'Woodstein' Expose Watergate

 

Bob Woodward brings the 'wood'

Carl Bernstein adds some 'stein'

The Watergate scandal is undoubtedly the biggest abuse of power in the history of U.S. Presidency, but it's a shame to think that it almost happened without any repercussions. When police officers arrested five men in the Watergate office complex in the nation's capital on Saturday, June 17, 1972, most major news outlets didn't even care. News outlets and government officials alike denounced the arrest as a 'third-rate burglary' but after the relentless efforts of 'Woodstein' and the Washington Post, people became aware of the misuse of campaign contributions, laundered money, political sabotage, deception, and large number of illegal activities committed by our nation's leader!

The Post assigned 29-year old Yale grad Bob Woodward and 28-year old Maryland dropout Carl Bernstein to the Watergate case and their youth and energy proved to justify their positions. Despite their own personal differences (they were a Starsky & Hutch like duo, Wood being the conservative Republican and Stein being the edgy off-the-cuff guy) and intense opposition by the U.S. government these two young studs were able to open Americans' eyes to the scandal that Nixon tried his hardest to hide.

In early August '72, Woodstein reported that the five burglars had been paid at least $25,000 that came directly from Nixon's campaign funds. By mid-September Woodstein was able to report that the former U.S. attorney general had become Nixon's official campaign manager. In early October, Woodstein claimed that Nixon's entire reelection strategy was based on the political spying and sabotage of the Democratic Party, which was being funded entirely by the President and other officials of the White House. Later in October they pinned White House aide Dwight L. Chapin to the political espionage, and by the end of the month they were able to trace the corruption directly to the doors of the Oval Office.

Nixon and his supporters publicly denounced The Post and called it slanderous and malicious in its intent. His aim was to completely dismantle the firm who he felt was dismantling his Presidency. Until early 1973 the only people reporting about Watergate were Woodstein, and they faced heavy opposition that caused the Post to lose money, lose time, yet most importantly lose a lot of their sources and reporters. The only firm source they remained loyal to Woodstein was the most famous anonymous source in the history of American journalism: Deep Throat.

W.Mark Felt was the second highest official in the FBI in 1972 and was a good friend of Woodward's. He consistently confirmed the journalists' findings and made sure they were true before Woodstein went to The Post to print them. Woodward and Deep Throat met secretly, usually in underground parking lots and such to discuss the contents of Watergate. Just in case you were wondering, the secret code name that was given to him was based on the most popular pornographic name of the time, appropriately named Deep Throat.


It wasn't until the judiciary and legislative branch that the Watergate scandal gained steam in the U.S. Supreme Judge Sirica prosecuted most of the people involved in Watergate and carried the same relentless curiosity that propelled Woodstein. From 1973-1974 the collective exposure of Watergate proved the be the greatest example of the four estates of the U.S. working together that we have ever seen. The Executive Branch, Judiciary Branch, Legislative Branch, and the Press all collaborated together to protect the citizens from scandal, which cause Richard Nixon to finally resign on August 9, 1974.

Today, Woodstein are respected as American legends in journalism, standing for all of the people who fight for what they believe in they. They represent the power of the fourth estate, and how it's independent and turbulent research in the last 6 months of 1972 was able to spear-head a Nationwide investigation that caused the entire U.S. government to turn upside down from 1973-1974. For 6 months, two men served as the watchdogs of the other 3 estates, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

WOODSTEIN FOREVER