Political drama that unfolded around Thanksgiving in Washington DC

Thanksgiving usually slows down the news as Americans gather with family and friends. But the holiday also has a habit of heightening Washington, D.C.’s political drama and surprises.

Americans are no strangers to controversies and scandals, including a handful over the decades as citizens gather around the dinner table for Thanksgiving or go Black Friday shopping.

Fox News Digital takes a look at the biggest scandals and political events rocking Washington, D.C. during the fall break.

‘I am not a fraudster’

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 1973, then-President Richard Nixon held a press conference in Orlando, Florida; where he famously said that he was not a “con man” when the Watergate break-in and subsequent scandal came to light.

At the center of the scandal were Nixon’s efforts to obstruct justice by covering up the break-in into the Watergate office complex, including suppressing the FBI’s investigation, paying hush money, and misusing federal agencies to shield his administration from scrutiny.

As the scandal over the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters heated up, Nixon defended herself in a televised Q&A session with newspaper editors gathered for a meeting at Walt Disney World.

While initially answering questions about his personal finances, Nixon said, “Let me just say this, and I want to say to the television audience: I have made mistakes, but in my public life I have never made a profit, I have never made a profit on public services; I have earned every penny.” he said. “And I have never obstructed justice in my public life.”

“I can also say that in my years of public life I have welcomed this kind of scrutiny because people should know whether their president is a crook or not. I am not a crook. I have earned everything I have,” he continued.

Nixon finally resigned in August 1974, as the impeachment process was ongoing and a grand jury was preparing to indict him on charges of bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and obstructing a criminal investigation into the Watergate cover-up.

Nixon was later pardoned and did not face any federal investigation into the matter.

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President Ronald W. Reagan speaks to the press during the Iran-Contra hearings. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)

Iran-Contra opens

Details about the Iran-Contra affair emerged in the early days of November 1986, before Thanksgiving week accelerated; including then-President Ronald Reagan’s firing of Lt. Col. Oliver North and his announcement of the resignation of National Security Advisor John Poindexter two days before the recess.

In early November 1986, news began to spread abroad that the United States had made a secret arms sale to Iran to secure the release of American hostages held in Lebanon, and that U.S. officials later disclosed that funds from the deal were being used to finance an anti-communist rebel group in Nicaragua called the Contras.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Reagan announced that he was removing North from the National Security Council and that Poindexter was resigning the same day. On Thanksgiving Eve, Reagan announced the formation of a Special Review Board, later known as the Tower Commission, to review the National Security Council’s role in the agreement.

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The repercussions of the report continued throughout the holiday and even into the George HW Bush administration; The then-president granted amnesty to a handful of people involved on Christmas Eve 1992.

Then-President Bill Clinton answered 81 questions from the House Judiciary Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry the day after Thanksgiving in 1998. (Diana Walker HC/Kontur, Getty Images)

Clinton impeachment process intensifies

While many Americans were out shopping on Black Friday in 1998, the Clinton White House delivered written answers to 81 questions from the House of Representatives about then-President Bill Clinton’s relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky as part of the impeachment inquiry.

Clinton told the nation in January 1998 that he “had no sexual relationship with the woman named Ms. Lewinsky”; The House of Representatives authorized an impeachment inquiry in October, which centered around the Thanksgiving holiday. The judiciary sent 81 questions to Clinton focusing on her relationship with Lewinsky, based on independent lawyer Kenneth Starr’s report containing evidence regarding the affair allegations.

Clinton answered 81 questions on Black Friday, including questions about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and his behavior in the case of Paula Jones, who accused him of sexual harassment in 1994. Judicial Republicans accused Clinton of playing “word games” in her responses, including Clinton denying perjury or obstruction of justice, and the impeachment inquiry continued.

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The House ultimately impeached Clinton on charges of perjury before a grand jury and obstruction of justice for her efforts to conceal her relationship with an intern, while the Senate voted to acquit Clinton on both articles of impeachment.

President George W. Bush traveled to Iraq in 2003 to meet with soldiers without public knowledge. (Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images)

Bush’s secret Thanksgiving trip to Iraq

In a more cheerful Thanksgiving political event, then-President George W. Bush quietly traveled to Iraq in 2003 to meet with troops stationed in Baghdad. The visit, which was conducted in complete secrecy until his arrival, was the first visit of a sitting president to Iraq.

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“Our planners worked to answer every question,” Bush said at the time of the intense planning for the trip. “I had a lot of questions.”

Bush was on the ground for more than two hours before returning to the United States. While the trip revealed some allegations that the president was working for political gain ahead of the 2004 elections, the administration ignored such allegations while emphasizing that the commander-in-chief’s visit was focused on supporting soldiers during the war.

President Donald Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn ahead of Thanksgiving 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump pardoned Michael Flynn

Just after 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve in 2020, Trump announced that he had granted a full pardon to his former national security adviser, retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn.

Later in the day, the White House released a statement saying that Flynn “should never have been prosecuted” and that the pardon ended “the relentless, partisan pursuit of an innocent man.”

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“While today’s action corrects the injustice committed against an innocent man and an American hero, it should also serve as a reminder to all of us that we must remain vigilant against those we trust and rely on,” the statement said. The statement was included.

The pardon ended a years-long legal battle stemming from then-special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the United States. 2016 election. Flynn’s pardon was preceded by a 2017 guilty plea for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia. Additionally, Flynn admitted to submitting documents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. However, his sentence was postponed due to his cooperation with the authorities.

In 2019, Flynn pleaded innocent in the case and attempted to recuse himself, citing government misconduct.

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The Justice Department was about to dismiss the case when Trump pardoned Flynn.