December 19, 1998: The House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton, the second president to be impeached, was later acquitted in a Senate trial.
In his testimony, Mr. Clinton acknowledged that he had an "inappropriate" relationship with Lewinsky. But he insisted that his testimony had been "legally accurate." When addressing the investigation into his past business dealings, Clinton insisted the investigation did not prove that he or his wife Hillary had engaged in any illegal activity.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Public opinion polls showed that many people disapproved of the Lewinsky affair, but didn't think it justified impeachment or resignation.
Clinton was the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives since Andrew Johnson in 1868. Johnson was also acquitted.
Quote of the Day
“You can never get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have all the facts, you cannot make proper judgments about what is going on." - Harry S. Truman
More from West Wing Reports...
-
Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangsIn the Spotlight The ‘defence operation’ killed 132 suspected gang members, but could spark ‘more hatred and revenge’
-
The John Lewis ad: touching, or just weird?Talking Point This year’s festive offering is full of 1990s nostalgia – but are hedonistic raves really the spirit of Christmas?
-
Codeword: November 15, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
