It’s been 20 years since the world learnt of Monica Lewinsky’s affair with the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
A relationship which would eventually make Clinton the second president in US history to ever be impeached and destroy Lewinsky’s fledgling career before it even began.
The affair started in 1995 when a 22-year-old Lewinsky became romantically involved with Clinton who was 49 years old at the time and lasted until March 1997, just under a year before news of their affair made international headlines and cemented the former intern as one of the most notorious women of the ’90s.
However, before scandal was made public, Lewinsky was forced to undergo a 12-hour FBI interrogation in room 1012 of a Ritz-Carlton hotel room. During the lengthy interview, the FBI had one goal: to get her to help them investigate Clinton, something she initially refused to do.
Bill Clinton’s infamous speech that crippled his presidency: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”.
Sharing the details of the lengthy interview for the first time, the now 45-year-old has lent her testimony to A&E’s six-part documentary series, The Clinton Affair, giving us further insight into the scandal.
“I kept asking could I call my mum, they kept saying no,” she said, recalling the night.
“[Then an FBI agent said] ‘You’re 24, you don’t need to call your mummy, you need to make a decision about what to do.'”
They eventually allowed her to make a call, but she still hadn't decided whether she would help the FBI. Then the agents threatened to go after her family.
"He said, 'Well, you should know, we're also thinking about prosecuting your mum for the things you said she did on the tape,'" she said, crying.
"In order to cooperate and avoid charges, I would have to make monitored phone calls which they would listen in to and record and I might have to wear a wire and go see people in person.
"I was mortified and afraid of what this would do to my family. I was still in love with Bill at the time so I felt really responsible."
Two decades on from the outbreak of the scandal, the now public figure and writer said she still doesn't "feel comfortable talking about it", but the one thing that she's adamant about is that despite the moral and ethical implications, it was a consensual relationship.
"It's not as if it didn't register with me that he was the president. Obviously it did," she said.
"'But I think in one way the moment we were actually in the back office for the first time the truth is I think it meant more to me the someone who other people desired, desired me.
"However wrong it was, however misguided, for who I was at that time, at 22 years old, it was how I felt."
What do you think of these new details of the Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton scandal? Tell us in a comment below.
Top Comments
Everyone's answer/opinion/feelings etc seem in line with their political leanings.
10 simple words: Monica was raped, regardless of how you look at it.
An adult gives consent with no arm twisting. Holds that it was consensual. How is it rape? Can any sex be consensual if voluntary participation is not accepted even when the so called victim admits to willful participation.