America's 50 Most Scandalous Political Scandals

It takes a certain amount of arrogance for a politician to get caught up in a sex scandal. Do they really always think they won't get caught? But it takes two to tango, and here are 15 women that have tangoed with the best of 'em.(PS: Sorry it's a sexist list. I'm waiting just as impatiently as anyone for women to start behaving as badly in office as men have.) Chuck Robb Gets a Nude Massage from Miss Virginia To hear it from Robb, the two simply shared some champagne, she gave him a...Read Full Story

In many parts of the country, it's still difficult for gays and lesbians to make it in politics without hiding who they are. Unfortunately it often takes a scandal for a politician to admit homosexuality. Here are 8 scandals that outed both Democratic and Republican politicians. Barney Frank's 'Risky Business' In 1990, Barney Frank came out of the closet when his bizarre relationship with male prostitute Steve Gobie came to light. Frank acknowledged that he had paid for Gobie's...Read Full Story

Sometimes the proof of a politician's extramarital activities is in the results of a paternity test. Here are 7 stories of politicians who have been scandalized by so-called love children. Everybody Hates John Edwards John Edwards acknowledged his affair with Rielle Hunter after being caught leaving her Los Angeles hotel in August, 2008. But he's leaving it up to speculation as to whether he's the father of her infant daughter...Read More >> Grover Cleveland's 'Mamma Mia...Read Full Story

Ted Haggard with wife Gayle Haggard. (From tedhaggard.com)Though he was never elected to any public office, Ted Haggard was the most influential evangelical Christian in the United States from 2004-'05.His influence didn't just spread across the young impressionable minds of those scary kids from Jesus Camp either. In 2005, journalist Jeff Sharlet reported that Haggard was meeting every Monday with President George W. Bush. Clearly, Haggard had a political agenda. He was an outspoken critic...Read Full Story

Police now believe they've found Chandra Levy's killer. Ingmar Guandique is currently awaiting trial for the 2001 murder. But when the case first broke, a LOT of people figured former congressman Gary Condit (D-CA) was the culprit. In a particularly dark political scandal, Condit made a series of missteps that almost got him charged with the 23-year-old DC intern's murder.First, he lied about it all to police. When Levy disappeared in the spring of 2001, police were soon led to Condit...Read Full Story

Wilbur Mills with Argentine stripper Annabelle Battistella, better known as Fanne Foxe (From NYTimes.com)In 1974, the well-respected congressman Wilbur Mills cracked.To this day, Mills' tale of self-destruction is infamous for its audacity and mystery. As the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Mills was one of the most powerful men in Washington. He was known for being both likeable and extraordinarily knowledgable. Many in congress believed Mills was a borderline teetotaler who...Read Full Story

Bob Bauman in his congressional days. A more recent picture of the former congressman. You just can't dress up the details of the Bob Bauman case.The Republican representative from Maryland was arrested Oct. 3, 1980, for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old male prostitute. The arrest came in the midst of Bauman's reelection campaign, occurring after the deadline for withdrawal from the contest, and thus handing the election to Democrat Roy Dyson, who hadn't stood a chance before Bauman's...Read Full Story

Paula Parkinson in 1980When 3 Republican congressmen joined insurance lobbyist Paula Parkinson for a golfing trip to Florida, they didn't realize it would soon become the most infamous foursome of the 1980s. Anybody who knows Dan Quayle, knows he'd rather play golf than have sex any day. - Marilyn Quayle on Paula Parkinson's allegations Though the account has never been confirmed, Parkinson would later strongly imply in a Playboy interview that her vacation with Thomas Evans, Jr., Tom...Read Full Story

John Edwards (Getty Images) and Rielle Hunter2008 was a bad year for John Edwards.It was one thing when the National Enquirer was speculating that Edwards was carrying on an extramarital affair. It was another thing all together when one of the tabloid's photographers caught him leaving his Rielle Hunter's Los Angeles hotel room at 3 am and Edwards responded by ducking into the nearest men's room and holding the door shut. FURTHER READING John Edwards in Hot Water for Paying Rielle Hunter...Read Full Story

Our politicians remind us all too often that the King and fool are sometimes one and the same. Here are 10 stories of politicians whose strange scandals makes say "WTF?" Jeff Gannon: Male Prostitute & White House Correspondent When new blood joins the White House Press Corps, reporters tend to notice. So it was when some no-name reporter started lobbing softballs to President Bush. It wasn't long before a few actual journalists dug up the dirt on Jeff Gannon..Read More...Read Full Story