User blogs

Best known as: Co-founder of Apple Computers

Initiated: 1980

Member of: Charity Lodge No. 362, Campbell, CA

Quotable Quote: "You have to think offensively and defensively and see where your opponent is going to go. Your mind has to be totally aware of the whole situation. That doesn't come the first time you play.”

Best known as: Entertainers

Initiated, Passed, and Raised: All of them between 1890-1891

Member of: Baraboo Lodge No. 34, WI

Best known as: A comedian

Initiated: Unknown

Member of: North Hollywood Lodge No. 542, CA (see note below)

Quotable Quote: “In reality, all men are sculptors, constantly chipping away the unwanted parts of their lives trying to create a masterpiece.”

Note: Though Eddie Murphy is listed as a Freemason in numerous Masonic websites (including Wikipedia's list of Famous Freemasons). I couldn't find any record of the date when he was Initiated, Passed, and Raised. I also wonder if some people have just confused him with Freemason Audie Murphy (1924-1971) of Hollywood Lodge No. 542, CA. 

EDIT (June 25, 2012): Bro. Jeff M., a member of North Hollywood Lodge No. 542 and Ken Butters confirmed that I (and wikipedia) have confused Audie Murphy with Eddie Murphy. Audie Murphy and not Eddie Murphy is a member of North Hollywood Lodge No. 542 where they have a special room dedicated in his memory. 

Best known as: Founder of Molson Breweries

Initiated: Date unknown but he is known to have served as the Worshipful Master of St. Paul's Lodge from June to December 1791 and from June 1795 to June 1796. 

Member of: St. Paul's Lodge, No. 374

Best known as: The inventor of the Saxophone

Initiated: Unknown

Member of: Loge Les Vrais Amis de L'Union

Note:  His petition for initiation was found in the archives of the Lodge "Les Vrais Amis de l'Union" but no other record of his membership exists. 

Best known as: The inventor of the Gatling Gun

Initiated: Unknown

Member of: Center Lodge No. 23, Indianapolis, Ind

J. C. Penny


Best known as: Founder of JCPenney
Initiated: April 18, 1911, P. May 19, 1911, R. June 2, 1911
Lodge: Wasatch Lodge No. 1 F&AM Utah

Samuel Colt


Best know as: The inventor of the Revolver
Initiated: Unknown
Member of: St. John’s Lodge No. 4, Pythagoras Chapter No. 17, Washington Commandery No. 1, all of Hartford, CN

Frederick Louis Maytag


Best known as: Inventor of the automated washing machine
Initiated: I. April 23, P. May 14, R. Sept 13, 1887
Member of: Newton Lodge No. 59, Newton, Iowa

Louis Armstrong


Best known as: Jazz musician
Initiated: Unknown
Member of: Montgomery Lodge No. 18, Lodge of Montgomery No. 18, PHA, New York, NY
Source:www.fraternalties.com/blogs

Grover Cleveland is best known as the only president in history to be elected for two non-sequential terms. During his first electoral campaign in 1884 information was released that he previously had an affair with a widow named Maria C. Halpin who had given birth to a son. She claimed that Cleveland was the father and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland. Cleveland agreed to pay child support and then paid to put the child in an orphanage when she was no longer fit to raise him. Unusual for a candidate mired in such a scandal Cleveland admitted guilt in the matter. Chants of “Ma, ma, where’s my pa? Off to the White House, ha ha ha!” became popular throughout the country, but it did not stop Cleveland from getting elected. He was honest about the entire affair. This helped rather than hurt him, and elected again in 1892.

The Petticoat affair was an 1830–1831 U.S. scandal involving members of President Andrew Jackson’s Cabinet and their wives. This is often forgotten but at the time major scandal under the presidency of Andrew Jackson, one of the most famous presidents in United States history. Although it started over a private matter, it affected the political careers of several men and resulted in the informal “Kitchen Cabinet”. It began with the marriage of Jackson’s secretary of war, John Henry Eaton, to recently widowed Margaret Timberlake, whose husband had committed suicide. The marriage proved a great scandal in American high society, with rumors that Eaton had been having an affair with Timberlake which led to her first husband’s suicide. Most of Jackson’s cabinet turned against Eaton but Jackson supported him, and the controversy led to such a conflict that almost Jackson’s entire cabinet resigned over the issue. The 1936 film The Gorgeous Hussy is based on the affair.

Marilyn Monroe was perhaps the most start crossed lover in history. On one hand was her dazzling success in tinsel town and on the other, her volatile and highly secret relationships with the much-married President of the US and his brother. Monroe’s name was linked to both John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy.Although many in the political circles knew of the affairs, they were carefully hushed up so that the public had no clear facts to chew on. Monroe however was becoming a public embarrassment and had even threatened to go public about the President’s infidelities. But her plans were short-lived as she was found dead in her home under mysterious circumstances. Although official reports say she committed suicide, there have always been rumors that the Kennedys had her ‘removed’ to protect their political image. The truth still remains elusive.All of these scandals created a lot of furor and brought bad publicity to the politician(s) and the political party involved. But none had such a far reaching impact as the Watergate scandal which caused, for the first time, a reigning President to resign fearing impeachment.

Thomas Jefferson’s alleged relationship with Sally Hemmings was the first presidential s.x scandal in the United States and prompted a discussion that continues to this day. In 1802 Jefferson was charged with having an affair with his slave, Sally Hemmings, and in fact fathering a child. Jefferson denied the charges and remained as president for another 7 years, however the debate about the truth of the matter continued until 1998 when DNA testing proved that Jefferson more than likely fathered at least one of Sally Hemming’s children.

The Credit Mobilier scandal was the first major corruption scandal in the wake of the Civil War. The Credit Mobilier company was found to be stealing from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1868. However, they tried to cover this up by selling stocks in their company at a large discount to government officials and Congress members including Vice President Schuyler Colfax. When this was discovered, it hurt many reputations including that of Ulysses S. Grant’s VP. The story was broken by the New York newspaper, The Sun, during the 1872 presidential campaign, when S. Grant was running for re-election. The scandal’s origins dated back to the Abraham Lincoln presidency, when the Union Pacific Railroad was chartered in 1864 by the federal government and the associated Crédit Mobilier was established.

Grant’s presidency is often considered to be one of the most corrupt in history, and with good reason, as two major scandals took place during his presidency. The second was the Whiskey Ring scandal, involving a bribery and tax evasion scandal among many high ranking members of his cabinet (and even his own private secretary) and whiskey distillers. In 1875, it was revealed that many government employees were pocketing whiskey taxes. Grant called for swift punishment but caused further scandal when he moved to protect his personal secretray who had been implicated in the affair.

This biggest political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, the subject of an arms embargo. Several individuals in Ronald Reagan’s administration were implicated in the Iran-Contra Scandal. Basically, money that had been obtained through selling arms to Iran was given secretly to the revolutionary Contras in Nicaragua. Other than helping the Contras, the hope was that by selling the weapons to Iran, terrorists would be more willing to give up hostages. This scandal resulted in major Congressional hearings.

Warren G. Harding’s presidency was struck by many scandals. The Teapot Dome scandal was the most significant. Harding transferred control of naval oil reserve lands over to the Department of the Interior in 1921 (although it was later reversed by the Supreme Court, who ruled the move illegal). Then Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall used his new power for personal gain, giving rights to the Teapot Dome Reserve in Wyoming to the Mammoth Oil company in return for bribes. When the scandal broke in 1924 he was found to have accumulated over $100,000 worth of bribes from the Mammoth Oil Company, among others. Although Harding had already died in office prior to the scandal breaking, it became a hot topic of controversy for years after his death and continues to plague his now infamous legacy. Before the Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the “greatest and most sensational scandal in the history of American politics”.

There may be many scandals in the annals of United States presidential history, but none can compare for sheer impact with that of the Watergate scandal under the presidency of Richard M. This was a political scandal that occurred in the 1970s as a result of the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration’s attempted cover-up of its involvement. The scandal eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, on August 9, 1974, the only resignation of a U.S. President. The scandal also resulted in the indictment, trial, conviction and incarceration of 43 people, including dozens of Nixon’s top administration officials.

The Lewinsky scandal was a political s.x scandal emerging in 1998, from a s.xual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
Perhaps no other scandal in presidential history can equal the Monica Lewinsky affair for pure sensationalism and absurdity. Bill Clinton was implicated in a couple of scandals, the most significant for his presidency was the Monica Lewinsky affair. Lewinsky was a White House staffer with whom Clinton had an intimate relationship. He had previously denied this while giving a deposition in another case which resulted in a vote to impeach him by the House of Representatives in 1998. The Senate did not vote to remove him from office but the event did mar his presidency as he joined Andrew Johnson as only the second president to be impeached.

Winkey +X: Displays the quick access professional menu for advanced users as shown

Winkey +Q: displays the Cortana help

Winkey +W: displays the Windows workspace; and sticky notes

Winkey + I: displays the settings of windows corresponding to control panel

Winkey + L : Lock out the computer

Winkey + D: displays the desktop

Winkey +Right arrow or left: frames the app window to the right or left and displays a panel with other aps to match the 2 apps side by side

Winkey +up arrow: maximise and the down arrow minimise the app to the taskbar

Winkey + (first letter of the apps: launches the app

Winkey + 1: launches the first app pinned in the task bar...etc

Winkey + Tab: displays all apps as shown and offers you to choose which app to switch to 

as well as it gives you chance to add another desktop app and put any apps into it

Winkey alone: display the start menu

Snapchat has quickly taken over on the social media sphere. It’s the best way to keep updated on your friends and see their lives through their eyes. When used correctly, Snapchat can be extremely beneficial to your business and add a personal element that makes you more engaged with your audience. I’m sharing the four ways that we at Be Inspired PR use Snapchat and how you can use it too!

1. Encourage your clients to get social with you! 
Geofilters are perfect for your clients and guests to do some promotion for you. If you have an event, create a few geofilters that will be available for the event. You do have to design your own and pay for them, but they are extremely user friendly and will not break the bank. Not only will it expose your brand to your guests’ followers, but also those in the area will be able to access the filter and it will get your name out there. For a more permanent geofilter, you can allow your office to have a geofilter, so your visitors can show off your beautiful office!

2. Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look.
Snapchat was created to give your followers a look into your life through your point of view. So give the people what they want! Whether it’s showing them a tour of the office, a BTS of setting up an event, or goofy times with your team, use this platform to show your personality. People love authenticity, so keep it real, but fun.

3. Get user input.
While you can always use the good old-fashioned survey, those have become a little outdated and they aren’t exactly convenient for the on-the-go consumer. Instead, keep it simple and use Snapchat to get user input. Followers can snap or chat you directly, but if you want to take a poll, do it through your story. Share a snap explaining what is to come, and then share the options asking them to screenshot their favorite. What you’ll get is instant feedback!

4. Rewarding those who follow.
I love the quote “Invest in those who invest in you.” With all of your loyal followers, be sure to reward them. Give them exclusive promo codes or first looks/sneak peeks into your upcoming projects that you normally wouldn’t share on Facebook or Instagram. It will be gone in 24 hours and will be special for your Snapchat followers.

Social media platforms are the best way to gain free marketing, so take use them to your advantage. Get familiarized with the apps and the tools you can use to maximize the service. Implement these methods and you’re already on your way to becoming the next Snapchat King or Queen.

A hurricane threatening the first direct hit on the United States in more than a decade could cause insurance losses of $25-30 billion and be the second costliest U.S. hurricane on record for insurers, according to initial industry estimates.

Hurricane Matthew is just off the east coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory on Friday, after killing hundreds of people in Haiti on its move north through the Caribbean.

Data modelling firm RMS told clients earlier this week its initial estimates were a 42% chance of a $20 billion insurance loss and a 26% chance of a $30 billion loss from the hurricane, a source familiar with the research said.

Ben Brookes, vice president capital markets at RMS told Reuters its guidance to clients was based on a single forecast, adding: “to project impact from this alone would be misleading”.

“We have continued to update our guidance as the situation changes,” Brookes said, without giving further details.

Read More: The Costliest Hurricanes in U.S. History

An estimate from Kinetic Analysis of insured losses of $25 billion would make Matthew “the second most costly hurricane in U.S. history behind Katrina”, JPMorgan analysts said in a note late Thursday, referring to the hurricane which hit New Orleans and the surrounding coast in 2005.

A Kinetic Analysis spokesman said its $25 billion estimate was made on Thursday and its current estimate was “considerably lower”, without giving further detail.

Market participants were keeping a close track on the hurricane’s movements.

“People are looking at this literally every minute and working overnight on it,” one trader said.

The average impact to U.S. property and casualty insurers’ book value from $10-30 billion of insured losses from the hurricane would equate to around a quarter’s worth of earnings, the JPMorgan analysts added.

Heritage Insurance Holdings gave a preliminary loss estimate on Friday of around $500 million.

A $20 billion insured loss would match the insured losses caused by Hurricane Sandy in the northeast of the United States in 2012, which did not make landfall. A loss of this size would lead to “material risks” for Lloyd’s of London insurers, analyst Ben Cohen at Canaccord Genuity said in a note on Friday.

Cohen calculated a loss equivalent to Sandy would hit Beazley’s earnings by $104 million, Hiscox’s by 117 million pounds ($145 million) and Lancashire’s by $39 million.

Beazley estimates an $80 billion storm would cause a $200 million loss, a spokesman said, without specifying losses from a smaller disaster.

A Hiscox spokeswoman said it was too early to judge the impact of the hurricane.

A Lancashire spokesman also said it was early days, but the firm was feeling “relatively relaxed” about its losses because it was very lightly exposed to risk in Florida compared with other states in which it offers reinsurance for wind damage.

The hurricane represented a “real test” of reinsurers’ exposure, S&P Globalsaid in a report, but it did not see a ratings impact, due to reinsurers’ strong capital buffers.

In her secret speeches to Wall Street bankers, Hillary Clinton backed free trade and claimed politicians need leeway to make backroom deals — and may have disclosed classified details of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, according to the latest emails disclosed by WikiLeaks.

The emails also revealed that back in 2015, the Clinton campaign strategized about ways to elevate Donald Trump and other “extreme” Republicans — as “Pied Piper” candidates who would ultimately be so “unpalatable,” they’d help her win.

These “Pied Piper” candidates also included Ted Cruz and Ben Carson, according to the email, sent to the Democratic National Committee on April 7, 2015.

The email goes on to advise the DNC to “Force all Republican candidates to lock themselves into extreme conservative positions that will hurt them in the general election.”

Other emails disclosing the content of her speeches to bankers and business groups show Clinton revealing insider details of how bin Laden was targeted.

“I was in the small group that recommended to the president that he go after bin Laden,” Clinton said in a 2013 speech to a ­Toronto business organization.

She went on: “The amount of work that was required to get a strong-enough basis of information on which to plan took more than a decade . . . and then all of a sudden putting this matrix together and saying, ‘This guy used to protect bin Laden — he has just made a phone call. He said this in the phone call. We need to figure out where he is. Then we need to follow him.’

“And that is how we found this compound in Abbottabad [Pakistan]” — where a team of Navy SEALs took out bin Laden in May 2011.

WikiLeaks asked in a tweet if Clinton’s comments revealed too much about the bin Laden hunt by mentioning the phone calls.

It’s unclear whether Clinton’s story was classified. But what she said in Toronto varies from other accounts of how the United States determined bin Laden’s whereabouts.

Many reports of the time said the United States was tipped to bin Laden’s location by a Pakistani intelligence officer; other reports say Washington ­tracked him down with extensive surveillance.

The leaked trove of emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s account also features damning evidence of major flip-flops and doublespeak from the former secretary of state.

The leaked Clinton comment that most captured the imagination of social media Saturday came from an April 2013 speech to the National Multifamily Housing Council. Clinton said politicians must balance “both a public and a private position” while making deals.

“It is unsavory, and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be,” Clinton said. “But if everybody’s watching, you know, all of the backroom discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous, to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position.”

The full transcripts of the speeches were not released. But WikiLeaks included a document of excerpts from the speeches that Clinton’s campaign flagged as potential political trouble.

In a talk to a Brazilian bank in 2013, Clinton said her “dream” is “a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders,” and asked her audience to think of what doubling American trade with Latin America “would mean for everybody in this room.”

Trump, her Republican opponent, has made opposition to trade deals that he says hurt American workers a cornerstone of his campaign.

Clinton’s onetime opponent for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders, also was vocal in his objection to trade deals, and pushed Clinton to denounce support for the Trans Pacific Partnership.

And there’s more to come.

The leaks came from roughly 2,050 emails sent to and from Podesta, who is also a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

WikiLeaks claimed to have up to 10,000 emails.

“We have published 1 percent of the #PodestaEmails so far,” Wiki­Leaks tweeted Saturday.

“Additional publications will proceed throughout the election period.”

Podesta has said some of the leaked emails may have been altered or faked. He is not confirming or denying their contents.

Immunity deals for two top Hillary Clinton aides included a side arrangement obliging the FBI to destroy their laptops after reviewing the devices, House Judiciary Committee sources told Fox News on Monday. 

Sources said the arrangement with former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills and ex-campaign staffer Heather Samuelson also limited the search to no later than Jan. 31, 2015. This meant investigators could not review documents for the period after the email server became public -- in turn preventing the bureau from discovering if there was any evidence of obstruction of justice, sources said.

The internet whistleblowing group Wikileaks released over 2,000 emails involving Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The release comes the same day the State Department published 350 emails previously deleted from Clinton's private server.

Trends

US Elections 2016

At first inspection the emails date as far back as 2008 to 2016 and cover the gamut from the mundane like "Hillary Clinton’s Chipotle Order” to “Call with HRC” to “My position on the Iran deal” sent from Nancy Rotering to John Podesta.

Wikileaks said Podesta is a long-term associate of the Clintons and served as Bill Clinton’s chief of staff from 1998 to 2001.

Podesta served during Bill Clinton administration. Wikileaks warned on its 10th anniversary it would be releasing more emails.

#17 - Vince Foster’s Death

A childhood neighbor of former President Bill Clinton, Vince Foster was an Arkansas lawyer who worked with Hillary Clinton at Rose Law Firm in the 1970s. He joined the Clinton administration staff as the deputy White House counsel when Clinton was elected in 1992, but struggled with depression after the move to D.C. Foster committed suicide on July 20, 1993; he was found dead in a suburban Virginia park from a gunshot wound to his mouth, the revolver still in his hand. Multiple investigations ruled Foster’s death a suicide, but some people remain convinced it was a cover-up.

#16 - Ties to Cocaine Smuggler

Jorge Cabrera cut a check for $20,000 to the Democratic National Committee in November 1995, and the next month, he was invited to a holiday event at the White House, where he snagged a photo with first lady Hillary Clinton. But in January 1996, Cabrera was among a group arrested in Miami on a drug bust; he was sentenced to 19 years in prison. In October 1996, the DNC returned the donation check when it learned Cabrera was a convicted drug trafficker.

#15 - Paula Jones Accusations

Paula Jones was a state clerk in Arkansas when, according to her account, then Gov. Bill Clinton sexually harassed her in a hotel room in Little Rock, Ark. Jones filed a civil suit in January 1994, seeking $700,000 in damages; ultimately, the parties settled out of court where Jones was awarded $850,000. Fast-forward to May 2015, when Jones did an interview with the Daily Mail Online and said that Hillary Clinton is not fit to be president because of Bill Clinton’s actions. “There is no way that she did not know what was going on, that women were being abused and accosted by her husband,” Jones said in the article. “They have both lied.”

#14 - FBI Background Reports

During investigations related to Travelgate, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform found the Clinton administration amassed upwards of 700 FBI background reports on Republicans, many of them officials from previous GOP administrations. There was some dispute about how Craig Livingstone, the director of the Office of Personnel Security and the person who requested the background checks, came to have such a prominent role in the White House. Some asserted that Hillary Clinton had “highly recommended” him for the job and that she was friends with Livingstone’s mother, but an affidavit from the mother revealed she did not know the first lady.

#12 - Fugitive Fundraiser

Norman Hsu was a prominent Democratic fundraiser in the early 2000s, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the party and candidates, as well as contributing to the Clinton Global Initiative, an arm of the Clinton Foundation. During Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign, Hsu was a so-called bundler, someone who collects campaign contributions from multiple people and delivers the cash to one candidate. But when it was discovered that Hsu was a fugitive, wanted for fraud charges in 1992, Clinton returned $850,000 in donations that were somehow tied to him.

#10 - Travel Troubles

Within a few months of former President Bill Clinton’s first term, his team was rocked by its first ethics scandal: Travelgate. In May 1993, seven employees in the White House Travel Office were fired and the FBI was called in to investigate the department’s management and accounting practices. Clinton’s distant cousin was brought in to handle travel arrangements and an Arkansas-based travel company was initially expected to take over the White House account. According to a White House report, first lady Hillary Clinton was very interested in the goings-on inside the travel office and knew about the firings two days before they happened

#9 - Stealing from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

A Government Accountability Office report found that “damage, theft, vandalism and pranks” occurred at the White House in the transition between the Clinton and Bush administrations, to the tune of more than $13,000. Questions also arose about whether or not items that the Clintons moved from the White House to their new home in Chappaqua, N.Y., were gifts to them personally or were intended to remain at the White House. The Clintons ultimately returned the items, but Hillary Clinton, at the time a freshman senator, caught flack from her new colleagues for accepting gifts totaling $190,000.

#8 - Cash for Cattle

In the late 1970s, Hillary Clinton made close to $100,000 on cattle futures trading based on advice from a personal friend who was, at the time, a top legal adviser to Tyson Foods Inc. During that time, Tyson was one of the largest employers in Arkansas. According to a 1994 New York Times article investigating the Clintons’ finances, while Bill Clinton was the governor, Tyson did well, receiving, for example, $9 million in government loans and appointments to important state boards.

#7 - Mo’ Money, Mo’ Speeches

The whole Clinton family – Bill, Hillary and Chelsea – are high-profile gets for event speeches. But where they decide to speak, their fees and the content of the talks have come under scrutiny in regard to conflicts of interest. Chelsea Clinton, for example, directed a $65,000 fee in 2014 to the foundation; Hillary Clinton did the same with her $300,000 fee for a speech at UCLA. However, financial disclosure forms show Hillary Clinton reported personal income of more than $11 million for 51 speeches in a 13-month span. The Clintons haven’t said how they decide to designate their speaking fees as income versus charity work.

#6 - Whitewater, the First Domino

Whitewater has become shorthand for the string of scandals that have dogged the Clintons since their years in Arkansas. Bill and Hillary Clinton joined their friends Jim and Susan McDougal in purchasing a few hundred acres of land along the White River in the Ozarks, with the long-term plan to turn a profit by sectioning off lots for vacation homes. The land deal was a failure, and investigations into the labyrinth of business arrangements revealed a string of shady transactions and questionable practices. But the biggest consequence of Whitewater – a fairly dry legal scandal – was that it ultimately led to Kenneth Starr’s investigations. It was Starr’s panel that brought to light President Clinton’s relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, a decidedly more made-for-TV scandal.

#5 - Following the Money at the Clinton Foundation

After Bill Clinton left the White House, he kicked off his post-presidency with the Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit with a ballooning list of issue areas, ranging from global health to climate change to women’s rights. But with both Bill and Hillary Clinton’s wide-ranging political connections and deep involvement in multiple government sectors, questions of conflicts of interest came up early and often. When Hillary Clinton became the Secretary of State in 2009, the former president said he would disclose his foundation’s donors, among other agreed-upon stipulations. But in spring 2015, a blockbuster book titled “Clinton Cash” investigated donations from foreign entities to the foundation, claiming the State Department (under Hillary Clinton’s tenure) doled out favors to the donors.

#4 - Benghazi Attack

In September 2012, four Americans died in attacks on a diplomatic compound and CIA outpost in Benghazi, Libya, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Questions on how the Obama administration reacted to the incident led to a House select committee investigation of the events, with emphasis on what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knew before, during and after the attacks. The committee’s ongoing investigations and hearings revealed Clinton’s complicated email account and server setup.

#3 - Problems with Pardons

Former President Bill Clinton handed out many pardons during his time in office, including 140 on his last day in the White House, but few were as controversial as the one he delivered to Marc Rich. The fugitive fled to Switzerland in the ’80s when he learned he would be indicted on 65 criminal counts, including tax evasion, fraud and working with Iran during the hostage crisis. Rich’s pardon was among Clinton’s last-day sprint, and came under much scrutiny after it was found that Rich’s first wife, Denise, had contributed $450,000 to the foundation for the Clinton Presidential Library and $100,000 to Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign

#2 - Homebrew Email Server

While serving as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton worked off of a private email server at her New York home. Since her emails were not archived on official, government-run servers, Clinton aides decided which emails to hand over to the State Department – and opted to delete notes they labeled as personal (the FBI reportedly has been able to retrieve the deleted emails). The FBI is investigating the security of the server, not Clinton herself, especially since classified information had been found in some of the correspondence.

#1 - Accounting for Her Email Accounts

Not only did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton maintain an email server at her Chappaqua home, she also used a personal email account to conduct official business. Clinton never had a traditional “@state.gov” address, and although other government officials have used private accounts in the past, Clinton’s sole use of a personal account for work is unprecedented, according to a lawyer who worked at the National Archives and Records Administration. In July, Clinton said she is “confident” she never sent or received classified information on the personal account.

2009–2017 Barack Obama Administration

Executive Branch

Katherine Archuleta, who was the director of the Office of Personnel Management, was forced to resign on July 10, 2015 after the data theft of information on 22 million people who had applied for security clearances.

Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014 - It was discovered that officials in the Phoenix VA hospital lied about how long the wait times were for veterans to see a doctor. An investigation of delays is being conducted by the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki, voluntarily resigned.

2013 IRS scandal - IRS admitted to inappropriate investigation of conservative political groups associated with the Tea Party that may not have met the criteria for certain tax exemptions. Later, it was found that the IRS investigated liberal and progressive groups as well.  The president demanded and accepted the resignation of Steven T. Miller Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Other actions arising from the scandal included:

Lois Lerner, head of the IRS Office of Exempt Organizations, stated she had not done anything wrong and then took the Fifth before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. She retired in 2013 after an internal investigation found that she neglected her duties and was going to call for her ouster.

Joseph H. Grant, commissioner of the IRS Tax-exempt and Government entities division, resigned on May 16, 2013.

ATF gunwalking scandal – Attorney General Eric Holder was held in Contempt of Congress after refusing to release all documents which the House of Representatives had demanded concerning the Fast and Furious gun walking operation. (2012)

Terence Flynn, an appointee of Barack Obama to the National Labor Relations Board, resigned in May 2012 after being accused of serious ethical violations by leaking information to the National Association of Manufacturers.

Martha N. Johnson, head of the General Services Administration, fired two top GSA officials and then resigned herself after it was revealed that $822,000 had been spent in Las Vegas on a four-day training conference for 300 GSA employees. (2010)

Legislative

Chris Lee (New York politician) (R-NY) for New York's 26th congressional district resigned after he solicited a woman on Craigslist and emailed a shirtless photo of himself.(2011)

Dennis Hastert (R-IL) pleaded guilty to charges that he violated banking rules and lied to the FBI in a scheme to pay $3.5 million in hush money to conceal sexual misconduct with an under age boy from his days as a high school wrestling coach, from 1965 to 1981.(2015)

Aaron Schock (R-IL) resigned from office after evidence surfaced that he used campaign funds for travel, redecorated his office with taxpayer funds to resemble the sets of the Downton Abbey TV series, and otherwise spent campaign and/or taxpayer money on other questionable personal uses.(2015)

Schock's senior adviser Benjamin Cole had resigned earlier after he allegedly condemned "hood rats" and "black miscreants" in internet posts. Schock's office stated, "I am extremely disappointed by the inexcusable and offensive online comments made by a member of my staff."

Brett O'Donnell Communications Director for Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) plead guilty to lying to investigators from the House Office of Congressional Ethics about working for Rodgers while being paid with campaign money, thus becoming the first person ever to be convicted of lying to the House OCE.

Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) resigned his Congressional seat. Four of his staff were convicted by the state of Michigan of falsifying signatures on McCotter's reelection petitions for the 2012 elections. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (R) blamed McCotter for running a slipshod, leaderless operation. "The congressman has resigned in disgrace", Schuette said, though McCotter was not charged.

Paul Seewald worked for McCotter as his District Director of the Michigan's 11th congressional district. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of falsely signing a nominating petition as circulator. He was sentenced to two years' probation and 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay court costs and fees.

Don Yowchuang worked for McCotter as Deputy District Director of the Michigan 11th Congressional District. He pleaded guilty to ten counts of forgery and six counts of falsely signing a nominating petition and was sentenced to three years of probation, 200 hours of community service, court costs and fees.

Mary M. Turnbull was McCotter's Representative to the Michigan 11th Congressional District. She was convicted of conspiring to commit a legal act in an illegal manner and falsely signing a nominating petition. She was sentenced to two years of probation, a day in jail, and 200 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay a $1,440 fine. In addition, she is forbidden from any participation in elections or the political process.

Lorianne O'Brady worked as a scheduler for McCotter in the Michigan 11th Congressional District. She pleaded no contest to charges that she falsely claimed to have legally collected signatures to get McCotter on the ballot when she actually had not. She was sentenced to 20 days in jail and a work program plus $2,625 in fines and court costs.

Senator Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) campaign manager Jesse Benton (R) resigned when details of a bribery scandal from Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign came to light. (2014).

David Rivera (R-FL) was indicted as a co-conspirator with Campaign Manager Ana Alliegro who pleaded guilty to violation of US campaign laws in an $81,000 campaign-finance scheme to prop up a little-known Democratic candidate who used the illegal cash to trash Rivera's rival in the 2012 Democratic primary.

Rick Renzi (R-AZ) on June 12, 2013, was found guilty of 17 counts against him, which included wire fraud, conspiracy, extortion, racketeering, money laundering, and making false statements to insurance regulators.

Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) was arrested on December 23, 2012, and later pleaded guilty to drinking and driving in a Virginia court. The court fined him 250 dollars. He was sentenced to 180 days in prison, but served no time.

Trey Radel (R-FL) was arrested on October 29, 2013, in Washington, D.C. for possession of cocaine after purchasing the drug from an undercover law enforcement officer. As a first-time offender, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a Washington, D.C. court, and was sentenced to one year probation and fined $250. Radel took a leave of absence from office to undergo substance abuse treatment following his conviction. Following treatment, he initially returned to office with the intent of finishing his term, but eventually resigned on January 27, 2014.

Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-IL) pleaded guilty to one felony count of fraud for using $750,000 of campaign money to buy personal items such as stuffed animals, elk heads and fur capes.

Laura Richardson (D-CA) was found guilty on seven counts of violating US House rules by improperly using her staff to campaign for her, destroying the evidence and tampering with witness testimony. The House Ethics Committee ordered Richardson to pay a fine of $10,000. (2012)

John Ensign (R-NV) resigned his Senate seat on May 3, 2011, just before the Senate Ethics Committee could examine possible fiscal violations in connection with his extramarital affair with Cynthia Hampton. (2011) (see Federal sex scandals) In May 2012, aide Doug Hampton (R) in what became the John Ensign scandal reached a plea deal with prosecutors, the details of which have not yet been released.

Michael Grimm (R-NY) pleaded guilty to tax fraud on December 23, 2014, and was sentenced to eight months in federal prison.

Ron Paul (R-TX) Deputy Campaign Manager Dimitri Kesari was convicted of causing false records concerning charges of buying an Iowa State Senator's endorsement during the 2012 presidential campaign.(2012)

Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), while running for re-election on a pro-life platform, it was discovered that he had made his wife have two abortions, and tried to persuade his mistress (who was also his patient), to have one as well. He also admitted under oath that while a married physician at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper, TN, he had six affairs with three co-workers, two patients and a drug representative. He was investigated by the Tennessee Board of Health, pleaded guilty and was fined.(20Judicial Branch

G. Thomas Porteous Federal Judge for Eastern Louisiana was unanimously impeached by the US House of Representatives on charges of bribery and perjury in March 2010. He was convicted by the US Senate and removed from office. He had been appointed by Democrat Bill Clinton. (2010)

Samuel B. Kent Federal District Judge of Galveston, Texas, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for lying about sexually harassing two female employees. He had been appointed to office by Republican George H. W. Bush in 1990. (2009)

Jack T. Camp Senior Federal U.S. District Court Judge was appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan and again by George W. Bush, was arrested in an undercover drug bust while trying to purchase cocaine from an FBI agent. Judge Camp resigned after pleading guilty to three criminal charges. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 400 community service hours and fined.

2009–2017 Barack Obama Administration

Executive Branch

Katherine Archuleta, who was the director of the Office of Personnel Management, was forced to resign on July 10, 2015 after the data theft of information on 22 million people who had applied for security clearances.

Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014 - It was discovered that officials in the Phoenix VA hospital lied about how long the wait times were for veterans to see a doctor. An investigation of delays is being conducted by the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki, voluntarily resigned.

2013 IRS scandal - IRS admitted to inappropriate investigation of conservative political groups associated with the Tea Party that may not have met the criteria for certain tax exemptions. Later, it was found that the IRS investigated liberal and progressive groups as well.  The president demanded and accepted the resignation of Steven T. Miller Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Other actions arising from the scandal included:

Lois Lerner, head of the IRS Office of Exempt Organizations, stated she had not done anything wrong and then took the Fifth before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. She retired in 2013 after an internal investigation found that she neglected her duties and was going to call for her ouster.

Joseph H. Grant, commissioner of the IRS Tax-exempt and Government entities division, resigned on May 16, 2013.

ATF gunwalking scandal – Attorney General Eric Holder was held in Contempt of Congress after refusing to release all documents which the House of Representatives had demanded concerning the Fast and Furious gun walking operation. (2012)

Terence Flynn, an appointee of Barack Obama to the National Labor Relations Board, resigned in May 2012 after being accused of serious ethical violations by leaking information to the National Association of Manufacturers.

Martha N. Johnson, head of the General Services Administration, fired two top GSA officials and then resigned herself after it was revealed that $822,000 had been spent in Las Vegas on a four-day training conference for 300 GSA employees. (2010)

Legislative

Chris Lee (New York politician) (R-NY) for New York's 26th congressional district resigned after he solicited a woman on Craigslist and emailed a shirtless photo of himself.(2011)

Dennis Hastert (R-IL) pleaded guilty to charges that he violated banking rules and lied to the FBI in a scheme to pay $3.5 million in hush money to conceal sexual misconduct with an under age boy from his days as a high school wrestling coach, from 1965 to 1981.(2015)

Aaron Schock (R-IL) resigned from office after evidence surfaced that he used campaign funds for travel, redecorated his office with taxpayer funds to resemble the sets of the Downton Abbey TV series, and otherwise spent campaign and/or taxpayer money on other questionable personal uses.(2015)

Schock's senior adviser Benjamin Cole had resigned earlier after he allegedly condemned "hood rats" and "black miscreants" in internet posts. Schock's office stated, "I am extremely disappointed by the inexcusable and offensive online comments made by a member of my staff."

Brett O'Donnell Communications Director for Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) plead guilty to lying to investigators from the House Office of Congressional Ethics about working for Rodgers while being paid with campaign money, thus becoming the first person ever to be convicted of lying to the House OCE.

Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) resigned his Congressional seat. Four of his staff were convicted by the state of Michigan of falsifying signatures on McCotter's reelection petitions for the 2012 elections. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (R) blamed McCotter for running a slipshod, leaderless operation. "The congressman has resigned in disgrace", Schuette said, though McCotter was not charged.

Paul Seewald worked for McCotter as his District Director of the Michigan's 11th congressional district. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of falsely signing a nominating petition as circulator. He was sentenced to two years' probation and 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay court costs and fees.

Don Yowchuang worked for McCotter as Deputy District Director of the Michigan 11th Congressional District. He pleaded guilty to ten counts of forgery and six counts of falsely signing a nominating petition and was sentenced to three years of probation, 200 hours of community service, court costs and fees.

Mary M. Turnbull was McCotter's Representative to the Michigan 11th Congressional District. She was convicted of conspiring to commit a legal act in an illegal manner and falsely signing a nominating petition. She was sentenced to two years of probation, a day in jail, and 200 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay a $1,440 fine. In addition, she is forbidden from any participation in elections or the political process.

Lorianne O'Brady worked as a scheduler for McCotter in the Michigan 11th Congressional District. She pleaded no contest to charges that she falsely claimed to have legally collected signatures to get McCotter on the ballot when she actually had not. She was sentenced to 20 days in jail and a work program plus $2,625 in fines and court costs.

Senator Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) campaign manager Jesse Benton (R) resigned when details of a bribery scandal from Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign came to light. (2014).

David Rivera (R-FL) was indicted as a co-conspirator with Campaign Manager Ana Alliegro who pleaded guilty to violation of US campaign laws in an $81,000 campaign-finance scheme to prop up a little-known Democratic candidate who used the illegal cash to trash Rivera's rival in the 2012 Democratic primary.

Rick Renzi (R-AZ) on June 12, 2013, was found guilty of 17 counts against him, which included wire fraud, conspiracy, extortion, racketeering, money laundering, and making false statements to insurance regulators.

Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) was arrested on December 23, 2012, and later pleaded guilty to drinking and driving in a Virginia court. The court fined him 250 dollars. He was sentenced to 180 days in prison, but served no time.

Trey Radel (R-FL) was arrested on October 29, 2013, in Washington, D.C. for possession of cocaine after purchasing the drug from an undercover law enforcement officer. As a first-time offender, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a Washington, D.C. court, and was sentenced to one year probation and fined $250. Radel took a leave of absence from office to undergo substance abuse treatment following his conviction. Following treatment, he initially returned to office with the intent of finishing his term, but eventually resigned on January 27, 2014.

Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-IL) pleaded guilty to one felony count of fraud for using $750,000 of campaign money to buy personal items such as stuffed animals, elk heads and fur capes.

Laura Richardson (D-CA) was found guilty on seven counts of violating US House rules by improperly using her staff to campaign for her, destroying the evidence and tampering with witness testimony. The House Ethics Committee ordered Richardson to pay a fine of $10,000. (2012)

John Ensign (R-NV) resigned his Senate seat on May 3, 2011, just before the Senate Ethics Committee could examine possible fiscal violations in connection with his extramarital affair with Cynthia Hampton. (2011) (see Federal sex scandals) In May 2012, aide Doug Hampton (R) in what became the John Ensign scandal reached a plea deal with prosecutors, the details of which have not yet been released.

Michael Grimm (R-NY) pleaded guilty to tax fraud on December 23, 2014, and was sentenced to eight months in federal prison.

Ron Paul (R-TX) Deputy Campaign Manager Dimitri Kesari was convicted of causing false records concerning charges of buying an Iowa State Senator's endorsement during the 2012 presidential campaign.(2012)

Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), while running for re-election on a pro-life platform, it was discovered that he had made his wife have two abortions, and tried to persuade his mistress (who was also his patient), to have one as well. He also admitted under oath that while a married physician at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper, TN, he had six affairs with three co-workers, two patients and a drug representative. He was investigated by the Tennessee Board of Health, pleaded guilty and was fined.(20Judicial Branch

G. Thomas Porteous Federal Judge for Eastern Louisiana was unanimously impeached by the US House of Representatives on charges of bribery and perjury in March 2010. He was convicted by the US Senate and removed from office. He had been appointed by Democrat Bill Clinton. (2010)

Samuel B. Kent Federal District Judge of Galveston, Texas, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for lying about sexually harassing two female employees. He had been appointed to office by Republican George H. W. Bush in 1990. (2009)

Jack T. Camp Senior Federal U.S. District Court Judge was appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan and again by George W. Bush, was arrested in an undercover drug bust while trying to purchase cocaine from an FBI agent. Judge Camp resigned after pleading guilty to three criminal charges. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 400 community service hours and fined.