Last edited Sat Sep 1, 2018, 03:06 AM - Edit history (3)
Some background
At a Schemes Inception and Destruction, the F.B.I.
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/06/13/did-any-good-come-of-watergate/at-a-schemes-inception-and-destruction-the-fbi
Way back when, Congress actually took action.
How Watergate Changed America's Intelligence Laws
https://www.history.com/news/how-watergate-changed-americas-intelligence-laws
In the wake of the findings of the Church Committee, Congress created permanent intelligence oversight committees in both the Senate and House. They also proposed the creation of the Foreign Service Intelligence Act. The bipartisan bill, which passed the House 246-128 and the Senate 95-1, was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 25, 1978.
How did they recover? By implementing new oversight. Just as regulation in the wake of Enron (since dismantled) sought to remedy the loss of confidence, new oversight sought to remedy loss of confidence in the intelligence services.
Reforms weren't limited to intelligence services. In the wake of Watergate, there was a raft of other legislation that sought to create a "new era of ethics in government."
On edit, added list of key post-Watergate legislation.
Limitations of War Powers Act, 1974
Federal Election Campaign Act, 1974
Freedom of Information Act, 1974
The Private Act, 1974
Ethics in Government, 1978 (including the Independent Counsel Act)
Foreign Service Intelligence Act, 1978