Both President Nixon and Edward Snowden were involved in government scandals, and while the two scandals have key differences, they share some similarities that make them excellent situations to compare. Nixon allegedly participated in a cover-up while Snowden declassified some classified information. Both betrayed trust, but in my opinion only Edward did something that benefits the public. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay I will start with the Watergate affair and how some intruders in a government building sparked a gigantic controversy with many criticizing not only the president, but all the top officials of the US government. Nixon had great motivation to conceal his identity; after everything he and his party had done, he couldn't bear to lose face anymore. During and after the Vietnam War, Nixon was hated by nearly half the country. Many people thought he was making bad decisions, and his support, both among American citizens and other politicians, was wavering. The actions of the President's men have been and are under intense scrutiny, which could be another reason why they felt the need to dig up their opposition. One of the biggest blows to Nixon's support was the leak of the Pentagon Papers. . This was a series of documents containing details about the Vietnam War proving that the White House had blatantly lied to the public. The author of the leak was Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst convinced that the papers would provide the public, already skeptical of the war, with justification to relentlessly press for a halt to all efforts in Vietnam. Daniel leaked the documents to several major newspapers and was later accused of espionage, theft and conspiracy. The charges were eventually dropped, although Daniel said what he did for the United States was worth life in prison. Of course, Ellsberg's action did not sit well with Nixon. Several of his aides formed a group called "The White House Plumbers," who broke into the former Executive Office building to try to find Daniel Ellsberg's medical records. Their use would have been to call into question Ellsberg's sanity and discredit him. Many other times, the people Nixon appointed to serve him took private information and used it to crush potential threats. Although this allowed them to maintain their positions, their actions did not go unnoticed. A second time, White House plumbers broke into a government building, once again thinking they hadn't found what they were looking for. Anyone could have guessed their goal, for it was no different from what they had been seeking all along. This time, they were in a hurry to spy on the Democrats in order to gain an advantage over the other presidential candidates and get Nixon re-elected. Nixon initially denied any knowledge of the event, but as he was already under suspicion, investigations were quickly carried out. For a period of two years, Nixon's private recordings were requested to determine whether or not he was guilty. During this period, Nixon turned over edited transcripts, then edited tapes, and eventually the relevant documents were released. It was proven that he was involved in the burglary and was almost.