In a documentary released on Friday, March 6, the Clintons opened up about former President Bill Clinton's affair with the then 22-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The affair caught global attention, which eventually led to Clinton's impeachment. More than anything, his presidency is largely defined by his affair.
Bill and Hillary Clinton opened up about Monica Lewinsky
In the four-part Hulu series, 'Hillary', that showcases the life of former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she said that she felt "devastated and so personally hurt" when her husband told her about the affair. She told her husband to tell their daughter before the news came out in public.
"So, I did that, which was awful," the former President said. "What I did was wrong. I just hated to hurt her," he added. On his part, Bill Clinton said that he did it "to manage my anxieties for years". He said it had been motivated by life's "pressure and disappointments and terrors, fears of whatever."
"We all bring our baggage to life and sometimes we do things we shouldn't do. It was awful what I did," the 73-year-old former President added. He further reflected how his affair with Lewinsky "unfairly" defined her life. "Over the years I have watched her trying to get a normal life back again. But you got to decide how to define normal," he said.
Talking about Hillary's decision to stand by him throughout public scrutiny and impeachment process, he said, "I was so grateful that she thought we still had enough to stick it out. God knows the burden she paid for that".
Bill Clinton impeachment
On December 19, 1998, Bill Clinton became the second US President to be impeached, after President Andrew Johnson. He was impeached by the House of Representatives for his sexual relationship with Lewinsky and subsequent denial about it under oath, AFP reported. He was eventually acquitted by the Senate in February 1999.
