political scandals
Elected officials' misconduct
Political scandals are public revelations of misconduct, corruption, or impropriety by government officials or candidates.
The plural typically refers to the phenomenon generally rather than specific instances: The administration was plagued by political scandals.
Scandals range from financial corruption and abuse of power to sexual misconduct and cover-ups.
What qualifies as scandalous shifts with cultural expectations—behavior tolerated in one era may end careers in another.
- Dreyfus affairFrench military antisemitic miscarriage
- briberyCorrupt payment for influence
- perjuryCriminal courtroom dishonesty
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
conflict of interest · ethics violation · corruption · favoritism · Watergate · dirty tricks · voter suppression · ballot stuffing · propaganda campaigns · money laundering · extramarital affairs · kickbacks · quid pro quo · witness tampering · moral turpitude · harassment · gerrymandering · Iran-Contra affair
- headline-grabbersscandals, disasters, celebrities, crimes, breaking news
- 1990sMonica Lewinsky, impeachment, NAFTA, Whitewater, Oklahoma City bombing
- Italian PoliticsBerlusconi, Five Star, Democratic Party, coalition governments, snap elections
- Italian RepublicChristian Democrats, coalition governments, coalition government, PCI, PSI
- BrazilRio, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Amazon River
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
political scandalsgood governance
Accountable, transparent institutional management
transparency · accountability · anti-corruption efforts · whistleblowing · reform movements