Bill Clinton’s book describes ‘frustration’ over questions about Monica Lewinsky affair | Books

Bill Clinton, the former US president, has written about his “frustration” at being questioned about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, while admitting that he never directly apologized to her .

Clinton was caught in one of the biggest political scandals in history when it was revealed in 1998 that he had a sexual relationship with the then 22-year-old Lewinsky. The president, who initially lied before apologizing, was impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate.

In a new book, Citizen, a chronicle of his post-presidency years obtained by the Guardian, Clinton recalls an awkward 2018 interview on NBC’s Today show in which he was “caught off guard.”

The interview was reportedly about a novel Clinton had co-authored with thriller author James Patterson. But citing the MeToo movement, host Craig Melvin asked whether Clinton would resign if the same thing that led to his impeachment happened today.

The former president insisted no because he said the impeachment was unlawful and must be fought. Melvin then read from a Lewinsky column about how the MeToo reckoning changed her view of sexual harassment and asked if Clinton now thinks differently.

In Citizen, the 78-year-old writes: “I said, ‘No, I felt terrible at the time.’ “Have you ever apologized to her?” I said that I had apologized to her and everyone else I had wronged. I was surprised by what came next. “But you haven’t apologized to her, at least according to the people we’ve spoken to.” I struggled to contain my frustration as I replied that while I’d never spoken to her directly, I had more than spoken to her (once) publicly said I was sorry.”

Clinton admits in Citizen that the interview was “not my finest hour,” adding that he was prepared to be asked why he had not personally apologized to Lewinsky, but not to be blamed for that he hadn’t apologized at all. He also takes a dig at Melvin, who was “barely in his teens when this all happened and probably wasn’t properly informed.”

The Democrat says: “Still, it’s always better to save your anger for what happens to others, not for yourself.”

He notes that NBC soon added a clip of him speaking to faith leaders at the White House in 1999 and apologizing to his family, Lewinsky and her family, and the American people. “I meant it then, and I mean it now,” he writes.

“I live with it all the time. Monica has done a lot of good and important work in her anti-bullying campaign over the past few years and has earned well-deserved recognition in the United States and abroad. I wish her nothing but the best.”

Lewinsky is now an anti-bullying activist, speaker and author. In 2021, the Today show asked her if she felt Clinton owed her an apology. She said, “I don’t need it. He should wants I apologize, just as I want to apologize at every opportunity to people I have hurt and who my actions have hurt.”

Clinton’s wife Hillary was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The fallout from the #MeToo movement didn’t stop him from speaking at this year’s Democratic National Convention or campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.