The burglars which included Bernard Baker, Virgilio
Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, Frank Sturgis, and James W
McCord Jr
"The plumbers" who were to prevent any
leaks of information to leave the others who
were involved
The team included John Erlichman,E.
Howard Hunt, and John Paisley.
Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP)
Dozens of other White House staff members
Where?
The Watergate Hotel
What were the consequences?
The scandal led to investigation headed by the CIA, FBI, and the IRS
There was evidence found in the Oval Office of recorded conversations that the
President had taped with out the knowledge of those who were recorded.
The American citizens were encouraging Congress
to impeach the President.
Nixon had committed crimes against basic constitutional rights
He also lied and was not willing to cooperate with the investigation by
withholding evidence and trying to fire government employees who
were part of the investigation.
When?
June 17, 1972
Why was the President involved in the scandal?
President Nixon was paranoid that the other
party was going to win over his re-election
come November.
So he hired a team of five to wire-tap the phone lines of his Democratic
opponents campaign office within the Watergate Hotel.
He was looking for any embarrassing or privileged information that he
could find that would act as his 'hole in one' for winning re-election.
How were the burglars hired?
Nixon hired the men, who were a mix of retired CIA agents and military operatives.
The President paid the burglars with cash and his campaign
committee also created a slush fund account for them.
A slush fund is a reserve of money that's used for
illicit purposes, including political bribery.
Why was this important?
For the first time in american history, the President became a figure synonymous for untrustworthy.