Sarah Long
Mrs. Smith
AP US History
21 May 2014
Blown Out Of Proportion
The Lewinsky Scandal unfairly tarnished Clinton's reputation as president. The American
public watched as Clinton took part in many trials relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky
and consequently his impeachment trials, meanwhile slowly forgetting all the good he did for the
country. One small mistake causes such large repercussions. However, these repercussions were
unfair. The punishment did not fit the crime. The coverage of the Lewinsky Scandal was slanted
in a way that made the president look bad. During his presidency, Clinton did many good things
that have been forgotten in the shadow of this scandal. Even today, Clinton is known for having a
scandalous presidency and the impeachment trials that followed. Lewinsky went down in history
as a floozy and is known for her promiscuity. This reputation followed her for years after the
incident and continues to affect her 15 years later. Clinton's reputation as president was unfairly
tarnished as a result of the Lewinsky Scandal.
During the 1990s, American newsstands exploded with news about the President's affair
with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky and following impeachment trials. While already
dealing with a sexual harassment lawsuit from Paula Jones and other problems, Clinton began
his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The two had a total of seven private encounters, secretly in the
Oval Office or surrounding hallways (Excerpts from the Starr Report Concerning Seven Sexual
Encounters). Clinton ended the relationship and Lewinsky got a job in the Pentagon. When
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called to testify in the Jones Case, both Clinton and Lewinsky denied having sexual relations. At
the Pentagon, Lewinsky confided in her colleague, Linda Tripp, about her relations with Clinton.
Linda Tripp contacted the reporter, Kenneth Starr, who advised her to record Lewinsky and...