What Did the Plumbers Do in Watergate?
What Did the Plumbers Do
In the wake of the release of the Pentagon Papers, President Richard Nixon created a White House unit called the “plumbers” to stop leaks to the press. They were tasked with investigating leaks and discrediting enemies of the administration.
The first target of the plumber near me was Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. The leaks revealed that senior American leaders knew the Vietnam War was unwinnable. When the Plumbers broke into Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, they hoped to find his notes that would smear him in the press. But when they couldn’t open the door, they left empty-handed.
Their plans soon unraveled as they were caught and arrested by the FBI. This triggered an investigation that led to Nixon being convicted of obstruction of justice and other charges. Nixon resigned in August 1974, succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford. The scandal is still remembered and studied today.
What Did the Plumbers Do in Watergate?
The break-in at the Democratic National Committee office in the Watergate building began June 17, 1972. It ended up being the beginning of one of the most infamous political scandals in history. Despite decades of speculation, the story of the Watergate burglary is still not clear for the most part. The two biggest mysteries — who was “Deep Throat” and why Nixon authorized the break-in — remain unsolved.
While it’s commonly portrayed as a story about five burglars caught in the midst of a covert operation to impact the outcome of the 1972 presidential election, it was actually much larger than that. The plumbers were a group of former FBI and CIA operatives who were assigned to President Nixon’s team to investigate leaks and discredit his enemies. They were also tasked with preventing the leak of classified information to the public.
A little over a week after the release of the Pentagon Papers, the White House Plumbers were established to prevent leaks and protect the President from being harmed by news reports. They were a shadowy group of agents that had access to top-secret information. They were paid a small fee for their work, and they also acted as a liaison between Nixon’s team and CIA agents.
As a result, the White House Plumbers were involved in some of the most illegal activities during Nixon’s time in office. They were responsible for stealing documents to stop the leaking of the Pentagon Papers, as well as for a number of other illegal activities. According to Time, the plumbers’ activities were among the 10 most egregious abuses of power in history. They were also a driving force behind the Watergate break-in and the subsequent cover-up.
While the Watergate break-in itself was not a crime, it was the start of a long and devastating scandal that ultimately sullied the reputation of President Richard Nixon. The Watergate investigation eventually led to Nixon’s resignation, resulting in his downfall and the start of a new era of politics in the United States.