Title: 1998 - President Clinton Impeached

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About:  When it emerged that President Bill Clinton had lied about his sexual relationship with intern Monica Lewinksky the House of Representatives voted to impeach the President.

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In November 1995, Clinton began an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a 21-year-old unpaid intern. Over the course of a year and a half, the president and Lewinsky had nearly a dozen sexual encounters in the White House. In April 1996, Lewinsky was transferred to the Pentagon. That summer, she first confided in Pentagon co-worker Linda Tripp about her sexual relationship with the president. In 1997, with the relationship over, Tripp began secretly to record conversations with Lewinsky, in which Lewinsky gave Tripp details about the affair.

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In December, lawyers for Paula Jones, who was suing the president on sexual harassment charges, subpoenaed Lewinsky. Under the threat of prosecution, details were gradually revealed. However, when the story broke in January, Clinton publicly denied the allegations, saying, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

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In August, Lewinsky appeared before the grand jury to begin her testimony, and President Clinton also testified. This time, the President acknowledged to prosecutors that he had indeed had an extramarital affair with Ms. Lewinsky.

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Later that evening, in a televised address to the nation in Clinton admitted he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky. In the brief speech, which was wrought with legalisms, the word “sex” was never spoken, and the word “regret” was used only in reference to his admission that he misled the public and his family.

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A report into the scandal outlined a case for impeaching Clinton on 11 grounds, including perjury, obstruction of justice, witness-tampering, and abuse of power, and also provided explicit details of the sexual relationship between the president and Ms. Lewinsky. Shortly after, the House of Representatives authorized a wide-ranging impeachment inquiry, culminating with the impeachment of President Clinton on December 19.

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In February 1999, the Senate voted on whether to remove Clinton from office. The president was acquitted on both articles of impeachment. After the trial concluded, President Clinton said he was “profoundly sorry” for the burden his behavior imposed on Congress and the American people.

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Decade: 1990s

Year: 1998

Region: North America

Country: USA

Politics: Scandal

Politics: Leadership

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Type: Historical Event

Impact: 1

Artist: Ianika Moreno

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Group: Genesis

Number: 98/100

Price: 0.1 ETH

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