Free Republic

Every controversy of the last five decades, be it significant or small, has been distinguished by the the suffix '-gate,' a symbol of the lasting legacy of one of the greatest scandals of our time — Watergate. It all began 50 years ago today, on June 17, 1972, when a motley crew of five burglars, all with CIA connections, were caught breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, then located on the sixth floor of a Watergate office building. The attempt by the Nixon administration to cover up the politically-motivated break-in would soon drag down Richard Nixon’s presidency,...

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether two contractors implicated in the bribery of former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham supplied him with prostitutes and free use of a limousine and hotel suites, pursuing evidence that could broaden their long-running inquiry. Besides scrutinizing the prostitution scheme for evidence that might implicate contractor Brent Wilkes, investigators are focusing on whether any other members of Congress, or their staffs, may also have used the same free services, though it isn't clear whether investigators have turned up anything to implicate others. [Randy Cunningham] In recent weeks, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have fanned out across Washington,...