Hillary Clinton says Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky was not an abuse of power
The #MeToo movement has forced many on the left to reassess their feelings about the Bill Clinton impeachment scandal. But Hillary Clinton isn't budging.
Clinton told CBS in a new interview that her husband's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in the mid-1990s was not an abuse of power, pointing to the fact that Lewinsky "was an adult." At the time of the scandal, Bill Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was 22.
Lewinsky said in 2014 that her relationship with Clinton was consensual, although he "took advantage of" her. However, she said in February 2018 that she's now beginning to question this, saying that with such a power imbalance between the two, "the idea of consent might well be rendered moot." She also called what President Clinton did a "gross abuse of power."
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.
Even some Democrats — including Hillary Clinton's successor in the Senate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) — now believe that President Clinton should have stepped down, but Hillary Clinton told CBS that her husband "absolutely" should not have done so. She pointed to the fact that there was an investigation that she believes "came out in the right place." When also asked what role she played in criticizing the character of her husband's accusers, Clinton responded, "none," saying she takes "responsibility for my life and my actions." Watch a portion of Clinton's interview with CBS below. Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
‘The menu’s other highlights smack of the surreal’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Education: More Americans say college isn’t worth itfeature College is costly and job prospects are vanishing
-
One great cookbook: ‘More Than Cake’the week recommends The power of pastry brought to inspired life
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
