Would Bill Clinton Have Apologized To Monica Lewinsky In The #MeToo Era?
Monica Lewinsky Image by Getty Images
With the rise of the #MeToo movement, former President Bill Clinton has received criticism for his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinksy— but Clinton still defends his actions, NBC News reported.
Asked if he ever considered privately apologizing to Lewinsky, Clinton told NBC, “No, I do not — I have never talked to her. But I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry. That’s very different. The apology was public.”
“This was litigated 20 years ago. Two-thirds of the American people sided with me,” Clinton added of the affair.
Clinton told NBC News that he still stands by his decision to fight his impeachment rather than resign. “I think I did the right thing. I defended the Constitution,” he said.
The former president also spoke of President Donald Trump, who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, saying he had not received the kind of media chaos Clinton himself had faced when the Lewinsky scandal came to light in 1998.
Lewinsky, 44, has re-emerged as an anti-bullying advocate in recent years, writing about how the current #MeToo movement has emboldened a new generation of women to come forward with their own sexual misconduct incidents.
Contact Haley Cohen at hcohen@forward.com
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