Hillary on Clinton-Lewinsky affair: Bill hadn't abused power
What's the story
With the #MeToo movement having gathered momentum, former US President Bill Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky has come under fresh scrutiny. In light of the renewed scrutiny, Hillary Clinton has come to her husband's defense, saying that the relationship was consensual, Lewinsky was an adult, and that there had been no abuse of power on the part of Bill. Here are the details.
Scrutiny
Was Clinton's affair with Lewinsky consensual?
Bill Clinton's two-decade-old affair came under fresh scrutiny, with many, like New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand speculating that the former President's affair with Lewinsky couldn't have been a consensual one, owing to the imbalance of power between the two. The speculations are based on the fact that, at the time of the affair, Clinton was a sitting President, and Lewinsky, a 22-year-old intern.
Response
Hillary says Lewinsky was an adult, and had given consent
Yet, Hillary seems to disagree. Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, the former presidential candidate replied in the negative when asked whether Bill should have stepped down owing to the affair. When questioned about whether the relationship between the two involved an abuse of power, Hillary rubbished the claims, and said that Lewinsky was an adult who had given consent.
Lewinsky
Lewinsky has long maintained that the affair was consensual
Interestingly, Lewinsky had long maintained that her relationship with Bill Clinton had been consensual and that there had been no abuse of power. However, in an essay published in the Vanity Fair magazine earlier this year, Lewinsky said that she had started to re-evaluate her own views about the affair. She did not immediately comment on the fresh speculations surrounding the affair.