Research Assignment: Describe the White Collar Crime (Essay Sample)

NIXON (POLITICAL CORRUPTION, 1990-1999)
NAME:
INSTITUTION:
DATE:
White collar crime
White collar crime refers to crimes that are motivated financially and they are also nonviolent hence they are committed by business as well as government professionals who have the highest respectability as well as high social status during the period of occupation (Anderson, 2010). For instance, this movie is based on a true story that was structured and executed by President Nixon while he was in power while seeking reelection for the second term as the president of the united state. This was the time the United states was greatly divided due to economic pressure and instability caused by high inflation that was caused by the direct involvement of the United State in the Vietnam War (Anderson, 2010).
High inflation rate was caused by massive expenditure of public funds to the fund the war by through purchase and manufacturing of weapons. Again as result of massive public expenditure, many people and especially those who were allies of president Nixon engaged into public looting of resources that could be used in economic development. Another factor that led to increase in inflation and more economic pressure that resulted to white collar crime is the space exploration project. This project coasted the United state huge sum of money that was used to fund the development of the space shuttle that was one of Nixon’s great achievement in the American history since it was in his presidency that the country was the first one to secure land man on moon. These factors contributed to the penetration of white collar crime in United states that was allowed by president Nixon.
The Crime
The members of Nixon’s committee to re-elect the president that was famously known as CREEP broke into the democratic national committee headquarters at Watergate with the purpose of stealing copies of documents that contained top secret and later bugged the phones in the office, and in the reality this was in May 1972. It’s then depicted that this primary scheme failed to work effectively and therefore the same group returned to the Watergate building and while they were in preparation to break into the building, a security guard called the police who arrested the prowlers. For instance, it was not clear immediately that the burglars had direct connection to President Nixon though there was suspicion when FBI detectives discovered copies of the re-election committee’s white house phone number within the belongings that the burglars had (Anderson, 2010).
On the other hand president Nixon gave a speech that he swore not having connection with the criminals as being part of the Whitehouse staff. Later on while the investigation was being carried out, Nixon was considered untruthful because some few days after the incident, he made arrangement to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in the burglars. He also together with his close staff structured a plan to instruct the Central Intelligence agency known as (CIA) to counteract the investigation that had been carried out by the FBI (Meitl, 2009). This step was considered more serious criminal offense than even the initial break in since it was considered a deliberate abuse of presidential power as well as obstruction of justice. In the process, about seven conspirators were indicted on credible charges that had direct link with the Watergate affair where two were convicted and five pleaded guilty (He, 2003).
Nixon was considered having abused presidential power due to the following; first, he established a scheme with his close employee to carry out a robbery activity and this robbery was targeting information that was closely related to political leadership of the country. Secondly, he coerced his juniors to involve in crime which is against the ethical code of conduct in leadership. He violated the constitution by engaging into unlawful actions that demeaned his image as the head of the state.
On the other hand, he was seen as an obstructer of justice and this was due to the fact that he offered to pay the criminals good money if they succeeded to steal the top secret documents that he was aiming at. He also denied and delivered a speech to the public in which he denied having participated in the criminal act. Nixon also had objected to produce all the evidence that was in the recording tapes that were recorded in the Oval room, these takes contained all the evidence needed and he refused to present them until the last time he presented just a few of them which as an indication that he obstructed the execution of justice.
On the other hand, some of the aides of president Nixon including the white house counsel testified against his crimes and they also confirmed that he had secretly taped every conversation that had taken place in the Oval office which led to demand to have the tape so as to provide credible evidence (Meitl, 2009). On the other hand, Nixon objected to provide the tapes but later submitted some of them to the prosecutor and it was confirmed from the tapes that President Nixon had direct link to the Watergate house scandal that was termed as white collar crime. Nevertheless, some of the main characters in this film are Anthony Hopkins and Will Lyman. Anthony Hopkins take the lead in the film and apart from his role as the main character, he is film director, and author as his profession which applies to William Lyman who is the narrator in the movie and still pursues film directing and writing as his main profession.
The crime seemed to have been masterminded by Nixon and his team that begun execution of the crime in 1972 the month of May as per the evidence provided by the team carrying out investigation. The crime was then discovered in June 1972 when the burglars had gone back to the Watergate to for the second time and then arrested by police. For instance, the crime is discovered when it was found that copies of top secret information were missing and bugging of the phones in the office at Watergate. This culminated to the arrest of the buglers at the office when they wanted to break in for the second time to permanently fix what failed to align with their plans during the first attempt.
Basically, the discovery of the crime really affected the image of President Nixon considering that the country had granted him trust. Besides, discovery of the crime which later exposed him as being in direct link with the crime portrayed him to the community, state and international community as someone who obstructs delivery of justice by misusing power that was granted to him by the people of the United States. Furthermore, considering that the united state was in war in Vietnam, Nixon could not be able to have an international appeal that could restore peace and stability in the united state.
The resolution of the crime was reached upon when seven of the Nixon’s team who were the masterminds was brought before the court and five out of seven pleaded guilty hence avoiding trial and two were convicted. Later on Nixon’s aides were convicted of serious crimes but he was then pardoned for any crime that he committed by President Gerald Ford, though the crimes plunged the united state into state of distrust and cynicism.
In the film, the crime is most based on greed whereby Nixon wanted to satisfy his personal desires first without putting into consideration the affairs of the country. However, the corporation which is the Democratic National Committee (DNC) with its offices located at Watergate was not the perpetrator but the main victim since the most sensitive information that Nixon was after was very critical in establishing political and economic structures in the country.
For instance, the propensity to engage in unlawful conduct is neither systemic since looking at the presidency of Nixon, he is among the few presidents who had the aspect of greed of power among others, on the other hand, in society whereby everybody is very greedy the element of systemic conduct dominates since every leader wants to satisfy his desires and forget the about the affairs...