- The Watergate scandal in the United States during the 1970s, involving President Richard Nixon's administration's efforts to cover up its involvement in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
- The Profumo affair in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s, involving the resignation of War Minister John Profumo due to his relationship with a call girl who had connections to a Soviet naval intelligence officer.
- The Tangentopoli scandal in Italy during the 1990s, involving high-level corruption and kickbacks paid to politicians and officials by businesses.
- The Enron scandal in the United States in the early 2000s, involving accounting fraud and manipulation that led to the collapse of the energy company Enron and the subsequent bankruptcy of its auditing firm, Arthur Andersen.
- The cash-for-honors scandal in the United Kingdom during the 1990s and early 2000s, involving allegations that political parties sold nominations for seats in the House of Lords in exchange for donations.
- The 2010s Brazilian corruption scandals, involving a vast network of bribes and kickbacks paid by construction companies and other businesses to politicians and officials, leading to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.
These are just a few examples, and there have been numerous other political scandals over the years. Scandals can have significant political consequences, including the resignation of officials, loss of public trust, and changes in legislation or government policies.