The election of scandals

Camille Botello, Staff Writer

Scandals have been a part of United States politics throughout history. Past presidential scandals include President John F. Kennedy’s affair with Marilyn Monroe, the secret sale of weapons to Iran during the Reagan administration, burglars from President Nixon’s re-election campaign hired to wiretap phones and steal confidential documents in the Watergate hotel, and President Bill Clinton’s affair with his 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky.

This election cycle is no different. Both candidates have their fair share of scandals.

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has been accused and convicted of multiple scandals throughout his career.

The most prevalent crime to date has been the many sexual assaults and vulgar comments about women. Trump was caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women recently, and is also facing a lawsuit against Jane Doe who states that Trump raped her when she was 13, according to The Atlantic magazine.

It also states that Trump was sued by Jill Harth, a host of The American Dream beauty pageant, for sexual harassment. In the suit she also claimed that Trump tried to keep black women from entering the contest.

The Republican nominee has also been faced with allegations of housing discrimination. In 1973 the Department of Justice sued Trump and his father for discriminating the tenants of their New York sites, the Atlantic magazine stated.

After the opening (2005) and shut down (2010) of Trump University, a school aimed to teach students Trump’s real estate and business skills, many students claimed it was a scam. According to the Atlantic, New York is suing Trump for allegedly embezzling $40 million from students.

The Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, doesn’t have the cleanest record neither.

Clinton used a private email account and server during her time as Secretary of State, and only turned over some of the lost emails to the State Department for public record, as reported by the Atlantic magazine. In the 2016 election, Clinton has been questioned repeatedly about these emails.

Four Americans were killed in 2012 at a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the Atlantic stated. Republicans accused Clinton of inadequately protecting them, and implicated that she was aware of the terrorist attacks before they happened.

This is the first presidential election many first and second year Linfield students are able to vote in, contradiction and radicalism are topics voters will have to consider during this election cycle. Voters have to decide if they want a president with zero political experience who degrades women and minorities, or if they want a president who keeps affairs from the public. This is what American politics have become.