The Watergate scandal refers to a series of events in President Nixon’s administration that culminated in his ignominious resignation. It began when five members of the Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP) broke into the Democratic national committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward uncovered a massive plan by the Nixon administration that included spying and sabotage to support the president’s reelection campaign. Twenty-five of Nixon’s aides served prison sentences as a result of their participation in the subsequent Watergate cover-up. Eventually, the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings against Nixon and he resigned from office.