Show Notes
In a state known for high-profile corruption, Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan was no exception. His corruption would help out his family, his buddies...and ultimately let innocent citizens die, thanks to dangerous forged licenses distributed around the state in the 1990s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Political Scandals
The first and only presidential resignation belongs to Richard Nixon, whose failed attempt at spying on his political opponents led to one of the most elaborate cover-ups in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s administration secretly — and illegally — traded weapons of war to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages, then used the proceeds to fund a Nicaraguan rebel army known as the Contras. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1995, 49-year-old president Bill Clinton began an affair with 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The affair would lead to impeachment hearings in Congress, nearly ruin Lewinsky's reputation, and instigate an atmosphere of inexorable Congressional partisanship that continues to this day.
On February 24, 1868, the United States House of Representatives initiated impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors," eventually leading Johnson to become the first U.S. President to be impeached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 1950s, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade polarized the nation. Convinced that officials had let Communists infiltrate the military, McCarthy zeroed in on his biggest target yet: the Army. It took a month of tense Senate hearings to uncover the truth… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices