A Brief History Of Secret Recordings

Nixon installs hidden, voice-activated audiotaping equipment in the White House. Over a period of two years, he keeps tabs on hundreds of conversations. Many of the secret Nixon tapes — some 3,700 hours, with at least one famous gap — eventually come to light and are available to the public.

"Bitch set me up," Barry says when he discovers he has been secretly videotaped — by the FBI and the D.C. police — while allegedly smoking crack cocaine in a hotel room with a gal-pal. Barry goes to prison, then is re-elected mayor.

A circle of House Republican bigwigs, including Gingrich of Georgia and John Boehner of Ohio, join a conference call about an ethics committee investigation of Gingrich. Unbeknownst to them, two people secretly record the confab. The listeners-in pass a copy on to Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., and he leaks it to the world. Boehner eventually sues McDermott, who is forced to pay damages.

Without consent, Tripp records lots of phone chats with friend Monica Lewinsky, who is involved in an inappropriate relationship with President Clinton. "You know what's really weird? I keep hearing these double-clicks," Lewinsky says in the recordings. "That's my gum," Tripp replies. The tapes lead to impeachment for Clinton and illegal recording charges against Tripp that are eventually dropped.

When federal agents suspect Blagojevich of corruption, they tap his telephone. Unwittingly, Blagojevich speaks of many things, including his power to appoint someone to Obama's soon-to-be empty Senate seat: "I've got this thing and it's f - - - - - - golden and I'm just not giving it up for f - - - - - - nothing." The Democrat is eventually impeached, removed from office and sent to jail.

Speaking privately to wealthy backers, the Democratic presidential hopeful says some small-town Americans are upset. "And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." A blogger records the remarks; Obama regrets them.

The Republican presidential candidate is caught on camera at a closed-door Florida fundraiser, opining that "47 percent" of voters would never support him and that they are "dependent upon government ... believe that they are victims ... believe the government has a responsibility to care for them ... [and] pay no income tax." The "47 percent" quip haunts Romney's campaign.