MONICA LEWINSKY
Name: Monica Samille Lewinsky
Born: 23 July 1973 San Francisco, California
Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American woman with whom then
United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "inappropriate
relationship" while Lewinsky worked as an unpaid intern (entry level staff
employee) at the White House in 1995 and 1996, at the age of 22. The tawdry
nature of the ordeal and its resulting repercussions in the impeachment of Bill
Clinton and the surrounding scandals of 1997-99 became known as the Lewinsky
scandal. The scandal overwhelmed media coverage of more serious public policy
matters and raised serious questions about Clinton's judgement and character
among the public.
Lewinsky was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Southern
California on the west side of Los Angeles and in Beverly Hills. She is of
Russian Jewish descent. Her father is Dr. Bernard Lewinsky, an oncologist; her
mother, Marcia Lewis, is an author. Her parents are divorced. For her primary
education she attended the John Thomas Dye School in Bel-Air. She later
attended Beverly Hills High School, but then left and graduated from Pacific
Hills School, formerly known as Bel Air Prep, as salutatorian.
She initially attended Santa Monica College but transferred and graduated with a
psychology degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon in 1995.
Lewinsky moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at the White House as an
intern starting in July 1995, getting a paid job there in November 1995.
Between November 15, 1995 - April 7, 1996, Lewinsky had an intimate relationship
with President Bill Clinton. She later testified that the relationship involved
oral sex in the Oval Office and other sexual contact but that sexual intercourse
did not occur.
Clinton had previously been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, most
notably in regard to an alleged long-term relationship with singer and former
Arkansas state employee Gennifer Flowers, and an encounter with Arkansas state
employee Paula Jones (nee Corbin) in a Little Rock hotel room in which Jones
claimed that Clinton exposed himself to her. These events were alleged to have
occurred during Clinton's time as Governor of Arkansas. Lewinsky's name surfaced
during legal proceedings connected to the latter matter, when Jones's lawyers
sought corroborating evidence of Clinton's conduct to substantiate Jones's
allegations.
In April 1996, Lewinsky's superiors relocated her job to the Pentagon because
they felt she was spending too much time around Clinton. Monica confided in a co-worker
named Linda Tripp about her relationship with the President. Beginning in
September 1997, Tripp began secretly recording their telephone conversations
regarding the affair with Clinton. In January 1998, after Lewinsky had submitted
an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying any physical relationship with
Clinton, and attempted to persuade Tripp to lie under oath in the Jones case,
Tripp gave the tapes to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, and these tapes added
to his ongoing investigation into the Whitewater controversy. Starr broadened
his investigation to include investigating Lewinsky, Clinton, and others for
possible perjury and subornation of perjury in the Jones case. Noteworthy for
its revelation of Tripp's motivations was her reporting of their conversations
to literary agent Lucianne Goldberg. Tripp also convinced Lewinsky to save the
gifts that Clinton had given her during their affair, and not to dry clean what
would later be infamously known as "the blue dress."
While under oath, Clinton denied having had "a sexual affair," "sexual relations,"
or "a sexual relationship" with Lewinsky, and on 26 January 1998 claimed "I
did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" in a nationally
televised White House news conference. The line later became famous for its
technical truthfulness but deceptive nature, based on one's definition of "sexual
relations."
Clinton also said, "there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual
relationship or any other kind of improper relationship" which he defended as
truthful on 17 August 1998 hearing because of the use of the present tense,
famously arguing "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" (i.e.,
he was not, at the time he made that statement, still having a sexual
relationship with Lewinsky). Under pressure from Starr, who as Clinton learned
had obtained from Lewinsky a blue dress with Clinton's semen stain, as well as
testimony from Lewinsky that the President had inserted a cigar-tube into her
vagina, Clinton admitted that he lied to the American people and that he had had
"inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky. Clinton denied having committed
perjury because, according to Clinton, the legal definition of oral sex was
mutually exclusive of "sex" per se. Clinton's insistence on the alleged
distinction drew criticism from both political parties.
In addition, relying upon the definition of "sexual relations" as proposed by
the prosecution and agreed by the defense and by Judge Susan Webber Wright, who
was hearing the Paula Jones case, Clinton claimed that because certain acts were
performed on him, not by him, he did not engage in sexual relations. Lewinsky's
testimony to the Starr Commission, however, contradicted Clinton's claim of
being totally passive in their encounters. Clinton's lawyer later argued that
different people can remember the same events in different ways.
President Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives and, after a 21-day
trial, acquitted by the Senate on all charges brought there: allegations of
perjury and obstruction of justice regarding the affair and lying under oath in
a civil lawsuit. The Senate vote fell short of the 2/3 majority required for
conviction and removal from office under the Constitution. Polls of the American
electorate taken at this time showed that up to 70% were against pursuing the
allegations. (N Y Times December 21, 1998).
Paula Jones' civil lawsuit against President Clinton, the matter in which
President Clinton originally provided testimony that gave rise to his
impeachment, was ultimately dismissed. To end the appeal that followed, Paula
Jones was paid $850,000 in an out of court settlement.
President Clinton was held in contempt of court for lying under oath during a
deposition. President Clinton was suspended from the practice of law by the
State of Arkansas for five years.
In the scandal's immediate aftermath Congress chose not to extend the
legislation that empowered the driving force behind the investigation of the
Lewinsky matter, the office of Independent Counsel.
Name: Monica Samille Lewinsky
Born: 23 July 1973 San Francisco, California
Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American woman with whom then
United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "inappropriate
relationship" while Lewinsky worked as an unpaid intern (entry level staff
employee) at the White House in 1995 and 1996, at the age of 22. The tawdry
nature of the ordeal and its resulting repercussions in the impeachment of Bill
Clinton and the surrounding scandals of 1997-99 became known as the Lewinsky
scandal. The scandal overwhelmed media coverage of more serious public policy
matters and raised serious questions about Clinton's judgement and character
among the public.
Lewinsky was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Southern
California on the west side of Los Angeles and in Beverly Hills. She is of
Russian Jewish descent. Her father is Dr. Bernard Lewinsky, an oncologist; her
mother, Marcia Lewis, is an author. Her parents are divorced. For her primary
education she attended the John Thomas Dye School in Bel-Air. She later
attended Beverly Hills High School, but then left and graduated from Pacific
Hills School, formerly known as Bel Air Prep, as salutatorian.
She initially attended Santa Monica College but transferred and graduated with a
psychology degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon in 1995.
Lewinsky moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at the White House as an
intern starting in July 1995, getting a paid job there in November 1995.
Between November 15, 1995 - April 7, 1996, Lewinsky had an intimate relationship
with President Bill Clinton. She later testified that the relationship involved
oral sex in the Oval Office and other sexual contact but that sexual intercourse
did not occur.
Clinton had previously been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, most
notably in regard to an alleged long-term relationship with singer and former
Arkansas state employee Gennifer Flowers, and an encounter with Arkansas state
employee Paula Jones (nee Corbin) in a Little Rock hotel room in which Jones
claimed that Clinton exposed himself to her. These events were alleged to have
occurred during Clinton's time as Governor of Arkansas. Lewinsky's name surfaced
during legal proceedings connected to the latter matter, when Jones's lawyers
sought corroborating evidence of Clinton's conduct to substantiate Jones's
allegations.
In April 1996, Lewinsky's superiors relocated her job to the Pentagon because
they felt she was spending too much time around Clinton. Monica confided in a co-worker
named Linda Tripp about her relationship with the President. Beginning in
September 1997, Tripp began secretly recording their telephone conversations
regarding the affair with Clinton. In January 1998, after Lewinsky had submitted
an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying any physical relationship with
Clinton, and attempted to persuade Tripp to lie under oath in the Jones case,
Tripp gave the tapes to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, and these tapes added
to his ongoing investigation into the Whitewater controversy. Starr broadened
his investigation to include investigating Lewinsky, Clinton, and others for
possible perjury and subornation of perjury in the Jones case. Noteworthy for
its revelation of Tripp's motivations was her reporting of their conversations
to literary agent Lucianne Goldberg. Tripp also convinced Lewinsky to save the
gifts that Clinton had given her during their affair, and not to dry clean what
would later be infamously known as "the blue dress."
While under oath, Clinton denied having had "a sexual affair," "sexual relations,"
or "a sexual relationship" with Lewinsky, and on 26 January 1998 claimed "I
did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" in a nationally
televised White House news conference. The line later became famous for its
technical truthfulness but deceptive nature, based on one's definition of "sexual
relations."
Clinton also said, "there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual
relationship or any other kind of improper relationship" which he defended as
truthful on 17 August 1998 hearing because of the use of the present tense,
famously arguing "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" (i.e.,
he was not, at the time he made that statement, still having a sexual
relationship with Lewinsky). Under pressure from Starr, who as Clinton learned
had obtained from Lewinsky a blue dress with Clinton's semen stain, as well as
testimony from Lewinsky that the President had inserted a cigar-tube into her
vagina, Clinton admitted that he lied to the American people and that he had had
"inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky. Clinton denied having committed
perjury because, according to Clinton, the legal definition of oral sex was
mutually exclusive of "sex" per se. Clinton's insistence on the alleged
distinction drew criticism from both political parties.
In addition, relying upon the definition of "sexual relations" as proposed by
the prosecution and agreed by the defense and by Judge Susan Webber Wright, who
was hearing the Paula Jones case, Clinton claimed that because certain acts were
performed on him, not by him, he did not engage in sexual relations. Lewinsky's
testimony to the Starr Commission, however, contradicted Clinton's claim of
being totally passive in their encounters. Clinton's lawyer later argued that
different people can remember the same events in different ways.
President Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives and, after a 21-day
trial, acquitted by the Senate on all charges brought there: allegations of
perjury and obstruction of justice regarding the affair and lying under oath in
a civil lawsuit. The Senate vote fell short of the 2/3 majority required for
conviction and removal from office under the Constitution. Polls of the American
electorate taken at this time showed that up to 70% were against pursuing the
allegations. (N Y Times December 21, 1998).
Paula Jones' civil lawsuit against President Clinton, the matter in which
President Clinton originally provided testimony that gave rise to his
impeachment, was ultimately dismissed. To end the appeal that followed, Paula
Jones was paid $850,000 in an out of court settlement.
President Clinton was held in contempt of court for lying under oath during a
deposition. President Clinton was suspended from the practice of law by the
State of Arkansas for five years.
In the scandal's immediate aftermath Congress chose not to extend the
legislation that empowered the driving force behind the investigation of the
Lewinsky matter, the office of Independent Counsel.