George H.W. Bush

Bush Pardons Six Iran-Contra Officials on Christmas Eve, Completing Cover-Up

| Importance: 10/10

President George H.W. Bush issues sweeping pardons to six Iran-Contra defendants on Christmas Eve, twelve days before former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger’s trial was scheduled to begin. The pardons cover Weinberger, former National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane, former Assistant …

George H.W. Bush Caspar Weinberger Robert McFarlane Elliott Abrams Lawrence Walsh Iran-Contra presidential-pardons obstruction-of-justice accountability cover-up
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Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger Indicted on Five Iran-Contra Felonies

| Importance: 9/10

Former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger is indicted by a federal grand jury on five felony counts of lying to Congress and investigators about the Iran-Contra scandal, marking the highest-ranking Reagan administration official charged in the affair. Independent counsel Lawrence Walsh brings the …

Caspar Weinberger Lawrence Walsh Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush Iran-Contra Reagan-administration obstruction-of-justice perjury accountability
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U.S. Invades Panama to Capture Former CIA Asset Manuel Noriega

| Importance: 9/10

The United States launches Operation Just Cause, deploying nearly 26,000 combat troops in the largest and most complex military operation since the Vietnam War to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. The invasion targets two dozen locations throughout Panama in a massive show of force …

George H.W. Bush Manuel Noriega foreign-policy CIA drug-trafficking military-intervention Latin-America
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FIRREA Signed: $160 Billion Taxpayer Bailout of S&L Industry Fraud

| Importance: 9/10

President George H.W. Bush signs the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), authorizing a $160.1 billion taxpayer bailout of the savings and loan industry—with $132 billion coming directly from taxpayers through higher taxes and fees. The legislation creates the …

George H.W. Bush Congress Resolution Trust Corporation Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation s&l-crisis firrea bailout taxpayers deregulation-failure +1 more
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Reagan Leaves Office: Domestic Corruption and Policy Failure Legacy

| Importance: 9/10

Ronald Reagan leaves office with a domestic legacy of systematic corruption, regulatory capture, and policy failures that define American political economy for decades. The S&L crisis triggered by his deregulation will ultimately cost taxpayers $160 billion and require prosecuting 1,000+ bankers …

Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush American public reagan-legacy corruption policy-failure economic-inequality deregulation
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Silverado S&L Collapses: Neil Bush Conflict of Interest Costs Taxpayers $1 Billion

| Importance: 8/10

Silverado Savings and Loan collapses with losses exceeding $1 billion to taxpayers, exposing serious conflicts of interest involving Neil Bush, son of Vice President-elect George H.W. Bush. Neil Bush served on Silverado’s board of directors from 1985-1988, during which he approved over $130 …

Neil Bush George H.W. Bush Silverado Savings and Loan Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Good International +1 more neil-bush silverado s&l-crisis conflict-of-interest fraud +1 more
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