View source for Clinton–Lewinsky scandal

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{short description|1998 American political sex scandal}}
{{Redirect|Sexgate|general information about sexual scandals|Sex scandal}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky on February 28, 1997 A3e06420664168d9466c84c3e31ccc2f.jpg|thumb|right|Clinton with Lewinsky in February 1997]]
{{Bill Clinton series|expanded=Tenure}}

The '''Clinton–Lewinsky scandal''' was a [[sex scandal]] involving [[Bill Clinton]], the president of the United States, and [[Monica Lewinsky]], a [[White House]] [[Internship|intern]]. Their [[sexual relationship]] began in 1995&mdash;when Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was 22 years old&mdash;and lasted 18 months, ending in 1997.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bennett |first=Jessica |date=September 1, 2021 |title=Monica Lewinsky Is (Reluctantly) Revisiting 'That Woman' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/arts/television/monica-lewinsky-impeachment-american-crime-story.html |access-date=January 20, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Clinton ended televised remarks on January 26, 1998, with the later infamous statement: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Further investigation led to charges of [[perjury]] and to the [[impeachment of Clinton]] in 1998 by the [[U.S. House of Representatives]]. He was subsequently acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and [[obstruction of justice]] in a 21-day [[U.S. Senate]] trial.<ref>{{cite book|last=Posner|first=Richard A|title=An Affair of State The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_f8r9|access-date=March 1, 2012|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-00080-3|chapter=Introduction|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_f8r9}}</ref>

Clinton was held in civil [[contempt of court]] by Judge [[Susan Webber Wright]] for giving misleading testimony in the [[Paula Jones]] case regarding Lewinsky,<ref name="ppppava">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/13/us/clinton-is-found-to-be-in-contempt-on-jones-lawsuit.html|title=Clinton is found to be in contempt on Jones lawsuit |last2= Lewis| first1= John M. |last1= Broder |first2=Neil A.|date=April 13, 1999|work=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=March 5, 2012}}</ref> and was also fined $90,000 by Wright.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news| url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-30-mn-61021-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Robert L. | last=Jackson | title=Clinton Fined $90,686 for Lying in Paula Jones Case | date=July 30, 1999}}</ref> His license to practice law was suspended in Arkansas for five years; shortly thereafter, he was disbarred from presenting cases in front of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]].<ref name="auto">{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/01/national/01WIRE-CLIN.html |title= Clinton Disbarred From Practice Before Supreme Court |work= The New York Times |first= Anne |last= Gearan |agency= Associated Press |date= October 1, 2001}}</ref>

Lewinsky was a graduate of [[Lewis & Clark College]]. She was hired during Clinton's first term in 1995 as an intern at the White House through the [[White House Internship Program]] and was later an employee of the [[White House Office of Legislative Affairs]]. It is believed that Clinton began a personal relationship with her while she worked at the White House, the details of which she later confided to [[Linda Tripp]], her Defense Department co-worker who secretly recorded their telephone conversations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tripp: I Am Not Intimidated |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tripp-i-am-not-intimidated/ |date=July 7, 1998 |access-date=January 26, 2010 |publisher=CBS |quote=In January, Tripp gave Starr the tapes. She made the recordings secretly at her home at the urging of her friend [[Lucianne Goldberg]], a New York literary agent.}}</ref>

In January 1998, Tripp discovered that Lewinsky had sworn an [[affidavit]] in the [[Paula Jones case]], denying a relationship with Clinton. She delivered tapes to [[Ken Starr]], the [[United States Office of the Independent Counsel|independent counsel]] who was investigating Clinton on other matters, including the [[Whitewater controversy]], the [[White House FBI files controversy]], and the [[White House travel office controversy]]. During the grand jury testimony, Clinton's responses were carefully worded, and he argued "it depends on what the meaning of the word ''is'' is",<ref>{{cite news |first=Timothy |last= Noah |url=http://www.slate.com/id/1000162/ |title= Bill Clinton and the Meaning of 'Is' |work=[[Slate magazine|Slate]] |date=September 13, 1998 |access-date=July 15, 2009 }}</ref> with regard to the truthfulness of his statement that "there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or any other kind of improper relationship".<ref name="ls-nh">[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/jan-june98/clinton_1-21.html President Bill Clinton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031021358/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/jan-june98/clinton_1-21.html |date=October 31, 2013 }}, ''[[The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer]]'', January 21, 1998.</ref>

This scandal has sometimes been referred to as "Monicagate",<ref>Rich, Frank. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/16/opinion/journal-monicagate-year-two.html "Journal; Monicagate Year Two"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 16, 1998.</ref> "Lewinskygate",<ref>Rich, Frank. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/25/opinion/journal-days-of-the-locust.html "Journal; Days of the Locust"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 25, 1998.</ref> "Tailgate",<ref>Hennenberger, Melinda. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/29/us/president-under-fire-right-conservative-talk-radio-finding-cause-for-revelry.html "The President Under Fire"], ''The New York Times'', January 29, 1998.</ref> "Sexgate",<ref name=barron>James Barron with Hoban, Phoebe. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/28/nyregion/public-lives-dueling-soaps.html?sec=&spon= "Dueling Soaps"], ''The New York Times'', January 28, 1998.</ref> and "Zippergate",<ref name=barron /> following the [[List of scandals with "-gate" suffix|"-gate" construction]] that has been used since the [[Watergate scandal]].

==Allegations of sexual contact==

[[File:Monica lewinsky.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Monica Lewinsky]] in May 1997]]

Lewinsky said she had sexual encounters with [[Bill Clinton]] on nine occasions from November 1995 to March 1997. According to her published schedule, First Lady [[Hillary Clinton]] was at the White House for at least some portion of seven of those days.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-03-19-852575883_x.htm| title= Lewinsky and the first lady| date= March 19, 2008 |agency= Associated Press |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date= January 19, 2010}}</ref>

In April 1996, Lewinsky's superiors relocated her job to the [[Pentagon (building)|Pentagon]], because they felt she was spending too much time around Clinton.<ref>Jeff Leen (January 24, 1998). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/lewprofile.htm "Lewinsky: Two Coasts, Two Lives, Many Images"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''.</ref> According to his autobiography, then-[[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|United Nations Ambassador]] [[Bill Richardson]] was asked by the White House in 1997 to interview Lewinsky for a job on his staff at the United Nations. Richardson did so, and offered her a position, which she declined.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aim.org/media-monitor/bill-richardson-caught-in-clinton-undertow/|title=Bill Richardson Caught In Clinton Undertow|last1=Irvine|first1=Reed|first2=Cliff|last2=Kincaid|date=August 21, 1998|publisher=Accuracy in Media|access-date=March 5, 2012|archive-date=August 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825051350/http://www.aim.org/media-monitor/bill-richardson-caught-in-clinton-undertow/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The American Spectator]]'' alleged that Richardson knew more about the Lewinsky affair than he declared to the [[Grand juries in the United States|grand jury]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://spectator.org/archives/1998/11/15/slick-billy/|title=The American Spectator : Slick Billy|last=York|first=Byron|date=November 15, 1998|work=[[American Spectator]]|access-date=March 5, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423232401/http://spectator.org/archives/1998/11/15/slick-billy|archive-date=April 23, 2012}}</ref>

Lewinsky confided in [[Linda Tripp]] about her relationship with Clinton.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/president-girlfriend-linda-tripps-betrayal-monica-lewinsky-taped/story?id=59865969|title='The president has a girlfriend': Linda Tripp's betrayal of Monica Lewinsky and the taped phone calls|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> Tripp persuaded Lewinsky to save the gifts Clinton had given her, and not to dry clean a [[semen]]-stained blue dress to keep it as an "insurance policy."<ref name=":0" /> Tripp reported their conversations to literary agent [[Lucianne Goldberg]], who advised her to secretly record them,<ref>''U.S. News & World Report'', "The Monica Lewinsky Tapes", February 2, 1998, v.124 n.4 p.23.</ref> which Tripp began doing in September 1997. Goldberg also urged Tripp to take the tapes to [[Independent Counsel]] [[Kenneth Starr]] and bring them to the attention of people working on the Paula Jones case.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/93748 |work=Newsweek |title=The Goldberg-Tripp-Jones Axis |date=November 9, 1998 |first1=Evan |last1=Thomas |first2=Michael |last2=Isikoff |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090625224317/http://www.newsweek.com/id/93748 |archive-date=June 25, 2009 |access-date=March 11, 2009 }}</ref> In the fall of 1997, Goldberg began speaking to reporters (including [[Michael Isikoff]] of ''[[Newsweek]]'') about the tapes.<ref>{{cite news|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title=Lucianne Goldberg: in pursuit of Clinton|date=February 2, 1998|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987748,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228073410/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987748,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 28, 2009|first1= John |last1= Cloud |first2= Edward |last2= Barnes |first3= Richard |last3= Zoglin}}</ref>

In the Paula Jones case, Lewinsky had submitted an [[affidavit]] that denied any physical relationship with Clinton. In January 1998, she attempted to persuade Tripp to commit perjury in the Jones case. Instead, Tripp gave the tapes to Starr, who was investigating the [[Whitewater controversy]] and other matters. Starr was now armed with evidence of Lewinsky's admission of a physical relationship with Clinton, and he broadened the investigation to include Lewinsky and her possible [[perjury]] in the Jones case.

==Denial and subsequent admission==

{{listen
|title=Remarks including response to Monica Lewinsky scandal (January 26, 1998)
|filename=Response to the Lewinsky Allegations (January 26, 1998) Bill Clinton.ogv
|description =[[Bill Clinton]] making a presentation that ends with a short commentary on the [[Monica Lewinsky]] scandal. The presentation is known for the quote "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." (6:20)
|title2=Remarks including response to Monica Lewinsky scandal (January 26, 1998)
|filename2=Response to the Lewinsky Allegations (1-26-98, WJC).ogg
|description2=audio only version
|type=speech
|image=
}}
News of the scandal first broke on January 17, 1998, on the ''[[Drudge Report]]'',<ref>[http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2002/01/17/20020117_175502_ml.htm "Newsweek Kills Story On White House Intern"], DrudgeReportArchives, 1998.</ref> which reported that ''[[Newsweek]]'' editors were sitting on a story by investigative reporter [[Michael Isikoff]] exposing the affair. The story broke in the mainstream press on January 21 in ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref name="WP-21jan1998">{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Susan |last2=Baker |first2=Peter |last3=Locy |first3=Toni |date=January 21, 1998 |title=Special Report: Clinton Accused |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/clinton012198.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=November 19, 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207172320/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/clinton012198.htm |archivedate=December 7, 2019}}</ref> The story swirled for several days and, despite swift denials from Clinton, the clamor for answers from the White House grew louder. On January 26, President Clinton, standing with his wife, spoke at a White House press conference, and issued a denial in which he said:<ref>[http://www.apoliticus.com/2008/10/top-5-political-quotes-that-defined-presidencies/ Top 5: Political Quotes That Defined Presidencies], APOLITICUS.COM {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207092012/http://www.apoliticus.com/2008/10/top-5-political-quotes-that-defined-presidencies/ |date=December 7, 2008 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|Now, I have to go back to work on my State of the Union speech. And I worked on it until pretty late last night. But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people. Thank you.<ref>Clinton, Bill. [http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3930 Response to the Lewinsky Allegations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223181444/http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3930 |date=February 23, 2009 }}, Miller Center of Public Affairs, January 26, 1998.</ref>}}

Pundits debated whether Clinton would address the allegations in his [[State of the Union Address]]. Ultimately, he chose not to mention them. Hillary Clinton remained supportive of her husband throughout the scandal.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-impeachment/public-dramas-private-toll-first-lady/|title=Public Dramas, Private Toll for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton|last=Woodward|first=Bob|date=June 14, 1999|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> On January 27, in an appearance on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today]]'' she said, "The great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this [[vast right-wing conspiracy]] that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/return-hillary-clintons-vast-right-wing-conspiracy-excuse/|title=The Return of the 'Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy' Excuse|date=February 4, 2016|website=National Review|language=en-US|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

For the next several months and through the summer, the media debated whether or not an affair had occurred and whether or not Clinton had lied or obstructed justice, but nothing could be definitively established beyond the taped recordings because Lewinsky was unwilling to discuss the affair or testify about it. On July 28, 1998, a substantial delay after the public break of the scandal, Lewinsky received [[Witness immunity|transactional immunity]] in exchange for [[grand jury]] testimony concerning her relationship with Clinton.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/07/28/lewinsky/|title=Lewinsky Strikes Far-Reaching Immunity Deal|last1= Blitzer| first1= Wolf|last2= Franken |first2= Bob|date=July 28, 1998|publisher=[[CNN]]| access-date=March 9, 2013}}</ref> She also turned over a [[semen]]-stained blue dress (which Tripp had encouraged her to save without [[dry cleaning]]) to the Starr investigators. The FBI tested the dress and matched the semen stains to a blood sample from Clinton, thereby providing unambiguous [[circumstantial evidence]] that proved the relationship despite Clinton's official denials.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/icreport/6narrit.htm#L28 | title=Starr Report | newspaper= The Washington Post| access-date=May 9, 2013 | date=September 15, 1998}}</ref>

Clinton admitted in a taped [[Grand juries in the United States|grand jury]] testimony on August 17, 1998, that he had engaged in an "improper physical relationship" with Lewinsky. That evening he gave a nationally televised statement admitting that his relationship with Lewinsky was "not appropriate".<ref>Clinton, Bill. [https://web.archive.org/web/19991002020036/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/lewinsky_address/address.html Address to the nation], PBS.org, August 17, 1998. </ref><ref>AP Archive (July 21, 2015). {{YouTube|ajJMQG4Bmxo|President Bill Clinton address the nation after his grand jury testimony and apologizes for lying ab}}</ref>

On August 20, 1998, three days after Clinton testified on the Monica Lewinsky scandal, [[Operation Infinite Reach]] launched missile attacks against [[Afghan training camp|al-Qaeda bases]] in [[Khost]], [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Afghanistan]], and the [[Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory]] in [[Khartoum]], [[Sudan]], in retaliation for the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baum |first1=Matthew |title=Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/softnewsgoestowa0000baum |chapter-url-access=registration |date=2003 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-691-12377-6 |jstor=j.ctt7sfmh |chapter=Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age |page=1}}</ref> Some countries, media outlets, protesters, and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] accused Clinton of ordering the attacks as a diversion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coll |first1=Steve |author-link=Steve Coll |title=Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 |date=2005 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-14-303466-7 |edition=Updated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N8Qxf-33dxMC&q=ghost+wars |page=412}}</ref><ref name="vick">{{cite news|last1=Vick|first1=Karl|title=U.S., Sudan Trade Claims on Factory|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/08/25/us-sudan-trade-claims-on-factory/b85afb93-83fb-4186-a49d-e5cb080a0187/|access-date=August 17, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 24, 1998}}</ref> The attacks also drew parallels to the then-recently released movie ''[[Wag the Dog]]'', which features a fictional president faking a war in [[Albania]] to distract attention from a sex scandal.{{sfn|Coll|2005|p=412}}<ref name="Dirty">{{cite news|last1=Loeb|first1=Vernon|title=A Dirty Business|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/07/25/a-dirty-business/1af5189d-8973-41a3-8b6f-0e9e4ef4c691/|access-date=August 17, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=July 25, 1999}}</ref> Administration officials denied any connection between the missile strikes and the ongoing scandal,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=John|title=In the Midst of Scandal, Clinton Plotted Action|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 21, 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Pine|first1=Art|title=Missiles Strike Bases Linked to African Blasts|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-aug-21-mn-15247-story.html|access-date=August 17, 2016|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 21, 1998}}</ref> and [[9/11 Commission]] investigators found no reason to dispute those statements.<ref>[http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf 9/11 Commission Report], p. 118.</ref> The missile strikes also caused [[Antisemitic canard|Antisemitic canards]] to spread in the Middle East that Lewinsky was a [[Zionist Occupation Government conspiracy theory|Jewish agent]] sent to influence Clinton against supporting the [[Palestinians]]. This [[conspiracy theory]] would influence [[Mohamed Atta]], the ringleader of [[al-Qaeda]]'s [[Hamburg cell]] and the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wright|first=Lawrence|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/64592193|title=The looming tower : Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11|date=2006|isbn=978-0-375-41486-2|edition=1|location=New York|oclc=64592193}}</ref>

==Perjury charges==

In his deposition for the Jones lawsuit, Clinton denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky. Based on the evidence—a blue dress with Clinton's semen that Lewinsky provided—Starr concluded that the president's [[Oath|sworn]] testimony was [[Perjury|perjurious]].

During the deposition, Clinton was asked "Have you ever had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, as that term is defined in Deposition Exhibit{{nbsp}}1?" The judge ordered that Clinton be given an opportunity to review the agreed definition. Afterwards, based on the definition created by the Independent Counsel's Office, Clinton answered, "I have never had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky." Clinton later said, "I thought the definition included any activity by [me], where [I] [[Human sexual activity|was the actor and came in contact with those parts of the bodies]]" which had been explicitly listed (and "with an intent to gratify or arouse the sexual desire of any person"). In other words, Clinton denied that ''he'' had ever contacted ''Lewinsky's'' "genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks", and effectively claimed that the agreed-upon definition of "sexual relations" included ''giving'' [[fellatio|oral sex]] but excluded ''receiving'' oral sex.<ref>Tiersma, Peter. [http://www.languageandlaw.org/PERJURY.HTM "The Language of Perjury"], languageandlaw.org, November 20, 2007.</ref>

Two months after the Senate failed to convict him, President Clinton was held in civil [[contempt of court]] by Judge [[Susan Webber Wright]] for <!--allegedly--><!--Plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses "allege", but a court ruling is a decision, a finding, and is considered proof; the matter is no longer merely "alleged".-->giving [[Perjury|misleading testimony]] regarding his sexual relationship with Lewinsky, and was also fined $90,000 by Wright.<ref name=ppppava/><ref name="auto1"/> Clinton declined to appeal the civil contempt of court ruling, citing financial problems,<ref name=ppppava/> but still maintained that his testimony complied with Wright's earlier definition of sexual relations.<ref name=ppppava/> In 2001, his [[license to practice law]] was suspended in Arkansas for five years and later by the [[United States Supreme Court]].<ref name="auto"/>

==Impeachment==<!-- This section is linked from [[State of the Union Address]] -->

{{Main|Impeachment of Bill Clinton}}

In December 1998, Clinton's Democratic political party was in the minority in both chambers of Congress. A few Democratic members of Congress, and most in the opposition Republican Party, claimed that Clinton's giving false testimony and allegedly influencing Lewinsky's testimony were crimes of [[obstruction of justice]] and [[perjury]] and thus impeachable offenses. After a delay due to a brief [[Bombing of Iraq (1998)#Distraction from Clinton impeachment scandal|bombing campaign in Iraq]], the House of Representatives voted to issue two Articles of Impeachment against him which was followed by a 21-day trial in the Senate.

Clinton was acquitted on both counts as neither received the necessary [[supermajority|two-thirds majority vote]] of the senators present. Between 45 and 50 senators voted to convict, depending on the charge, short of the 67 votes needed for conviction and removal from office.<ref name=WaPo02131999>{{cite news| last=Baker| first=Peter| title=The Senate Acquits President Clinton| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/impeach021399.htm| newspaper=The Washington Post| publisher=The Washington Post Co.| access-date=December 4, 2013| date=February 13, 1999| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110183732/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/impeach021399.htm|archive-date=November 10, 2013| url-status=live}}</ref> All the Democrats in the Senate voted for acquittal on both the perjury and the obstruction of justice charges. Ten Republicans voted for acquittal for perjury: [[John Chafee]] (Rhode Island), [[Susan Collins]] (Maine), [[Slade Gorton]] (Washington), [[Jim Jeffords]] (Vermont), [[Richard Shelby]] (Alabama), [[Olympia Snowe]] (Maine), [[Arlen Specter]] (Pennsylvania), [[Ted Stevens]] (Alaska), [[Fred Thompson]] (Tennessee), and [[John Warner]] (Virginia). Five Republicans voted for acquittal for obstruction of justice: Chafee, Collins, Jeffords, Snowe, and Specter.

President Clinton was thereby acquitted of all charges and remained in office. There were attempts to [[Censure in the United States|censure]] the president by the House of Representatives, but those attempts failed.

==Aftermath==
===Effect on 2000 presidential election===

The scandal affected the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 U.S. presidential election]] in two different ways. [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] candidate and sitting vice president [[Al Gore]] said that Clinton's scandal had been "a drag" that deflated the enthusiasm of their party's base, and had the effect of reducing Democratic votes. Clinton said the scandal had made Gore's campaign too cautious, and that if Clinton had been allowed to campaign for Gore in [[United States presidential election in Arkansas, 2000|Arkansas]] and [[United States presidential election in New Hampshire, 2000|New Hampshire]], either state would have delivered Gore's needed [[electoral votes]] regardless of the effects of the [[2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida|Florida recount controversy]].<ref>{{cite news| title= Bill Clinton on Lewinsky Affair: 'I Cracked' | first= Brian |last= Montopoli| work=Political Hotsheet |publisher= CBS News |date= September 21, 2009 |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/21/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5327644.shtml |access-date= September 21, 2009}}</ref>

Political analysts have supported both views. Before and after the 2000 election, John Cochran of [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] connected the Lewinsky scandal with a voter phenomenon he called "Clinton fatigue".<ref>{{cite book |title=Missed opportunity: Gore, incumbency and television in election 2000 |first=Edwin D. |last=Dover |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-275-97638-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/missedopportunit00eddo/page/130 130] |quote=John Cochran on ABC described this phenomenon as "Clinton fatigue." He said voters were happy with the policy agenda and direction of the country but were tired of Clinton and wanted to forget him. Casting their votes for Bush and not for Clinton's surrogate, Gore, was one way to bring about this preferred change, Cochran concluded. |url=https://archive.org/details/missedopportunit00eddo/page/130 }}</ref> Polling showed that the scandal continued to affect Clinton's low ''personal approval'' ratings through the election,<ref>{{cite book| title= The 2000 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective | series= Volume 2000, Part 3 |first= Robert E. Jr. |last= Denton |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |year= 2002 |isbn= 978-0-275-97107-6| pages=92, 98 }}</ref> and analysts such as [[Vanderbilt University]]'s John G. Geer later concluded "Clinton fatigue or a kind of moral retrospective voting had a significant impact on Gore's chances".<ref>{{cite book| title= Public opinion and polling around the world: a historical encyclopedia| volume= 1 |first=John Gray |last= Geer |publisher= ABC-CLIO |year= 2004 |isbn= 978-1-57607-911-9 | page= 138}}</ref> Other analysts sided with Clinton's argument, and argued that Gore's refusal to have Clinton campaign with him damaged his appeal.<ref>{{cite journal| url= http://www.greens.org/s-r/25/25-03.html | journal= [[Synthesis/Regeneration]] |number= 25 |date=Summer 2001 | title= Gore's Defeat: Don't Blame Nader | first= Manning| last= Marable |access-date= May 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.slate.com/id/1006450/ |title= Why Gore (Probably) Lost |first= Jacob |last= Weisberg |work= Slate |date= November 8, 2000 | access-date= May 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.cairn.info/revue-francaise-d-etudes-americaines-2001-4-page-10.htm Beyond the Recounts: Trends in the 2000 US Presidential Election], Cairn.info</ref>

===Collateral scandals===

During the scandal, supporters of former president Clinton alleged that the matter should remain private, and called some  supporting Clinton's impeachment hypocritical. A highly publicized investigation campaign actively sought information that might embarrass politicians who supported impeachment. According to the British newspaper ''[[The Guardian]]'',

{{blockquote|[[Larry Flynt]]{{nbsp}}... the publisher of ''[[Hustler (magazine)|Hustler]]'' magazine, offered a $1{{nbsp}}million reward{{nbsp}}... Flynt was a sworn enemy of the Republican party [and] sought to dig up dirt on the Republican members of Congress who were leading the impeachment campaign against President Clinton. [...{{nbsp}}Although] Flynt claimed at the time to have the goods on up to a dozen prominent Republicans, the ad campaign helped to bring down only one. [[Bob Livingston|Robert Livingston]]—a congressman from Louisiana{{nbsp}}... abruptly retired after learning that Mr. Flynt was about to reveal that he had also had an affair.<ref>Goldenberg, Suzanne. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/jun/04/pressandpublishing.usnews "Porn king offers $1m for US political sex scandal"] ''The Guardian'', London. Retrieved September 21, 2009.</ref>}}

[[Henry Hyde]], Republican chair of the [[House Judiciary Committee]] and [[House manager|lead House manager]], also had an affair while in office as a [[State legislature (United States)|state legislator]]. Hyde, aged 70 during the Lewinsky hearings, dismissed it as a "youthful indiscretion" (he had been 41).<ref>Talbot, David. "This hypocrite broke up my family", ''Salon'', September 16, 1998.</ref>

Republican congressman [[Bob Livingston]] had been widely expected to become [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] in the [[106th United States Congress|next Congressional session]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/10/us/robert-livingston-the-heir-apparent-with-a-black-belt.html "Robert Livingston, The Heir Apparent With a Black Belt"]. ''The New York Times'', November 10, 1998, p. A24. Retrieved September 21, 2009.</ref> Then just weeks away after Flynt revealed the affair, Livingston resigned and challenged Clinton to do the same.

[[Bob Barr]] (R-GA) another Republican House manager, had an [[Affair|extramarital affair]]. Barr had been the first lawmaker in either chamber to call for Clinton's resignation due to the Lewinsky affair. Barr lost a primary challenge less than three years after the impeachment proceedings.<ref name="Spoiler">McCaffrey, Shannon. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-bob-barr-be-the-ralph-nader-of-08/ Will Bob Barr be the Ralph Nader of '08?], [[Associated Press]] (via [[CBS News]]), June 22, 2008.</ref>

[[Dan Burton]] (R-IN) said, "No one, regardless of what party they serve, no one, regardless of what branch of government they serve, should be allowed to get away with these alleged sexual improprieties{{nbsp}}..."<ref>Baker, Russ. "Portrait of a political 'pit bull'", ''Salon'', December 22, 1998.</ref> In 1998, Burton admitted that he himself had had an affair in 1983 which produced a child.<ref name="Indy-Fact">[http://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/people/b/burton_dan/burton.html "Rep. Dan Burton—Member of Congress representing Indiana's 5th District"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523132319/http://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/people/b/burton_dan/burton.html |date=May 23, 2013 }}, ''Library Factfiles'', ''Indianapolis Star'', updated January 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2007.</ref>

[[Newt Gingrich]] (R-GA) US Representative, Speaker of the House and leader of the [[Republican Revolution]] of 1994,<ref>"Gingrich Expects 'Republican Revolution'", news4jax.com, October 28, 2010.</ref> admitted in 1998 to having had an affair with then House Agriculture Committee staffer [[Callista Gingrich|Callista Bisek]] while he was still married to his second wife,<ref>Jacobs, John. "The Gingrich affair: Hypocrisy and betrayal", http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-Gingrich-affair-Hypocrisy-and-betrayal-3057206.php,
 November 22, 1999</ref> at the same time as he was leading the impeachment of Bill Clinton for perjury regarding an affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.<ref>Schneider, Bill. [http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/09/gingrich.schneider/index.html "Gingrich confession: Clearing the way for a 2008 run?"], CNN. March 9, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2009.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Gingrich admits having affair in '90s|agency=Associated Press| publisher= MSNBC |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17527506|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311042500/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17527506/|url-status=live|archive-date=March 11, 2007|access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref>

[[Steven C. LaTourette]] (R-OH) US Representative, voted to impeach Bill Clinton for the [[Lewinsky scandal]] while he was having a long-term affair with his chief of staff, Jennifer Laptook.<ref>Falone, Michael. CBS News. July 2, 2009, Politico, "[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gops-unlucky-class-of-94/ GOP's Unlucky Class of '94"] Retrieved June 21, 2010.</ref>

Republican [[Helen Chenoweth-Hage]] from Idaho aggressively called for the resignation of President Clinton and then admitted to her own six-year affair with a married rancher during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2009/06/25/sex-scandals-through-the-years-both-parties-even.html | title= Sex Scandals Through the Years: Both Parties Even | work= Newsweek |date= June 25, 2009}}</ref>

===Personal acceptance===

Historian [[Taylor Branch]] implied that Clinton had requested changes to his 2009 biography, ''[[The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President]]'', regarding Clinton's revelation that the Lewinsky affair began because "I cracked; I just cracked." Branch writes that Clinton had felt "beleaguered, unappreciated, and open to a liaison with Lewinsky" following "the Democrats' loss of Congress in the November 1994 elections, the death of his mother the previous January, and the ongoing [[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater investigation]]".<ref>{{cite news| title= Secret interviews add insight to Clinton presidency | first= Susan |last= Page |newspaper= USA Today | date=September 21, 2009 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-09-21-clinton-tapes_N.htm |access-date= September 21, 2009}}</ref> Publicly, Clinton had previously blamed the affair on "a terrible moral error" and on anger at Republicans, stating, "if people have unresolved anger, it makes them do non-rational, destructive things".<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/20/clinton.book/ |title= Clinton: Lewinsky affair a 'terrible moral error'| publisher= CNN |date= June 21, 2004 |access-date= May 9, 2013}}</ref>

==Legacy and retrospective assessment==

The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal was subject to widespread media coverage, resulting in considerable difficulties for Monica Lewinsky later in life as she attempted to find employment. In 2014, she publicly re-emerged as an activist against [[cyberbullying]] and [[public shaming]] after writing the essay ''Shame and Survival'' for ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/society/2014/06/monica-lewinsky-humiliation-culture | title=Exclusive: Monica Lewinsky on the Culture of Humiliation | website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date=May 28, 2014 }}</ref> Subsequently, several prominent media figures who had covered or mocked Lewinsky during the scandal expressed regret at their role in it. [[David Letterman]] remarked "I feel bad about my role in helping push the humiliation to the point of suffocation".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjXScnPT7QY&t=19s | title=David Letterman reveals biggest regret | website=YouTube | date=May 16, 2014 }}</ref>

==See also==

{{Portal|United States|Politics|1990s}}
* [[Bill Clinton sexual assault and misconduct allegations]]
* [[List of federal political scandals in the United States]]
* [[List of federal political sex scandals in the United States]]
* [[List of individual dresses]]
* [[Second-term curse]]
* [[Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal]]

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

* {{citation |title=Communication from Kenneth W. Starr, Independent Counsel |url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/icreport/report/1cover.htm |publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office |place=Washington, D.C. |date=September 11, 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604220456/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/icreport/report/1cover.htm |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}
* [http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/resources/lewinsky/timeline/ A Chronology: Key Moments In The Clinton-Lewinsky Saga]. [[CNN]]. (1998)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/events/clinton_under_fire/fall_out/default.stm "The Fallout"]. [[BBC]] Online in-depth coverage. (1999)

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_8y0WLm78U Monica Lewinsky 2015 Ted Talk on bullying and the price of shame]
* [http://www.coffeeshoptimes.com/monica.html A Guide to the Monica Lewinsky Story] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118184530/http://www.coffeeshoptimes.com/monica.html |date=January 18, 2009 }}—The Coffee Shop Times (last updated July 8, 2001)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170517015941/http://www.journalism.org/files/legacy/Clinton-Lewinsky%20story.pdf The Clinton/Lewinsky Story: How Accurate? How Fair?] (2003)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzf5mKJf7h8 The Monica Lewinsky Scandal: A Visual Timeline Of The Events 20 Years Later – TIME]

{{Presidency of Bill Clinton}}
{{Impeachment and impeachment trial of Bill Clinton}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton-Lewinsky scandal}}
[[Category:Clinton–Lewinsky scandal| ]]
[[Category:1998 in American politics]]
[[Category:1998 scandals]]
[[Category:1999 in American politics]]
[[Category:1999 scandals]]
[[Category:Adultery]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Bill Clinton controversies]]
[[Category:Clinton administration controversies]]
[[Category:Federal political sex scandals in the United States]]
[[Category:Fellatio]]
[[Category:Impeachment of Bill Clinton]]
[[Category:Presidency of Bill Clinton]]
[[Category:Sexual fidelity in the United States]]