The Watergate scandal was a major political controversy in the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974, ultimately resulting in Nixon's resignation. The name originated from attempts by the Nixon administration to conceal its involvement in the June 17, 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

Following the apprehension of the five individuals involved in the break-in, both the press and the Department of Justice connected the funds to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, or CRP, the fundraising organization of Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign. Subsequent investigations and revelations during trials prompted the U.S. House of Representatives to grant the House Judiciary Committee expanded investigative authority. Additionally, the Senate established the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee, which conducted hearings related to the incident.

Witnesses testified that Nixon had sanctioned plans to cover up his administration's involvement in the break-in and that there was a voice-activated taping system in the Oval Office. Nixon's administration resisted the investigations, leading to a constitutional crisis. The televised Senate Watergate hearings garnered nationwide attention and public interest.

Numerous revelations and Nixon's efforts to impede the investigation in 1973 led the House to initiate impeachment proceedings against him. The Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Nixon (1974) compelled Nixon to surrender the Oval Office tapes, which revealed his complicity in the cover-up.