Grant and Harding are famous for being personally corrupt. Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment for political corruption. Reagan colluded with Iran to prevent

Grant and Harding are famous for being personally corrupt. Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment for political corruption. Reagan colluded with Iran to prevent the release of hostages during Carter's re-election campaign and later sold them weapons to bypass congressional oversight. These are just a couple well known examples at the presidential level, I am sure that for every one we know about there are dozens if hundreds of similar examples. Go further down the scale to the congressional, state, city, and municipal levels and you encounter even pettier levels of corruption where you can buy votes for 5 figure construction contracts or just simple cash handoffs.