Monica Lewinsky: President Clinton “Answered Untruthfully”

Politico is reporting that a new book to be published next February includes assertions from Monica Lewinsky that Bill Clinton “answered untruthfully” in testimony. Death of American Virtue, written by Ken Gormley “offers an insightful, balanced, and revealing analysis of the events leading up to the impeachment trial of President William Jefferson Clinton,” says the Random House website.

Writing for Politico, Josh Gerstein and John F. Harris call this “the first definitive history of the Clinton scandal” and are quick to point out that neither Clinton nor Kenneth Starr will be pleased with their portrayal in the book.

The biggest news to come from the pages of this book appear to be Monica Lewinsky’s assertion that former President Clinton was not telling the truth under oath. Gerstein and Harris write:

— Lewinsky now believes Bill Clinton lied about their relationship during his grand jury testimony. “There was no leeway [there] on the veracity of his statements because they asked him detailed and specific questions to which he answered untruthfully,” she wrote to Gormley earlier this year. Longtime Clinton attorney David Kendall declined to comment.

The Random House website about the book includes the following:

Ten years after one of the most polarizing political scandals in American history, author Ken Gormley offers an insightful, balanced, and revealing analysis of the events leading up to the impeachment trial of President William Jefferson Clinton. From Ken Starr’s initial Whitewater investigation through the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit to the Monica Lewinsky affair, The Death of American Virtue is a gripping chronicle of an ever-escalating political feeding frenzy.

In exclusive interviews, Bill Clinton, Ken Starr, Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Susan McDougal, and many more key players offer candid reflections on that period. Drawing on never-before-released records and documents—including the Justice Department’s internal investigation into Starr, new details concerning the death of Vince Foster, and evidence from lawyers on both sides—Gormley sheds new light on a dark and divisive chapter, the aftereffects of which are still being felt in today’s political climate.

Whether or not our country is eager to relive that “dark and divisive chapter” is a debate for another day. And will likely BE the debate as we ring in the new year – as many political pundits will present the Clinton Scandal as the beginning of this current era of the bitter partisan politics.

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