extortion and filing false income tax returns and was sentenced to prison in 1998.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Fred B. Roti (D) was sentenced to 48 months in 1993 for racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, among other things.
  • Illinois Chicago judge Thomas J. Maloney Jr. (D) sentenced to almost 16 years in prison for taking bribes, extortion and obstruction of justice in 1994.
  • Illinois Chicago treasurer Edward Rosewell (D) pleaded guilty to mail fraud but was not sentenced due to an illness that he died from soon after. His conviction was vacated in 1999.
  • Illinois State Treasurer Jerry Cosentino (D-IL) was convicted on federal check kiting charges (1992).
  • Kentucky Majority leader Don Blandford (D-KY), of the Kentucky House of Representatives sent to prison for taking bribes in 1992. (approximately 10% of Kentucky's legislature was implicated in this scandal, some took bribes for as little as $100).
  • Maryland State Senator Larry Young (D-MD) forced out of office despite acquittal on corruption charges (1990s)
  • Maryland Lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano (D) convicted of mail fraud in connection with campaign contributions (1990s), but later returned to lobbying in Annapolis
  • Maryland politician Ruthann Aron (R) (Montgomery County Planning Board member and former 1994 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate) who ran on a "tough on crime" platform convicted of hiring "contract" hit man William H. Mossburg Jr., in 1997, to kill her husband and a lawyer (1998)
  • Minnesota State Senator Sam Solon (D-MN) Pleaded guilty in 1995 to telecommunications fraud for letting his ex-wife make $2,430 in calls on his State Senate telephone line.
  • Nebraska State Treasurer Frank Marsh (R-NE) convicted of misdemeanor charges for making personal, long-distance telephone calls (1991)
  • New York highest court Chief Judge Sol Wachtler, scandal involving obscene telephone calls and extortion (1993)
  • Oklahoma Governor David Lee Walters (D-OK) pleaded guilty to misdemeanor election law violation (1993)
  • District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry (D-DC) caught on videotape using drugs in an FBI sting (1990)

[edit] 2000-

Name Pled Guilty/Convicted Sentenced Sentence Started Serving Current Location
Bill Allen May 7, 2007
Rick Smith May 7, 2007
Bill Bobrick May 16, 2007 November 27, 2007 5 months Taft CI
Tom Anderson July 9, 2007 October 15, 2007 60 months December 3, 2007 Sheridan FCI
Pete Kott September 25, 2007 December 7, 2007 72 months January 17, 2008 Sheridan FCI
Vic Kohring November 1, 2007 May 8, 2008 42 months
Jim Clark March 4, 2008 Delayed
Bruce Weyhrauch
  • Alaska Executives Bill Allen and Rick Smith of oilfield service company VECO Corporation pleaded guilty to federal charges to extortion, bribery, and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service.[1] The charges involved bribing Alaska lawmakers to vote in favor of an oil tax law favored by the VECO that was the subject of vigorous debate during the regular and two special sessions of the Alaska Legislature in 2006,[2] and were part of a larger probe of political corruption in Alaska by federal authorities.
  • California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-CA) was accused on October 10, 2007 of spending tens of thousands of dollars of campaign money for personal expenses, such as $1800 for a meal at a Parisian restaurant and $5000 for wine from Bordeaux
  • California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush (R-CA) resigned on June 28, 2000, rather than face impeachment for campaign-finance violations arising out of insurance-industry settlements after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
  • California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley (D-CA) was accused of laundering campaign funds during his race for Secretary of State.
  • California Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-CA) was probed by the FBI in 2004 of his business relationships. In 2006, Perata accepted money from Indian tribes while sponsoring a bill to expand Indian gaming. He also was criticized when he called those who opposed giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses and a guest worker program with a path to citizenship "crackers." In May 2007, the East Bay Express, an alternative weekly in the Bay Area, published a two-part investigation of Perata, in which he manipulated liberal causes, such as antiwar sentiment, for his own personal and political gains. He was also accused of using campaign donations to support an indulgent lifestyle, and corruption
  • Connecticut - In 2004 Republican Governor John Rowland (R-CT) Rowland resigned from office during a corruption investigation, and later pleaded guilty in federal court to a one-count with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and tax fraud.[3] He served ten months in a federal prison followed by four months house arrest, ending in June, 2006.
  • Florida Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer (D-FL) jailed on suspicions of electoral fraud in March 2005; charges were dismissed in April 2005 and he returned to office. Ernest Page served as interim mayor while Dyer was facing charges. In 2006, Ernest Page (D) was arrested and convicted for bribery and official misconduct while in the mayor's office; he was sentenced to 42 months in prison.[4]
  • Florida, Senator Gary Siplin (D-FL) was convicted of third-degree felony and grand theft of $5,000 or more for using the state employees for his election campaign (2006)
  • Georgia Congressman David Scott (D-GA) has expent $52,000 to $344,000 to himself, friends, family and business from campaigns every election cycle since 2002. Shortly after the 2006 election, he was served with an IRS tax lien for over $153,000.[5]
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Percy Giles (D) sentenced to 3 years in prison for racketeering, extortion, among other things in 2000.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman Arenda Troutman (D-IL) was arrested and charged with bribery in 2007.
  • Illinois Chicago City clerk Jim Laski (D) pleaded guilty to pocketing bribes for steering city business to trucking companies (2006).
  • Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards (D-LA) convicted of extortion (2000)
  • Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. (D-MD) telephoning Maryland Court of Appeals Judges ex parte, trying to lobby them not to overturn the unconstitutional redistricting plan he had championed (2002)
  • Maryland Former Maryland state senator Thomas L. Bromwell (D-MD) was indicted in 2005 on 30 counts of federal racketeering, corruption, and fraud charges, in alleged conspiracy to wield influence to benefit construction company Poole and Kent, in exchange for concealed payments and other favors
  • Michigan Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D-MI) allegedly, along with Chief-of-Staff Christine Beatty, fired two police officers for investigating claims that the Kilpatrick used his security unit to cover up their extramarital affairs, in which they both allegedly lied under oath during a whistle-blower's lawsuit in 2007. He was also alleged to have used his city-issued credit card for expensive travel, his city-leased Lincoln Navigator for his wife and held wild parties involving his security team and strippers at the his mansion through his first 4 years at mayor (2008)
  • Minnesota Minneapolis city council members Brian Herron (D) (taped by FBI accepting $10,000 bribe in 2001) and Joe Biernat (accepting free plumbing work on house)
  • Nebraska State Treasurer Lorelee Byrd (R-NE) accused of massive improper check-writing; guilty plea to one misdemeanor charge of official misconduct and resigned in 2006
  • Nebraska Former Douglas County Election Commissioner Pat McPherson (R-NE) accused of groping a 17-year-old girl wearing Red Robin mascot. City Councilman Chuck Sigerson was accused of disturbing her piece by touching the tail of the costume. Event supposedly happened at 8 P.M. on a Friday night and at the table were two company executives, a Sunday school teacher, Sigerson's wife, and the wives of the executives. McPherson was acquitted and the jury voted to acquit Sigerson 4-2, so the prosecutor dismissed the charges. McPherson resigned from his position at the Governor's request, before the trial and acquittal; Councilman Sigerson was re-elected in 2005.
  • New Jersey Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey (D-NJ) sex and corruption scandal (2004)
  • Ohio Governor Bob Taft (R-OH) pleads no contest and is convicted on four first-degree misdemeanor ethics violations (2005)
  • Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation loss of $215 million in high-risk fund run by big contributor to political campaigns, and loss of state funds in $50 million rare-coin investment of prominent campaign contributor (2005)
  • Pittsburgh City Council Member Twanda Carlisle (D-PA) was sentenced to to 12 to 24 months in prison and ordered to return $43,100 to the city after pleading no contest to three charges of theft by deception, three charges of criminal conspiracy, three charges of violation of Pennsylvania's state Ethics Act, five Election Code violations, and three charges of failing to file required financial disclosures.
  • Rhode Island Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci (I-RI) convicted of racketeering conspiracy (2002)
  • Wisconsin Caucus Scandal (2002)
  • Tennessee State Senators John Ford (D-TN), Kathryn Bowers (D-TN) and Ward Crutchfield (D-TN) are accused of bribery among other charges in Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal (2005)
  • Washington Spokane Mayor James West (R-WA) an opponent of gay rights, denied accusations of having molested two boys while he was a sheriff’s deputy and Boy Scout leader in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but came under investigation (2005) for offering municipal jobs to men he met in gay online chat rooms. West was ousted in a recall vote December 2005.
  • New Jersey State Senator and former Newark Mayor Sharpe James (D-NJ) James is accused of numerous corrpution charges including, mail fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud and using city money to boost his salary and pension and to pay for his numerous sexual affairs. (2007)
  • New Jersey State Senator Wayne Bryant (D-NJ) pension padding, no-show jobs, mail fraud, wire fraud and bribery. (2007)
  • Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Fumo (D-PA) indicted on 139-counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and filing a false tax return. Two staffers were arrested and indicted on charges of destroying electronic evidence, including e-mail related to the investigation. (2007)
  • Pennsylvania State Senator Gerald LaValle (D-PA) under investigation for nearly $50,000 in "unauthorized" compensation paid to his wife Darla by a non-profit funded by state grants. (2007)
  • Pennsylvania Former State Representative Linda Bebko-Jones (D-PA) and chief-of-staff charged with forging nominating petitions and submitting the fraudulent forms to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. (2007)
  • Pennsylvania Former State Representative Frank LaGrotta (D-PA) plead guilty to 2-counts of corruption for giving away $26,000 of state funds to family members through ghost employment in the 2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy. Sentenced to 6 months house arrest, probation, and fines. (2007)
  • New Jersey Former State Senator Joseph Coniglio (D-NJ) indicted for abusing state grants, mail fraud and extortion. (2008)

[edit] Date needed

  • Illinois Chicago Hired Truck Program
  • Illinois Governor George H. Ryan (R-IL) involved in sale of government licenses and contracts while he was Secretary of State
  • Illinois Governor Lennington Small (R-IL), associate of Al Capone, embezzled, sold pardons, etc., but was never convicted
  • Image:CoughlinandKenna.jpg
    Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin
  • Illinois Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin graft operation with fellow alderman Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna, the so-called "Lords of the Levee" extracting protection payments from gambling and prostitution.
  • Illinois Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson (R), years of ongoing corruption
  • Illinois Chicago city clerk Walter S. Kozubowski (D) was sentenced to 5 years in prison for mail fraud.
  • Illinois Chicago alderman John S. Madrzyk (D) sentenced to 41 months in prison for mail fraud.
  • Illinois Chicago City Treasurer Miriam Santos (D) originally sentenced to 40 months for extortion and mail fraud but the sentence was overturned on appeal. She subsequently pleaded guilty to mail fraud and sentenced to 3 months, only served 17 days in prison.
  • Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (D-IL) introduced secretary and friend Donna Lumpkins Floyd to numerous legislators, and encouraged them to give $175,000 of the taxpayers' money to her charity. However, there was no charity, and Floyd said that White destroyed all transaction records. After an investigation, the Illinois State Board of Elections fined White $800,000.
  • Louisiana In what was called the Louisiana Scandals, Governor Richard W. Leche (D-LA) (and others including the LSU president) were convicted of corruption relating to the influence of the followers of Huey Long (D-LA) and the Long family.
  • Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew (R-MD) (see Federal-level Scandals, as his gubernatorial misconduct did not catch up to him until after he was Vice-President of the United States)
  • Maryland Lobbyist Gerard E. Evans (D) convicted of fraud after dummying up legislation and collecting fees from clients to fight it
  • Maryland Banker Nathan A. Chapman Jr. found guilty of defrauding the state retirement system.
  • Maryland Police Superintendent Edward T. Norris convicted of spending police money for personal uses while Baltimore's police chief
  • Massachusetts politician James Michael Curley (D-MA), convictions on various allegations of corruption
  • Minnesota Democratic consultant and businessman Pat Forciea (D) convicted of extensive bank fraud charges
  • New Jersey Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague (D-NJ) resigned as mayor amid accusations of widespread corruption; resigns other party offices later on
  • New York Lee Alexander (D-NY), Syracuse mayor, pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion. Served 6 years in prison.
  • New York Alan Hevesi (D-NY) Comptroller of New York pleaded guilty to one count of defrauding the government
  • New York Eliot Spitzer (D-NY) Governor of New York and former "crime-busting" U.S. District Attorney (cross-reference federal??) admitted (March 10, 2008)

his involvement with prostitution--SEE under Sex Scandals.

[edit] Sex scandals

A list of America's Top 53 Political Sex Scandals [4] lists Bill Clinton as #1, Gary Hart as #2, James E. McGreevey as #3, Wilbur Mills as #4, Bob Packwood as #5, Grover Cleveland as #6, Gary Condit as #7, Mel Reynolds as #8, Neil Goldschmidt as #9, and Brock Adams as #10.

  • Alexander Hamilton-Maria Reynolds affair (1797)
  • Petticoat Affair or Eaton Affair
  • President James Buchanan (D) and Senator William Rufus King (D-NC) were the subject of scandalous gossip (alleging a homosexual affair) in Washington, DC for many years
  • President Warren Harding (R) -Carrie Phillips-Nan Britton mistresses and pay-offs
  • Walter Jenkins (D) top aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson - caught in a gay liaison with a Hungarian man in a YMCA bathroom (1964)
  • Neil Goldschmidt (D-OR) former Oregon governor - affair with underage female, 1970s
  • Wilbur Mills (D-AR) - Fanne Foxe scandal (1974)
  • Wayne Hays (D-OH) - Elizabeth Ray scandal (1976)
  • John Young (D-TX) - a former female staffer said that she received a pay raise after giving in to Young's sexual advances (1976)
  • Allan Howe (D-UT) - arrested for soliciting two police officers posing as prostitutes (1976)
  • Fred Richmond (D-NY) - charged with soliciting sex from a 16-year-old boy (1978)
  • Robert Bauman (R-MD) - charged with attempting to solicit sex from a 16-year-old male prostitute (1980)
  • Jon Hinson (R-MS) charged with attempted oral sodomy of a male Library of Congress employee (1981)
  • Thomas Evans (R-DE) - Paula Parkinson (1981)
  • John G. Schmitz (R-CA) - extramarital affair resulting in offspring (1982)
  • Gerry Studds (D-MA) and Dan Crane (R-IL) are censured July 20, 1983 in Congressional Page sex scandal (1983)
  • Gary Hart (D-CO) - Donna Rice scandal (1987)
  • Ernie Konnyu (R-CA) - sexual harassment complaints by two female staffers (1987)
  • Brock Adams (D-WA) eight women accused Adams of committing various acts of sexual misconduct, ranging from sexual harassment to rape (1988)
  • Jim Bates (D-CA) made sexual advances toward female staffers (1988)
  • Gus Savage (D-IL) accused of trying to force himself on a female Peace Corps worker in Zaire (1989)
  • Barney Frank (D-MA) reprimanded by the House when Steve Gobie, a male escort whom Frank met after hiring him through a personal advertisement, claimed to have conducted an escort service from Frank's apartment when he was not at home (1989)
  • Donald "Buz" Lukens (R-OH) - accused of having sexual relations with a 16 year-old girl (1989) and was accused of fondling a woman in an elevator (1990)
  • Arlan Stangeland (R-MN) accused of mading long-distance phone calls using a House credit card to a female lobbyist (1990)
  • Chuck Robb (D-VA) - Tai Collins affair (1991)
  • Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill sexual harassment scandal at time of Supreme Court nomination hearings (1991)
  • Bob Packwood (R-OR) - sexual harassment scandal (1995)
  • Mel Reynolds (D-IL) - indicted for sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for a relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer (1994), and was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography (1995)
  • Bob Livingston (R-LA) - extramarital affair (1998)
  • Henry Hyde (R-IL) - "youthful indiscretion" (1998)
  • Bob Barr (R-GA) - sexual hypocrisy alleged by Larry Flynt (1998)
  • President Bill Clinton (D-AR) - Monica Lewinsky scandal (1998)
  • Ken Calvert (R-CA) - arrested for soliciting a prostitute; had oral sex in a car with her (1993)
  • Newt Gingrich (R-GA) - affair with congressional staffer 1993–1999
  • Gary Condit (D-CA) - affair with intern Chandra Levy (2001)
  • Paul Patton (D-KY) Kentucky Governor - affair; became public after former mistress alleged retaliation against her business (2002)
  • Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) - affair with staffer (2003)
  • Bob Wise (D-WV) West Virginia Governor - affair with state employee (2003)
  • The Washingtonienne scandal (2004)
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) California Governor - admitted to inappropriate conduct with women when he was an actor and professional bodybuilder "on rowdy movie sets."
  • Jack Ryan (R) Illinois U.S. Senate candidate - sex scandal with ex-wife (2004)
  • Ed Schrock (R-VA) - alleged to have ran a personal column for men wanting to meet other men (2004)
  • Don Sherwood (R-PA) - Extramarital affair with accusations of abuse (2004)
  • Jim McGreevey (D-NJ) New Jersey Governor - ; closeted homosexual extramarital affair (2004)
  • Kevin Shelley (D-CA) California Secretary of State - a number of former staffers and other associates accused Shelley of abusive behavior, including sexually explicit gestures and remarks (2004)
  • Jim West (R) Mayor of Spokane, WA - faced charges of child molestation and misuse of his office for sexual favors with young men (2005)
  • Roosevelt Dobbins (D-AR) - pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment for fondling a teenager (2005)
  • Jeff Gannon (AKA Jim Guckert) was a fake White House correspondent who also turned out to be a special kind of "military escort", with records showing he visited the White House about 200 times and was also a gay prostitute. (2005)
  • Mark Foley (R-FL) - accusations of sending sexually explicit instant messages to an underage congressional page (2006)
  • D.C. Madam Scandal; Prostitution ring centering around Deborah Jeane Palfrey (2007)
  • Gavin Newsom (D-CA) San Francisco Mayor - accused of extramarital affair with wife of campaign manager and former deputy chief-of-staff Alex Tourk (2007)
  • Bob Allen (R-FL) - busted for solicitation of a police officer in public men's room, claimed he did it out of a racist panic (2007)
  • Antonio Villaraigosa (D-CA) Los Angeles Mayor - extramarital affair (2004), affair with Spanish-language television reporter Mirthala Salinas (2007)
  • Glenn Murphy Jr. (R) - 33 year-old president of the Young Republican National Federation, under investigation for sexual assault of a sleeping 22 year-old man (2007)
  • Richard Curtis (R-WA) - blackmailed and outed by a male prostitute after he didn't reveal his gay lifestyle (2007)
  • Larry Craig (R-ID) - pled guilty to disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis airport men's room in June, after having been arrested on a charge of lewd conduct (2007)
  • John Burton (D-CA) former California Senate Pro Tempore - accused of sexual harassment by a female employee at his charity organization (2008)
  • Kwame Kilpatrick (D-MI) Detroit Mayor - extramarital affair with his Chief-of-Staff, Christine Beatty. Racy text messages between them uncovered by the press contradicted their sworn denials of an affair. Also alleged to have stayed at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC with a woman named Carmen Slowsky, who was not his wife (2008)
  • Eliot Spitzer (D-NY) New York Governor - went through a prostitution service called Emperors Club VIP where he allegedly met with a prostitute in a Washington, DC hotel. He was linked to the prostitution ring by a wiretap of his cell phone (2008)
  • Paul J. Morrison (D-KS) Kansas Attorney General - extramarital affair with an office administrator, sexual harassment claim filed with the EEOC alleging that Morrison pressured the administrator to obtain sensitive information about district attorney Phill Kline and several pending investigations at the district attorney's office.
  • Marc Dann (D-OH) Ohio Attorney General - extramarital affair, sexual harassment, and other unlawful acts perpetrated by Dann's employees.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ D'Oro, Rachel. (2007-05-07). "Oil service execs plead guilty to bribing Alaska lawmakers." Associated Press. Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  2. ^ Burke, Jill. (2007-05-04). "Kott, Weyhrauch and Kohring arrested for corruption." KTUU Channel 2 News, Anchorage. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  3. ^ [1] US Dept of Justice Press Release and Slate.com article
  4. ^ Ernest Page trial closing, Orlando Sentinel website, September 22, 2006, In interview, Page discussed charges before his sentencing, Orlando Sentinel, December 31, 2006, and Page Removed From Office After Being Sentenced To Prison, WESH-TV, December 21, 2006
  5. ^ Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. http://www.beyonddelay.org/files/Scott%20Profile.pdf. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.

[edit] References

Grossman, Mark. Political Corruption in America: An Encyclopedia of Scandals, Power, and Greed. (2003).