If you were alive in the late 1990s, you remember exactly where you were when the news broke. It was a scandal that seized the American imagination, dominated the 24-hour news cycle, and changed the trajectory of the internet forever.
Following the Watergate precedent, the suffix "-gate" was applied to signify a high-level political scandal. monicagate
By April 1996, Lewinsky’s superiors, concerned about the amount of time she was spending near the president, transferred her to the Pentagon. While there, she confided in a colleague and new friend, Linda Tripp, about her secret relationship with the president. Unbeknownst to Lewinsky, Tripp began secretly recording their phone conversations, hoping to gather evidence of what she considered an abuse of power and potential perjury. If you were alive in the late 1990s,
In a sworn deposition for the Jones case on January 17, 1998, President Clinton was asked under oath about his relationship with Lewinsky. He famously denied having "sexual relations" with her. This denial would become the legal linchpin of the scandal. It wasn't just about infidelity; it was about lying under oath. By April 1996, Lewinsky’s superiors, concerned about the
The relationship began in 1995 when Monica Lewinsky, a recent college graduate, started an unpaid internship in the office of White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. Over the next 18 months, Lewinsky and President Clinton had several sexual encounters, primarily in the Oval Office.
The sexual relationship began in 1995 and lasted roughly 18 months, ending in 1997.