This Day in History: The Clinton-Lewinsky Affair

On the night of January 17, 1998, a then-obscure Internet gossip and news page named the Drudge Report broke the news that Newsweek magazine had just canceled a story about an alleged affair between then-President Bill Clinton and an unnamed White House intern. That was a Saturday; by the next day Matt Drudge had a name to go with his story: Monica Lewinsky.

Thus sparked one of the most controversial chapters in American politics during the 20th Century. President Clinton was fighting a sexual harassment suit by Paula Jones, and since the alleged relationship between the President and the 21-year-old intern was relevant to the investigation, the details of the affair were eventually discovered through subpoenas. President Clinton's initial answers about his relationship with Ms. Lewinsky later gave rise to an impeachment trial in the House of Representatives for having lied under oath. Clinton became only the second President of the United States in history to be impeached, but was not convicted or removed from office by the Senate. Nevertheless, the entire affair bogged down most of the second Clinton term and became the hallmark of his administration, eclipsing such events as the Oslo Accords.