America's 10 big presidential scandals

New Delhi: Forget Monica Lewinsky, there have been scandals galore in America's presidential history. Do you know who was the first US president to be involved in a sex scandal. It was Thomas Jefferson, considered one of the founding fathers of the US Constitution.Here we present a list of ten US presidential scandals:1. Monica Lewinsky Affair Monica Lewinsky was a 22-year-old White House intern during the presidency of Bill Clinton. She was involved in a sexual relationship with Clinton when she worked in the White House in 1995 and 1996. Her superiors transferred her to Pentagon, where she met co-worker Linda Tripp and disclosed her relationship with Clinton to her. Linda Tripp secretly taped her conversations. During that time, a former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones filed a case alleging sexual harassment by Clinton when he was Governor of Arkansas. In 1998, when Lewinksy deposed in that case denying any relationship with Clinton, tripp gave the tapes to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, and the can of worms was now out in the open. Clinton first denied he was involved in sexual relationship, but later modified it into "improper physical relationship" while deposing before the Grand Jury. Under pressure from Kenneth Starr, who had obtained from Lewinsky a blue dress with Clinton's semen stain, as well as testimony from Lewinsky that the President had inserted a cigar tube into her private parts, Clinton stated, "I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate." The House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton for perjury, but the Senate later voted to acquit Clinton. By that time, Clinton's second tenure was almost over.2. Watergate Scandal The name Watergate entered the world's political lexicon after a political scandal broke as a result of the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement.Five men were caught breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters located at the Watergate business complex. As the investigation into this and the break-in at Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office (Ellsberg had published the secret Pentagon Papers) developed, Richard Nixon and his advisers worked to cover-up the crimes. He would have surely been impeached but resigned instead on August 9, 1974.3. Teapot Dome The Teapot Dome scandal was the most significant during Warren G. Harding's presidency. In this, Albert Fall, Harding's Secretary of the Interior, sold the right to the oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming and other locations in exchange for personal profit and cattle. He was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to jail.4. JFK and Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe was perhaps the most star-crossed lover in history. On one hand was her dazzling success in tinsel town and on the other, her volatile and highly secret relationships with the much-married President of the US and his brother. Monroe's name was linked to both John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy.Although many in the political circles knew of the affairs, they were carefully hushed up so that the public had no clear facts to chew on. Monroe however was becoming a public embarrassment and had even threatened to go public about the President's infidelities. But her plans were short-lived as she was found dead in her home under mysterious circumstances. 5. Black Friday scandal of 1869 Ulysses S. Grant's administration was rife with scandals. The first major scandal dealt with speculation in the gold market. Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the market. They drove up the price of gold but Grant found out and quickly had the Treasury add gold to the economy. This in turn resulted in the lowering of gold prices on Friday, September 24, 1869 which adversely affected all those who had bought gold.6. The Whiskey Ring In 1875, it was revealed that many government employees were pocketing whiskey taxes. Grant called for swift punishment but caused further scandal when he moved to protect his personal secretary who had been implicated in the affair.7. Credit Mobilier Scandal The Credit Mobilier company was found to be stealing from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1868. However, they tried to cover this up by selling stocks in their company at a large discount to government officials and Congress members including Vice President Schuyler Colfax. When this was discovered, it hurt many reputations including that of Ulysses S. Grant's VP.8. Grover Cleveland's illegitimate son During the his first electoral campaign of Grover Cleveland in 1884 information was released that Grover Cleveland had an affair with a widow named Maria C. Halpin who had given birth to a son. She claimed that Cleveland was the father and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland. Cleveland agreed to pay child support and then paid to put the child in an orphanage when she was no longer fit to raise him. Unusual for a candidate mired in such a scandal Cleveland admitted guilt in the matter. Chants of “Ma, ma, where's my pa? Off to the White House, ha ha ha!” became popular throughout the country.9. Iran-Contra scandal This political scandal came to light in November 1986. Several individuals in Ronald Reagan's administration were implicated in the Iran-Contra Scandal. Basically, money that had been obtained through selling arms to Iran was given secretly to the revolutionary Contras in Nicaragua. Other than helping the Contras, the hope was that by selling the weapons to Iran, terrorists would be more willing to give up hostages. This scandal resulted in major Congressional hearings.10. Thomas Jefferson's illegitimate child In 1802 Thomas Jefferson was charged with having an affair with his slave, Sally Hemmings, and in fact fathering a child.Thomas Jefferson's alleged relationship with Sally Hemmings was the first presidential sex scandal in the United States. Jefferson denied the charges and remained as president for another 7 years, however the debate about the truth of the matter continued until 1998 when DNA testing proved that Jefferson more than likely fathered at least one of Sally Hemming's children.