In 1998, the world watched as then-President Bill Clinton was charged with perjury and became embroiled in a high-profile impeachment trial – all sparked by his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
With moments such as Clinton’s lie that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman” going down in history, the proceedings have followed Lewinsky throughout her life. It has taken a lot of time, love and courage for Lewinsky to transition from a private to a public figure. Know all about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
How Long Did The Affair Happen?
The affair of former President Clinton, who was 49 years old when he met Monica Lewinsky, an unpaid 22-year-old White House intern broke the media in 1998. In 1995, there was a government shutdown due to conflict over education policy. This left interns like Lewinsky to take on significant work as many White House staffers were sent home.
The initial report stated, “During the shutdown, Ms. Lewinsky worked in Chief of Staff Panetta’s West Wing office, where she answered phones and ran errands. The President came to Mr. Panetta’s office frequently because of the shutdown, and he sometimes talked with Ms. Lewinsky.”
Kenneth Starr, who investigated Clinton, reported that those encounters as ‘continuous flirtation’. According to Ms. Lewinsky, a Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff, Barry Toiv, remarked to her that she was getting a great deal of “face time” with the President. The Starr Report claimed Lewinsky and Clinton flirted – which included moments such as Lewinsky showing him “the straps of her thong underwear” as she lifted up her jacket.
On November 15, 1995, Lewinsky was invited to Clinton’s private study by the President himself. She testified that they had acknowledged “we were both attracted to each other”. The President then asked if he could kiss her and then she left her number for him. On the same day, she was later asked again by the President to come to his private study where they began their sexual relationship. They had an on-and-off relationship for over 18 months. Lewinsky said that she “never expected to fall in love with the President,” but added, “I was surprised that I did.”
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How Did The Affair End?
Lewinsky testified that she had 10 sexual encounters over the course of 18 months with and also spoke at length on the phone. They exchanged gifts, which included Lewinsky giving him several neckties and Clinton giving her a special edition of ‘Leaves of Grass’ by Walt Whitman. However, Clinton ended the relationship in February 1996 on President’s Day.
Clinton later called her to his office on March 1996 and resumed their relationship and had a sexual encounter. Lewinsky was later transferred to the Pentagon in 1996 after White House staff “thought she hung around the Oval Office too much and transferred her.”
“[People] were wary of his weaknesses, maybe, and . . . they didn’t want to look at him and think that he could be responsible for anything, so it had to all be my fault” she later said.
A staff director Timothy Keating in April 1996 told Lewinsky, she was “too sexy to be working in the East Wing”. He also told her that the job at the Pentagon where she’d be writing press releases was a “sexier job”. Lewinsky came to the conclusion that she was never going to see the President again: “I mean, my relationship with him would be over.” In May 1997, Clinton ended his sexual relationship with Lewinsky.
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How Clinton’s Affair Led To His Impeachment
Clinton stated that Lewinsky “paid quite a price” for the affair. Lewinsky has now established herself as an anti-bullying activist. She has spoken openly about the “avalanche of pain and humiliation” she experienced during that dreadful period. It was at the Pentagon that she met Linda Tripp while working in the public affairs office. Lewinsky began to disclose details of her and Clinton’s relationship. Tripp began to record her and Lewinsky’s conversations about the affair without Lewinsky’s knowledge.
Just three days after Clinton broke up with Lewinsky, the Supreme Court ordered that a sexual harassment case against Clinton would proceed. The case was filed by Paula Jones. Lewinsky was named as a potential witness for the lawsuit in 1997. Clinton called her in December that year to tell her she “might have to testify under oath” as Jones’ lawyers were attempting to establish a pattern of sexual infidelity on Clinton’s part to bolster their case.
In January 1998, Lewinsky signed an affidavit stating that she had not had sexual relations with Clinton. He also denied the affair in a deposition on January 17. Meanwhile, Tripp began speaking with Paula Jones’ lawyers and word of her tapes with Lewinsky began to get out. After that, news of the Lewinsky-Clinton affair began to circulate on gossip websites and later mainstream media outlets. This led Clinton to declare on January 26 on television, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”
Clinton and Lewinsky were later called to testify before a grand jury. When Clinton testified, he admitted to “inappropriate intimate physical contact” with Lewinsky. He then gave a televised interview on August 17 in which he apologized for his actions and admitted to the affair, saying, “It was wrong…I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that.” After this, the Starr Report was published and became a bestseller overnight.
Based on its findings, the House launched an impeachment inquiry and looked into its charges of perjury, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and more. On October 8, the case moved forward on three articles of impeachment. Eventually, on December 19, Clinton was impeached.
From Public Shaming To Laughing It Out
Lewinsky became everyone’s punching bag. She was a recurring character on ‘Saturday Night Live’. Making fun of this 22-year-old girl became a national pastime. She was bullied for everything from her hat choice to her weight to her voice to her diction. All this despite the fact that at that point Bill Clinton had numerous sexual harassment and assault (and possibly rape) allegations issued against him and had a reputation for philandering.
Clinton was arguably the most powerful man in the world and yet all of this was somehow her fault. Vogue noted, “It was one of the worst betrayals in modern life, 22 hours of taped conversation, 22 hours of confession, 22 hours of betrayal.” Lewinsky revealed she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the scandal.
She has since gone on to become an anti-bullying advocate. She is speaking on programs such as ‘Last Week Tonight’ about public shame and even gave a Ted Talk on the topic. Lewinsky has also become a prominent Twitter figure, referencing the affair on her own terms and making jokes about the situation.
Decades after the scandal broke out, Lewinsky produced a series portraying her story in ‘American Crime Story’. She was played by ‘Booksmart‘ actress Beanie Feldstein in the Ryan Murphy series. Lewinsky explained why she had decided to produce it.
“People have been co-opting and telling my part in this story for decades. In fact, it wasn’t until the past few years that I’ve been able to fully reclaim my narrative; almost 20 years later,” she said. “This isn’t just a me problem. Powerful people, often men, take advantage of those subordinate to them in myriad ways all the time,” she said. “Many people will see this as such a story and for that reason, this narrative is one that is, regretfully, evergreen.”
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