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Monica Lewinsky
Lewinsky at the 2014 IDA Awards
Born	Monica Samille Lewinsky (1973-07-23) July 23, 1973 (age 51) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education	Lewis & Clark College (BA, 1995) London School of Economics (MS, 2006)
Occupations	Government assistant fashion designer television personality activist
Years active	1995–2005; 2014–present
Employer(s)	White House Office of Legislative Affairs (1995–96) The Pentagon (1996–97)
Known for	Lewinsky scandal
Parent(s)	Bernard Lewinsky Marcia Lewis

Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is a former White House intern with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had what he called an "inappropriate relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996. The affair and its repercussions, which included Clinton's impeachment, became known as the Lewinsky scandal.

As a result of the scandal, Lewinsky gained worldwide celebrity status; she subsequently engaged in a variety of ventures including designing a line of handbags under her name, being an advertising spokesperson for a diet plan, working as a television personality, and then leaving the public spotlight to pursue a master's degree in psychology in London. In 2014 she returned to public view, discussing the scandal and speaking out against cyberbullying.

Early life

Monica Samille Lewinsky was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in an affluent family in Southern California in the Westside Brentwood area of Los Angeles and in Beverly Hills. Her father is Bernard Lewinsky, an oncologist, who is the son of German Jews who escaped Nazi Germany and emigrated to El Salvador and then moved to the United States when he was 14. Her mother, born Marcia Kay Vilensky, is an author who uses the name Marcia Lewis. In 1996, she wrote her only book, the gossip biography, The Private Lives of the Three Tenors. During the Lewinsky scandal, the press compared Lewis' unproven "hints" that she had an affair with opera star Plácido Domingo to her daughter's allegations of a sexual relationship with Clinton. Monica's maternal grandfather, Samuel M. Vilensky, was a Lithuanian Jew, and Monica's maternal grandmother, Bronia Poleshuk, was born in the British Concession of Tianjin, China, to a Russian Jewish family. Monica's parents' acrimonious separation and divorce during 1987 and 1988 had a significant effect on her. Her father later married his current wife, Barbara; her mother later married R. Peter Straus, a media executive and former director of the Voice of America under President Jimmy Carter.

The family attended Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and Monica attended Sinai Akiba Academy, its religious school. For her primary education she attended the John Thomas Dye School in Bel-Air. She then attended Beverly Hills High School, but for her senior year transferred to, and graduated from, Bel Air Prep (later known as Pacific Hills School) in 1991.

Following high school graduation, Lewinsky attended Santa Monica College, a two-year community college, and worked for the drama department at Beverly Hills High School and at a tie shop. In 1992, she allegedly began a five-year affair with Andy Bleiler, her married former high school drama instructor. In 1993, she enrolled at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, graduating with a psychology degree in 1995.

With the assistance of a family connection, Lewinsky got an unpaid summer White House internship in the office of White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. Lewinsky moved to Washington, D.C. and took up the position in July 1995. She moved to a paid position in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs in December 1995.

Scandal

Lewinsky stated that between November 1995 and March 1997, she had nine sexual encounters with then-President Bill Clinton that, according to her testimony, involved fellatio and other sexual acts in the Oval Office, but not sexual intercourse.

Clinton previously had been confronted with allegations of sexual misconduct during his time as Governor of Arkansas, including a civil lawsuit filed against him by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones, alleging that he had sexually harassed her. Lewinsky's name surfaced during the discovery phase of Jones' case, when Jones' lawyers sought to show a pattern of behavior by Clinton that involved sexual relationships with other government employees.

In April 1996, Lewinsky's superiors transferred her from the White House to The Pentagon because they felt she was spending too much time around Clinton. There she worked as an assistant to chief Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth Bacon. Lewinsky told co-worker Linda Tripp about her relationship with the President. Beginning in September 1997, Tripp began secretly recording their telephone conversations regarding the affair with Clinton. In December 1997, Lewinsky left the Pentagon position. In January 1998, after Lewinsky had submitted an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying any physical relationship with Clinton, and had attempted to persuade Tripp to lie under oath in that case, Tripp gave the tapes to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, adding to his ongoing investigation into the Whitewater controversy. Starr then broadened his investigation beyond the Arkansas land use deal to include Lewinsky, Clinton, and others for possible perjury and subornation of perjury in the Jones case. Tripp reported the taped conversations to literary agent Lucianne Goldberg. She also convinced Lewinsky to save the gifts that Clinton had given her during their relationship, and not to dry clean what would later become known as "the blue dress". Under oath, Clinton denied having had "a sexual affair", "sexual relations", or "a sexual relationship" with Lewinsky.

News of the Clinton–Lewinsky relationship broke in January 1998. On January 26, 1998, Clinton stated, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" in a nationally televised White House news conference. The matter instantly occupied the news media, and Lewinsky spent the next weeks hiding from public attention in her mother's residence at the Watergate complex. News of Lewinsky's affair with Bleiler also came to light, and he turned over to Starr various souvenirs, photographs, and documents that Lewinsky had sent him and his wife during the time she was in the White House.

Clinton had also said, "there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or any other kind of improper relationship" which he defended as truthful on August 17, 1998, hearing because of the use of the present tense, famously arguing "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" (i.e., he was not, at the time he made that statement, still in a sexual relationship with Lewinsky). Under pressure from Starr, who had obtained from Lewinsky a blue dress with Clinton's semen stain, as well as testimony from Lewinsky that the President had inserted a cigar tube into her vagina, Clinton stated, "I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate." Clinton denied having committed perjury because, according to Clinton, the legal definition of oral sex was not encompassed by "sex" per se. In addition, relying upon the definition of "sexual relations" as proposed by the prosecution and agreed by the defense and by Judge Susan Webber Wright, who was hearing the Paula Jones case, Clinton claimed that because certain acts were performed on him, not by him, he did not engage in sexual relations. Lewinsky's testimony to the Starr Commission, however, contradicted Clinton's claim of being totally passive in their encounters.

Both Clinton and Lewinsky were called before a grand jury; Clinton testified via closed-circuit television, Lewinsky in person. She was granted transactional immunity by the United States Office of the Independent Counsel, in exchange for her testimony.

donald trump is not winning monica lewinsky

Public re-emergence

In May 2014, Lewinsky wrote an essay for Vanity Fair magazine entitled "Shame and Survival" where she discussed her life and the scandal. She continued to maintain that the relationship was mutual and wrote that while Clinton took advantage of her, it was a consensual relationship. She added: "I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened." However, she said it was now time to "stick my head above the parapet so that I can take back my narrative and give a purpose to my past." The magazine later announced her as a Vanity Fair contributor, stating she would "contribute to their website on ongoing basis, on the lookout for relevant topics of interest."

In July 2014, Lewinsky was interviewed on a three-part television special airing on The National Geographic Channel titled, The 90s: The Last Great Decade. The series looked at various events of the 1990s, including the scandal that brought Lewinsky into the national spotlight. This was Lewinsky's first such interview in more than ten years.

In October 2014 she took a public stand against cyberbullying, calling herself "patient zero" of online harassment. Speaking at a Forbes magazine "30 Under 30" Summit about her experiences in the aftermath of the scandal, she said, "Having survived myself, what I want to do now is help other victims of the shame game survive, too." She said she was influenced by reading about the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman where cyberbullying was involved and joined Twitter to facilitate her efforts. In March 2015, Lewinsky continued to speak out publicly against cyberbullying, delivering a TED talk calling for a more compassionate Internet. In June 2015, she became an ambassador and strategic advisor for anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution. The same month, she gave an anti-cyberbullying speech at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

References

1. Morton, Andrew R. (1999). Monica's Story. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 357. ISBN 0-312-97362-4.
2. ^ Leen, Jeff (January 24, 1998). "Lewinsky: Two Coasts, Two Lives, Many Images". The Washington Post. p. A1.
3. ^ Aiken, Jonathan (August 6, 1998). "Who Is Monica Lewinsky?". CNN.
4. ^ Tugend, Tom (January 30, 1998). "L.A. temple fends off Lewinsky inquiries". j. Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
5. ^ Pooley, Eric (February 23, 1998). "Monica's World". Time.
6. Leen, Jeff (February 4, 1998). "Role Puts Spotlight on Lewinsky's Mother". Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
7. Cooper, Richard T.; La Ganga, Maria; Nelson, Jack (April 2, 1998). "Monica's Mom, the Reluctant Starr Witness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
8. Kelly, Keith J. (January 24, 1998). "Mom's Tenor Tale Teased Us". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
9. Kamiya, Gary (January 23, 1998). "Mommy Leerest". Salon. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
10. "Monica's Mom Defended". Daily News. New York. August 9, 1998.
11. Italiano, Laura (October 3, 1998). "Monica's mother's breakdown revealed". New York Post.
12. "Monica's Mom, the Reluctant Starr Witness". Los Angeles Times. April 2, 1998.
13. ^ Green, Michelle (February 9, 1998). "Scandal at 1600". People.
14. "Lewinsky's mother to wed media executive". CNN. February 2, 1998.
15. At Pacific Hills School (formerly Bel-Air Prep) she won the "Outstanding Junior of the Year" award. "That Girl" by Leonard Gill, March 15, 1999. Memphis Flyer book review. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
16. ^ Clairborne, William (January 28, 1998). "Lewinsky's Former Teacher Discloses Affair". The Washington Post. p. A22.
17. "Lewinsky and the first lady". USA Today. Associated Press. March 19, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
18. "Paula Jones' lawyers want Lewinsky evidence". Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. April 1, 1998. p. A3.
19. ^ "Keeping Score In the Lewinsky Matter". CNN. January 31, 1998.
20. Starr Report: Nature of President Clinton's Relationship with Monica Lewinsky Retrieved December 18, 2006.
21. ^ The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: President Bill Clinton January 21, 1998
22. ^ Baker, Peter; John F. Harris (August 18, 1998). "Clinton Admits to Lewinsky Relationship, Challenges Starr to End Personal 'Prying'". The Washington Post. p. A1.
23. Hibbitts, Bernard (September 21, 1998). "Videotaped Testimony of William Jefferson Clinton Before the Grand Jury Empaneled for Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr August 17, 1998". JURIST: The Law Professors' Network. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
24. "Perjury about sexual relations from the Paula Jones deposition" by Steve Kangas. Retrieved February 12, 2006
25. Bennet, James; Abramson, Jill (September 20, 1998). "The Testing of a President: The Overview; Lawyers Say Tape of Clinton Shows Regret and Anger". The New York Times.
26. Blitzer, Wolf; Franken, Bob (July 28, 1998). "Lewinsky Strikes Far-Reaching Immunity Deal". CNN. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
27. "Exclusive: Monica Lewinsky Writes About Her Affair with President Clinton". Vanity Fair. May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
28. Lewinsky, Monica (June 2014). "Shame and Survival: Monica Lewinsky on the Culture of Humiliation". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
29. Meslow, Scott (May 7, 2014). "Monica Lewinsky breaks 10 years of silence on affair with President Clinton". The Week. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
30. ^ Cite error: The named reference pol-purdum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
31. Julia Cannon (July 31, 2014). "Monica Lewinsky Is Writing For Vanity Fair Now". businessinsider. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
32. Beth Stebner (August 1, 2014). "Monica Lewinsky to contribute to Vanity Fair on an 'ongoing basis'". nydailynews.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
33. Makarechi, Kia (July 1, 2014). "Monica Lewinsky Grants First TV Interview in Years". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
34. ^ Merica, Dan (October 21, 2014). "Lewinsky makes emotional plea to end cyberbullying". CNN. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
35. ^ O'Connor, Clare (October 20, 2014). "Monica Lewinsky Speaks: 'It's My Mission To End Cyberbullying'". Forbes. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
36. Merica, Dan (October 20, 2014). "Monica Lewinsky joins Twitter". CNN.
37. Bennett, Jessica (March 19, 2015). "Monica Lewinsky Is Back, but This Time It's on Her Terms". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
38. Wakefield, Jane (March 19, 2015). "Monica Lewinsky calls for a more compassionate internet". BBC Online. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
39. Lewinsky, Monica (March 20, 2015). "Monica Lewinsky: The price of shame". TED via YouTube. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
40. "Monica Lewinsky joins anti-bullying group Bystander Revolution, says she wants to help 'other victims of the shame game' survive". The Independent. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
41. "Monica Lewinsky gets standing ovation at Cannes". pagesix.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.

Further reading

• Berlant, Lauren, and Duggan, Lisa. Our Monica, Ourselves: The Clinton Affair and the Public Interest (Sexual Cultures). New York: New York University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0814798645
• Kalb, Marvin. One Scandalous Story: Clinton, Lewinsky, and Thirteen Days That Tarnished American Journalism. New York: Free Press, 2001. ISBN 978-1416576372

External links

• Monica Lewinsky at IMDb
• Monica Lewinsky at TED
• "The Price of Shame" speech at TED

• 1973 births
• Alumni of the London School of Economics
• American expatriates in the United Kingdom
• American fashion businesspeople
• American fashion designers
• American Jews
• American people of German-Jewish descent
• American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
• American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
• American people of Russian-Jewish descent
• American television personalities
• Anti-bullying activists
• Jewish fashion designers
• Lewinsky scandal
• Lewis & Clark College alumni
• Living people
• People from San Francisco, California
• Santa Monica College alumni
• Vanity Fair (magazine) people