5 Presidential Scandals Throughout History That Will Really Get You In the Mood To Vote
Because after all, it could be worse.
This election season has been stressful - literally. Studies show that Americans have been falling sick more often over the past few months due to extreme stress over choosing a new Commander-In-Chief.
It can only be assumed that some of this stress is stemming from the amount of controversies surrounding the Republican and Democratic nominees. Donald Trump's inappropriate comments about women were exposed and shortly after, several women came forward with accusations of sexual assault. Hillary Clinton is back under FBI investigation for emails sent on her private server.
So I decided to take a look at some of the other scandals that have plagued U.S. Presidents throughout history.
I decided not to include well-known scandals, like Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky or Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.
Here are 5 presidential scandals you may not have heard of.
- 1
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson actually killed a man before he was elected president in 1829. He challenged Charles Dickinson to a duel after Dickinson accused Jackson of cheating on a horse race and insulted Jackson's wife. Dickinson died from Jackson's shot. Jackson was also involved in the Petticoat Affair, when several of his cabinet members' wives shunned Peggy Eaton, the wife of Secretary of War John Eaton, and Jackson's entire cabinet resigned.
- 2
Warren G. Harding
While Warren G. Harding was not criminally responsible, several members of his cabinet were involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal, which involved land being given to oil companies in exchange for personal gifts, and the incident tarnished his reputation. It's also said that he drank alcohol during his presidency, which would have been illegal under the 18th Amendment.
- 3
Grover Cleveland
The 22nd President served one term during the 1880's. He was also accused of having an affair with a woman named Maria Halpin and fathering a child out of wedlock during his presidency. Cleveland owned up to the affair.
- 4
William Howard Taft
Taft was the 27th President of the United States, but was known as a bad politician. His scandal came in the form of the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy. He fired Louis Glavis, the Chief of Field Divisions in the General Land Office, after Glavis accused Richard Ballinger, head of the Department of the Intertior, of interfering with a coal field investigation. Gifford Pinchot, the U.S. Forest Service Chief who was also fired over the ordeal, was a friend of Theodore Roosevelt and the controversy caused a huge rift between Democrats and Republicans.
- 5
Lyndon B. Johnson
The Vietnam War was the first American war to be televised by the media, so it came as a huge surprise when a document called, "The Pentagon Papers" revealed details about the war that Lyndon B. Johnson's administration had not disclosed. The actions also went against LBJ's promise not to expand the war. The papers were not released until after LBJ's presidency.