Sex, Money and Hypocrisy: The Recipe for a Scandal

Scandal, it seems, no longer stops politicians in their tracks.George Santos — who was expelled from Congress last Friday — will reportedly make six figures after just one week as a Cameo star. Donald Trump has been mired in countless trials and controversies — and yet he is still the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.This week on “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts reminisce over famous political scandals of yore. From tan suits to yacht affairs, what actually makes a scandal scandalous? And in the Trump era, are there real consequences to messing up anymore? Plus, Michelle Cottle tears down the house with her holiday gift guide.(A transcript of this episode can be found at the top of the episode page on the Times website.)Mentioned in this episode:“Checkers speech,” Richard Nixon Foundation“Watergate: A New History,” by Garrett M. Graff“White House Plumbers,” a five-part miniseries on Max“Healthy Holly” book series, by Catherine Pugh“All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid,” by Matt Bai“Bush Encounters the Supermarket, Amazed,” by Andrew Rosenthal in The New York Times“A Very Thin Line: The Iran-Contra Affairs,” by Theodore Draper“The Final Days,” by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein“George Santos Is Earning Six Figures From Cameo Videos,” by Ben Smith and Kadia Goba on Semafor Thoughts about the show? Email us at [email protected]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.