This is a list of the biggest scandals in the history of the United States.

Watergate Scandal (1972 – 1974)

Operatives associated with President Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign were caught burglarizing and planting listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Washington D.C.’s Watergate complex, Nixon tried to cover up his involvement but that led to congress wanting to impeach him for abusing his presidential power, Nixon resigned in August 1974 

Teapot Dome Scandal (1920’s)

The Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall under president Harding’s administration was arrested and convicted for accepting approximately $400,000 in bribes from oil tycoons Edward Doheny and Harry Sinclair in exchange for secretly leasing federal naval oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, and Elk Hills, California, to their companies. 

Iran-Contra Affair (1980’s)

Senior officials of the Reagan Administration were secretly selling weapons to Iran and they used the proceeds to fund Contra militants in Nicaragua, Several officials, including Oliver North and John Poindexter, were convicted for their involvement in the scandal

Madoff Investment Scandal (2008)

Bernie Madoff, a financier in Wall Street was exposed for running the largest Ponzi Scheme in history, he defrauded thousands of investors from the 1980s to 2008, roughly stealing 65 billion dollars, he was arrested and charged.

Enron Scandal (2001)

The energy company Enron went bankrupt following the involvement with massive, systematic accounting fraud, resulting in thousands of people losing their jobs and the dissolution of auditing firm Arthur Andersen.  

Pentagon Papers (1971)

Daniel Ellsburg, a former Defense Department analyst leaked a top secret 7,000 page Department of Defense study revealing that presidential administrations from Presidents Harry Truman to Lyndon B. Johnson systematically lied to Congress and the public about the Vietnam War’s scope, risks, and objectives.