8 Politicians Who Survived Scandals
Alex M. Parker

June 26, 2011

New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner found the media spectacle surrounding his improper behavior too much to bear. Whether it was due to political pressure or the stress on his family life, he decided to resign his seat in Congress. Others have found ways to survive, or even thrive, after a political scandal. A look at some of the politicians who have managed to survive ethics or sex scandals:

Sen. Edward Kennedy

The 1969 Chappaquiddick incident -- when passenger Mary Jo Kopechne died after Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge -- may have ended the youngest Kennedy brother's chances for the presidency. But it didn't cost him his Senate seat. Kennedy was elected to seven more terms, and became one of the most well-respected members of the Senate by colleagues of both parties.

Rep. John Murtha

In 1980, longtime Pennsylvania Rep. Jack Murtha was caught up in the Abscam scandal-when undercover FBI agents posing as Arab sheikhs solicited bribes from congressmen. Murtha wasn't indicted because he never took the bribe, although he seemed to suggest he might take it later. The investigation stuck with him, though, hurting his 2006 bid to become House majority leader.

Rep. Gerry Studds

Studds, a Massachusetts Democratic congressman, admitted having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male Congressional page. The admission stemmed from a 1983 House Ethics Committee investigation into Studds and Illinois GOP Rep. Dan Crane. Crane, who admitted having a relationship with a 17-year-old female intern, was defeated for re-election, but Studds kept his seat until he retired in 1997.

Rep. Barney Frank

The quick-witted, openly homosexual Massachusetts congressman, beloved on the left for his outspoken liberalism, was reprimanded by the House in 1990 for two minor charges, both stemming from his involvement with Stephen Gobie, a male escort and convicted drug user. Gobie was allegedly running a prostitution ring from Frank's Capitol Hill apartment. Frank denied knowledge of any illegal activity. He easily won re-election, and eventually became the top Democrat on the House Committee on Financial Services.

Sen. John McCain

McCain's ethics woes are an example of not only how to survive an ethics scandal, but how to use it to elevate one's political stature. As a newly elected Arizona senator, McCain was engulfed in the so-called "Keating Five" scandal, as one of the five senators who had tried to intervene on behalf of savings and loan financier Charles Keating. McCain, who had taken more than $112,000 of Keating's campaign cash and had also taken trips at Keating's expense, was cited by the Senate Ethics Committee in 1991 for "poor judgment." Scarred by the scandal, McCain re-made himself as campaign finance reform champion, becoming one of the Senate's most popular figures and eventually the GOP's presidential nominee in 2008.

President Bill Clinton

After Clinton admitted a sexual relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky, the House of Representatives moved to impeach Clinton, over charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Ultimately, the Senate acquitted him of the charges. Although he's never quite shaken the image of a philanderer, Clinton remains an elder statesmen in the Democratic Party.

Sen. David Vitter

After his name emerged during the infamous 2007 "D.C. Madam" scandal, Vitter eventually admitted transgressions and asked for the public's forgiveness. He was never prosecuted -- the statute of limitations had expired -- and was overwhelmingly re-elected to his seat in 2010.

Rep. Charlie Rangel

The Harlem congressman was once one of the most well-respected lawmakers. The path-breaking cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus ascended to the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most sought-after posts in Congress. But much of that respect evaporated in 2010, when he was censured by the House after the Ethics Committee found him guilty of 11 violations, including filing erroneous financial disclosure forms, improperly using a rent-controlled apartment as his campaign office, and failing to pay taxes on rental income from a beach villa in the Dominican Republic. But despite many calls to step down, Rangel held on to his seat. He still sits on the Ways and Means Committee, but only as an ex-officio member without voting privileges.

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