When many people think Bill Clinton, they also usually associate it with his infamous affair with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
Back then, it was a big deal and it almost led to the President being impeached. He eventually rode it out and things went back to normal– somewhat.
Now, in an age of more awareness of sexual assault and its many forms, the idea of the affair is back in the social consciousness and it has been asked; Did Bill Clinton abuse his power as President by dating Lewinsky?
When faced with this question, Hilary Clinton, former Presidential candidate and wife to the former President, was quick to say “Absolutely not,”
“No. No,” she said, adding that Lewinsky “was an adult.”
She said this on an interview that aired on CBS’s “Sunday Morning” this week
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The founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, has disagreed with this notion and believes that President Clinton absolutely abused his power in that case. She argued that the power differential between essentially the most powerful man in the world and an intern is too much to ignore.
“Sexual violence is not about sex,” she said, “It’s about power. And it’s about the abuse of power.”
She further added that it “is just tragic and it’s wrong” for Hillary Clinton’s to deny that former President Bill Clinton abused his power when he began an affair with 22-year-old Monica Lewinsky
“It’s absolutely an abuse of power,” Burke said. “Two people made a choice and one of those people was the most powerful man in the world.”
Lewinsky, who admitted that the relationship was consensual, has said that with some reflection and hindsight, she too believes that it was an abuse of power.
“You’re talking about an age dynamic, but you’re also talking about the president of the United States. The amount of power, the amount of accumulated power that is in that position alone, versus an intern, it’s absolutely an abuse of power,” she said.
She made this known in an article she wrote in Vanity Fair back in March.
“Now, at 44, I’m beginning (just beginning) to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern,” she wrote. “I’m beginning to entertain the notion that in such a circumstance the idea of consent might well be rendered moot.”
Lewinsky added that “it’s very likely that my thinking would not necessarily be changing at this time had it not been for the #MeToo movement – not only because of the new lens it has provided but also because of how it has offered new avenues toward the safety that comes from solidarity”