Ten years ago last night, several days after it appeared in the Drudge Report, the news of Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky broke into the mainstream news media via ABC News and the Washington Post.
From the Washington Post print edition, January 21, 1998: Clinton Accused of Urging Aide to Lie.
Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has expanded his investigation of President Clinton to examine whether Clinton and his close friend Vernon Jordan encouraged a 24-year-old former White House intern to lie to lawyers for Paula Jones about whether the intern had an affair with the president, sources close to the investigation said yesterday.
Clinton, coincidentally, had several media interviews scheduled that day to discuss his upcoming State of the Union address, including this one with Jim Lehrer of PBS.
JIM LEHRER: Mr. President, welcome.
PRESIDENT CLINTON: Thank you Jim.
JIM LEHRER: The news of this day is that Kenneth Starr, independent counsel, is investigating allegations that you suborn perjury by encouraging a 24-year-old woman, former White House intern, to lie under oath in a civil deposition about her having had an affair with you. Mr. President, is that true?
For an engrossing narrative of the events surrounding the eruption of the scandal, read this excerpt from The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, by John F. Harris.
In my lifetime I’ve had the privilege of watching Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Michael Jordan play basketball, Wayne Gretzky play hockey, Muhammed Ali box, Tom Seaver pitch, Tiger Woods golf.
And I’ve heard the Clintons lie.
Greatness comes in many forms .
That was an aweful time. So much hypocrisy and mean people.