Monica Lewinsky has endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the U.S. presidential election. “PLEASE VOTE!” Lewinsky wrote online. “(preferably like I did for harris/walz).”
In this slideshow, we dive deeper into the history of Lewinsky, and find out exactly how she rose to prominence in the 90s.
Lewinsky is most known for her 1990s affair with former President Bill Clinton, who recently faced scrutiny for remarks he made about Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake. “You’ve got a person that grew up under sometimes-challenging circumstances, who made something of his life, running against someone [Lake] who is physically attractive but believes that politics is a performance art,” Clinton said.
Monica Lewinsky’s career began when she obtained an unpaid White House internship in 1995 through a family connection, working in Leon Panetta’s office.
In December of 1995, Lewinsky had advanced to a paid role in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
Lewinsky later admitted to having nine sexual encounters with President Clinton in the Oval Office from November 1995 to March 1997.
In 2014, Lewinsky wrote, “I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened.”
Lewinsky was moved to the Pentagon in April 1996 due to her time spent with Clinton, working for Kenneth Bacon.
Lewinsky had confided in White House staffer Linda Tripp, who recorded conversations about her relationship with Clinton, leading to an investigation.
News of the Clinton-Lewinsky affair broke in January 1998, placing Lewinsky both in the spotlight of mainstream media, and under public scrutiny. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,” Clinton had said at the time.
Lewinsky was later pardoned by Clinton. She went on to testify about her relationship with him, contradicting his previous claims of passive involvement in the relationship.
Lewinsky said, “He could have made it right with the book, but he hasn’t. He is a revisionist of history. He has lied. … I really didn’t expect him to go into detail about our relationship. … But if he had and he’d done it honestly, I wouldn’t have minded. … I did, though, at least expect him to correct the false statements he made when he was trying to protect the Presidency.”
Lewinsky added, “Instead, he talked about it as though I had laid it all out there for the taking. I was the buffet and he just couldn’t resist the dessert. … This was a mutual relationship, mutual on all levels, right from the way it started and all the way through. … I don’t accept that he had to completely desecrate my character.”
Post-scandal, Lewinsky co-authored “Monica’s Story,” launched a handbag line, and appeared in various TV roles.