Scandals That Ended with "-Gate"

The original "-gate" scandal.Watergate. It got its name from the Watergate Hotel. A break-in at the DNC headquarters in June 1972 started a cover-up. This led to one of the most complex scandals in American history. President Nixon resigned in 1974. Nearly 50 federal officials faced criminal charges.Watergate got its name from the Washington D.C. Watergate Hotel. A break-in at the DNC headquarters in June 1972 started a top-level cover-up. This led to one of America's most complex scandals. President Nixon resigned in 1974. Nearly 50 federal officials faced guilty verdicts for various crimes.

Chinagate was a campaign finance scandal spanning the Bush and Clinton administrations. China tried to influence US politics by sending large donations to the Democratic National Committee. This violated federal law.

In 2013, news broke about...Allegations surfaced that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's administration ordered lane closures.The administration ordered lane closures from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to the upper lanes of the George Washington Bridge because Fort Lee's mayor did not support his reelection. Traffic jams lasted nearly a week before the lanes reopened. Christie claimed he knew nothing about the lane closure plan. The scandal caused many resignations and might have ended his presidential bid.Fort Lee's mayor did not endorse his reelection. This caused lane closures from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to the upper lanes of the George Washington Bridge. Traffic jams lasted nearly a week before the lanes reopened. Christie claimed ignorance about the lane closure conspiracy. The scandal caused many resignations and might have ended his presidential hopes.

The...Allegations surfaced that Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid hacked into the phones of celebrities, politicians, members of the British Royal Family, dead British soldiers, and victims of the London bombings. These actions led to arrests. The paper folded after an advertiser boycott, ending a 168-year print run.News of the World tabloid hacked into the phones of celebrities, politicians, members of the British Royal Family, dead British soldiers, and victims of the London bombings. These actions led to arrests. The paper folded after an advertiser boycott, ending a 168-year print run.tabloidAt issue is whether Clinton knowingly kept, sent, or deleted classified information over an unsecured server. This violates federal law. It also violates State Department procedures, which previous Secretaries also broke.Arrests followed celebrities, politicians, British Royal Family members, dead British soldiers, and victims of the London bombings. An advertiser boycott caused the paper to fold, ending a 168-year print run.

When news broke in 2015 that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used a private server for official emails, the resulting scandal got the name "EmailgateThe issue involves whether Clinton kept, sent, or deleted classified information over an unsecured server. This violates federal law. It also violates State Department procedures, which previous Secretaries also broke.

The 1976 influence-peddling scandal between South Korean intelligence officials and Democratic members of Congress is mostly forgotten. However, it affected American culture.Koreagate was the first scandal given the "-gate" tag after Watergate. Six Congressional Democrats faced censure or bribery indictments.Koreagate was the first scandal given the "-gate" tag after Watergate. Six Congressional Democrats faced censure or bribery indictments.

In March 2012, the NFL discovered that over the last two years, a number of New Orleans Saints players and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ran a bounty scheme. This scheme was illegal under league rules, giving defensive players financial rewards for big plays or hard hits.New Orleans Saints players, as well as defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, had operated a bounty scheme, illegal under league rules, in which defensive players receivedfinancial rewardsrewards for making big plays or dishing out hard hits.

The term "Troopergate" applies to three political scandals. The first involved accusations against then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, who allegedly used two State Troopers to arrange secret sexual trysts. This scandal ended when the reporter learned the troopers were paid by a conservative fundraiser.

New York Governor Elliot Spitzer used state troopers to shadow the state's Senate majority leader in New York City.

The TravelgateThe controversy surrounding the firing of seven White House Travel Office employees at the start of the Clinton administration got the name "Travelgate" when it was reported in 1993. The White House claimed the FBI found financial improprieties during earlier administrations caused the sackings. Clinton critics argued the move allowed Clintons' friends to take over the money-making White House travel business.

Filegate involved another mostly forgotten Clinton-era scandal.The Clinton administration illegally possessed and scrutinized as many as 900 personal FBI files concerning figures from the Bush and Reagan administrations. House and Senate investigations, along with independent checks into the Whitewater scandal, left the Clintons cleared of wrongdoing.The Clintons were cleared of any wrongdoing.Conservative watchdog groups sued over the scandal, but the final lawsuit dropped in 2010.

The Deflategate scandal broke out when the NFL found proof of improperly deflated game balls during a Patriots/Colts playoff game in 2015. This scandal included coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The team lost draft picks, and Brady received a four-game suspension.The four-game suspension was soon overturned, then reinstated.The four-game suspension was soon overturned, then reinstated. The Patriots won the game 45-7, meaning the deflated balls likely had little outcome on the matter.

Long before Roger Clinton, Bill Clinton's half-brother, embarrassed the president with drunken behavior, Jimmy Carter's brother Billy exploited his White House connection. Billy became worse when he registered with the Libyan government as a foreign agent and secured a large loan from the persistent US adversary.

This was yet another minor Clinton-era issue.NannygateNannygate derailed two subsequent Bill Clinton nominees for Attorney General because both had used nannies who were undocumented immigrants. One nominee failed to pay required payroll taxes for the nanny; the other had paid taxes and hired the nanny legally. Both nominations were withdrawn, causing minor embarrassment for the early Clinton White House.

In 2009, thousands of emailsClimate change deniers hacked and publicized thousands of emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit. They claimed the emails proved a global warming conspiracy. Nine investigations examined the allegations against the climate scientists; all found no evidence of fraud, conspiracy, or scientific misconduct by the CRU. Independent checks verified the data from the emails.

Gamergate is ongoing and almostGamergate involved an incomprehensible controversy.The controversy involved sexism in video game culture, online harassment, alleged breaches of journalistic ethics, and political correctness in video game coverage. An ex-boyfriend of a video game developer accused her of trading sex for good reviews. This accusation grew into an online movement targeting either journalistic ethics or harassing women in the gaming industry, depending on the speaker.

Justin Timberlake accidentally ripped off a wardrobe piece.The wardrobe piece came from Janet Jackson's chest.CBS wrote off Janet Jackson's exposed, pierced nipple from her chest during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show as a "wardrobe malfunction." The FCC fined the network half a million dollars, which gave the term "Nipplegate" meaning. CBS appealed the fine to the Supreme Court; the Court threw the case out.

This was Piggate.The British tabloids called the incident the Piggate.The scandal broke out.Two reporters accused Prime Minister David Cameron of joining a college initiation ritual. Cameron engaged in sexual acts with a dead pig's head. The uncorroborated story appeared in the biography.Call Me Dave.This appeared to come from an anonymous Member of Parliament who attended Oxford with Cameron.