political scandal that occurred in the United States (1972–1974)

The Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. - a group of brutalist, curving buildings by the Potomac river.
The brutalist Watergate complex with intricate, modern cement designs
Nixon seated in the Oval Office, explaining the release of edited transcripts
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The affair began on June 17, 1972, when members of a … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Country United States
Named after Watergate complex
Factsheet
Country United States
Named after Watergate complex
🌐
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Watergate_scandal
Watergate scandal - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The affair began on June 17, 1972, when members of a group associated with Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign were caught burglarizing and planting ...
🌐
Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › politics, law & government › law, crime & punishment
Watergate scandal | Summary, History, Timeline, Deep Throat, & Facts | Britannica
2 days ago - Richard M. Nixon that were revealed following the arrest of five burglars at Democratic National committee headquarters in the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972.
People also ask

What was the Watergate scandal?
The Watergate scandal was a series of interlocking political scandals of the U.S. President Richard M. Nixon’s administration. The scandal included a break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972, and subsequent cover-up by people who worked for or with the White House, and by Nixon himself.
🌐
britannica.com
britannica.com › politics, law & government › law, crime & punishment
Watergate scandal | Summary, History, Timeline, Deep Throat, & ...
Who was Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal?
Deep Throat was the anonymous source who provided leaks to reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Only after some 30 years later, it was revealed that the informant was FBI deputy director W. Mark Felt, Sr.
🌐
britannica.com
britannica.com › politics, law & government › law, crime & punishment
Watergate scandal | Summary, History, Timeline, Deep Throat, & ...
What was the outcome of the Watergate scandal on the presidency of Richard Nixon?
On August 9, 1974, facing likely impeachment for his role in covering up the scandal, Nixon became the only U.S. president to resign.
🌐
britannica.com
britannica.com › politics, law & government › law, crime & punishment
Watergate scandal | Summary, History, Timeline, Deep Throat, & ...
🌐
Gerald R. Ford
fordlibrarymuseum.gov › exhibits › watergate-files
The Watergate Files | Gerald R. Ford
In the early hours of the morning ... office complex. They were surprised to find that five burglars, dressed in suits and wearing surgical gloves, had broken into the national headquarters of the Democratic National Committee....
🌐
FBI
fbi.gov › history › famous-cases › watergate
Watergate | Federal Bureau of Investigation
May 6, 2022 - A burglary at a D.C. hotel in 1972 leads to a massive public corruption investigation and the President’s resignation.
🌐
EBSCO
ebsco.com › research-starters › history › watergate-affair
Watergate Affair | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
The Watergate Affair was a major political scandal in the United States that unfolded in the early 1970s, beginning with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., on June ...
Find elsewhere
🌐
National Archives
archives.gov › exhibits › american_originals › nixon.html
Exhibit: Nixon and Watergate
During the night of June 17, 1972, five burglars broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC. Investigation into the break-in exposed a trail of abuses that led to the highest levels of the Nixon administration and ultimately ...
🌐
U.S. Senate
senate.gov › about › powers-procedures › investigations › watergate.htm
U.S. Senate: Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities
On January 10, 1973, the trial of the Watergate burglars and two accomplices began. After weeks of testimony, Chief Federal District Judge John Sirica expressed skepticism that all the facts in the case had been revealed. Five men pleaded guilty and two were convicted by a jury.
🌐
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
gilderlehrman.org › history-resources › essays › understand-scandal-watergate-beyond-nixon
To Understand a Scandal: Watergate beyond Nixon | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
To Understand a Scandal: Watergate beyond Nixon | | In the early hours of June 17, 1972, police officers arrested five men suspected of breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington DC’s Watergate office building.
🌐
Watergate.info
watergate.info
Watergate.info – The Scandal That Brought Down President Richard M. Nixon
The Scandal That Brought Down President Richard M. Nixon · “Watergate” is a general term used to describe a complex web of political scandals between 1972 and 1974. The word specifically refers to the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C
🌐
Richard Nixon Foundation
nixonfoundation.org › home › watergate explained
Watergate Explained - Richard Nixon Foundation | Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum
July 16, 2025 - On May 28, 1972, under Liddy’s direction, a small team of Cuban nationals with connections to the CIA, broke-in to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the Watergate office building.
🌐
PBS
pbs.org › johngardner › chapters › 6c.html
PBS - Thematic Window: The Watergate Scandal
PBS no longer has the rights to distribute the content that had been provided on this page · We educate America on topics that matter
🌐
HISTORY
history.com › home › articles › the watergate scandal - timeline, deep throat & nixon's resignation | history
The Watergate Scandal - Timeline, Deep Throat & Nixon's Resignation | HISTORY
September 29, 2025 - The Watergate scandal began early in the morning of June 17, 1972, when several burglars were arrested in the office of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate complex of buildings in Washington, D.C. This was no ordinary ...
🌐
MSNBC
msnbc.com › rachel-maddow-show › maddowblog › republicans-think-ve-uncovered-story-s-bigger-watergate-rcna240927
Republicans think they’ve uncovered a story that’s ‘bigger than Watergate’ (again)
The Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign was “bigger than Watergate.” An imaginary FBI “informant” in his political operation was “bigger than Watergate!” Trump even falsely accused Joe Biden of illegally accepting money from China, which he said was “100 times bigger than Watergate.”
Published   October 30, 2025
🌐
Amazon
amazon.com › Real-Watergate-Scandal-Collusion-Conspiracy › dp › 1621573281
The Real Watergate Scandal: Collusion, Conspiracy, and the Plot That Brought Nixon Down: Shepard, Geoff: 9781621573289: Amazon.com: Books
But Geoff Shepard’s patient and persistent research has uncovered shocking violations of ethical and legal standards by the "good guys”—including Judge John Sirica, Archibald Cox, and Leon Jaworski. The Watergate prosecutors’ own files reveal their collusion with the federal judges who tried their cases and heard their appeals—professional misconduct so extensive that the pretense of a fair trial is now impossible to maintain.
🌐
HistoryExtra
historyextra.com › home › period › 20th century › your guide to the watergate scandal that brought down president richard nixon
Watergate: A History Guide To The Scandal That Brought Down Nixon | HistoryExtra
November 7, 2023 - Although Nixon won the election in November 1972, the scandal escalated. By the following January, seven men (‘the Watergate Seven’) went on trial for their involvement: five pleaded guilty, with the other two – former Nixon aides G Gordon Liddy and James W McCord – convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping.
🌐
LOC
guides.loc.gov › watergate-manuscripts
Introduction - Richard Nixon’s Political Scandal: Researching Watergate in the Manuscript Collections at the Library of Congress - Research Guides at Library of Congress
“The Watergate Affair has been called the greatest political scandal of the twentieth century, the standard against which all subsequent scandals have been judged,” writes historian Geraldo Cadava.
🌐
Bill of Rights Institute
billofrightsinstitute.org › essays › richard-nixon-and-watergate
Richard Nixon Watergate Scandal
The road to Watergate begins with a covert White House unit called “the Plumbers,” which was convened by Nixon’s chief domestic advisor John Ehrlichman for the purpose of plugging information leaks from the White House. Charles Colson was one of the conspiracy’s earliest and most enthusiastic volunteers.
🌐
Digital History
digitalhistory.uh.edu › disp_textbook.cfm
Watergate
Shortly after 1 a.m. on June 17, 1972, a security guard at the Washington, D.C., Watergate office complex spotted a strip of masking tape covering the lock of a basement door. He removed it. A short while later, he found the door taped open again. He called the police, who found two more taped ...
🌐
PBS Newshour Extra
journalisminaction.org › case › watergate
Covering Watergate
Richard M. Nixon was a sitting US president seeking reelection when, on June 17, 1972, in what seemed at the time to be a minor, unrelated incident, burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC.