%201.svg){kind=icon}
%201.svg)
As the old joke goes: robbers in Washington DC avoid targeting the homes of politicians out of professional courtesy. While we are living in one of the most politically polarizing eras in American history, the one thing that we can agree on across the spectrum is that politicians make used car sales people and Ponzi scheme shills look honorable. In honor of the upcoming inauguration, here are some of the most morally questionable politicians in the history of America:
Ulysses S. Grant
Though most notable for being a hero in the American Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant was also one of America’s most corrupt sitting presidents. Though never having a direct hand, the Grant administration was marred with financial scandals. One of which was an attempt to control the gold market, leading to an economic crisis dubbed Black Friday. At best, Grant was blindly ignorant. At worst, he was willfully complicit. Illicit activity became so synonymous with the Grant Administration that widespread political corruption of that era became known as “Grantism”. The Whiskey Ring Scandal became his final undoing. During this scandal, a group of whiskey distillers bribed IRS agents, Treasury officials, and other political players to siphon off liquor taxes. What began as a political slush fund for the Republican party quickly devolved into a full-blown illicit economy. This ring allegedly defrauded the IRS of nearly half a million dollars each year. When the investigation against those implicated began, Grant utilized his presidential powers to fire the special prosecutor.
Richard Nixon
Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon is who most often comes to mind while pertaining to the topic of corrupt politicians. On top of Vietnamization contesting only Afghanistan for the most badly botched military withdrawals in the history of American interventionism, Nixon was implicated in the infamous Watergate Scandal.
During the Watergate Scandal, the Committee for the Re-Election of the President devised a covert plan to collect intelligence on Nixon’s Democratic opposition. Disguised as burglars, five individuals with vested interest in Nixon’s re-election broke into the Watergate Hotel where the DNC was being held and attempted to wiretap the building. Several of the burglars had former involvement in CIA clandestine operations. Nixon’s press secretary, Ron Zeigler, painted the incident as a “third-rate burglary attempt” and asserted that the president would not comment on it. Those who conspired Watergate into fruition hastily destroyed all evidence, and Nixon’s staff orchestrated a PR campaign providing Nixon with an alibi. Nixon himself ordered the FBI to hit the brakes on its investigation into the matter. During the FBI investigation, Nixon tapes considered the “smoking gun” tying the president directly to the scandal were found. While there was pressure on the FBI to halt the investigation, two young reporters acquired these leaked tapes from a source called “Deep Throat” (this is not to be confused with a popular adult film released the same year). Deep Throat was later revealed to be former FBI deputy director, W. Mark Felt. Despite being acquitted during his impeachment, this was enough to prompt Nixon to resign from the presidency in 1974.
Bill and Hillary Clinton
No list of corrupt politicians would be complete without the mention of this dynamic duo. Bill Clinton’s shady history began with the Whitewater Controversy while he was serving as the Arkansas attorney general. During his time as the governor of Arkansas, the state was the center of a large cocaine smuggling ring with ties to the Iran-Contra Affair. Implicated in this ring was a CIA agent. Clinton was accused of having knowledge of this ring and even using cocaine while serving as the governor. A notorious philanderer, Bill is accused of less-than-savory extramarital sexual affairs, including one with White House intern Monica Lewinsky which led to him facing an impeachment. As her leaving of Americans to die in Benghazi indicates, Hillary Clinton severely lacks a moral compass. During the 2016 election, it was alleged that she used a personal email rather than a .state or .gov address in order to control what information was readily available to the public. In 2018, conservative organization, Coolidge Reagan Foundation, produced evidence that the Hillary for America (HFA) violated campaign financing laws while funding opposition research into Donald Trump. Additionally, she runs a highly controversial charity, the Clinton Foundation. There was a significant overlap of Foundation donors and 2008/2016 campaign donors. There was also overlap between campaign staff and charity staff. Additionally, the charity failed to disclose several million dollars worth of funds.
As the world becomes increasingly polarized, remember this: believing that a politician cares about your best interests is like believing that the stripper giving you a lap dance actually likes you.
