J.Michael Martinez

As I discuss in my forthcoming book Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, the Iran-Contra scandal occurred during President...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, the savings and loan (S&L) crisis has been almost...

It sounded like something out of a poorly written crime novel. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an...

Watergate has become the scandal by which all other American scandals are judged. Whenever an elected official is caught in a...

His name was Spiro Agnew, and he served as governor of Maryland before becoming Richard Nixon’s vice president from 1969 until 1973. As I...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book, Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, William “Wild Bill” Langer was a...

The most infamous example of government corruption before the Watergate era was a scandal that occurred during the presidency of Warren...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, the United States suffered through a series of...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, Charles Sumner was an arrogant, aloof, erudite...

I am pleased to announce that my 15th book, Congressional Pathfinders: “First” Members of Congress and How They Shaped American History,...

Aaron Burr was a member of the revered founding generation of political leaders, but he suffered an ignominious fall from grace and faced...

My forthcoming book, Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, covers political as well as sexual scandals. One of the worst of...

Anthony Weiner’s case is the strangest, most appalling episode discussed in my forthcoming book, Scoundrels: Political Scandals in...

As I discuss in my forthcoming book, Scoundrels: Political Scandals in American History, Congressman Gary Condit was a conservative “Blue...

It was the most infamous sex scandal in American history, and it nearly toppled an American president from power. Bill Clinton, 42nd...

Robert William “Bob” Packwood was a long-time Republican United States senator from Oregon when multiple women alleged that he had...

It was yet another scandalous story, almost a cliché, of a powerful man who throws away his political career (apparently) in pursuit of...

In the wee morning hours of Monday, October 7, 1974, a black 1973 Lincoln Continental automobile barreled down a street near the...

Warren G. Harding has the dubious distinction of being known as “America’s horniest president,” and with good reason, as I discuss in my...

I discuss one of the most famous (or infamous) presidential scandals in nineteenth century American history in my forthcoming book,...