Former US President Bill Clinton should not have been charged for his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, but for lying in a previous sexual assault case, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has said.
Gingrich presided over the 1998 impeachment of Clinton, in which ‘Slick Willy’ was accused – and acquitted – of lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The charges were about Clinton claiming to be her “he had no sexual relations with” White House intern Monica Lewinsky, which she did.
Speaking to New York Post reporter Miranda Devine on Tuesday, Gingrich said he is now weighing the decision to sue Clinton over the Lewinsky affair. “mistake.”
“I think it was a mistake because the real problem wasn’t Lewinsky,” He said. “The big problem was that he had perjured himself in a sexual assault case while he was governor. In fact, he had his law license revoked in Arkansas after he left the presidency, and for five years he couldn’t practice because he was clearly a felony.”
In 1999, a federal judge found that Clinton had committed perjury in a civil lawsuit filed by Paula Jones, an Arkansas government employee who accused Clinton of impersonating her while she was governor of the state in 1991. Clinton was not convicted of a felony for perjury, but was held in contempt of court and had her law license revoked.
The focus of the charges against Clinton’s sex life, rather than hers “crime … reduced” process, Gingrich told Devine.
Ultimately, Clinton saw out the end of her second term, and Gingrich was forced to resign after the Republican Party lost seats in the 1998 midterm elections. Gingrich later admitted that he had an affair with a congressional staffer during the impeachment scandal.
Earlier this month, the New York Times interviewed dozens of lawmakers and staffers, and concluded that sexual harassment. “It’s still rife between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill and often goes unaddressed.” Two high-profile lawmakers — Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzalez — have resigned this year because of strained relationships with staff.
You can share this story on social networks:
Follow RT on
