As Monica Lewinsky injects herself into the American news cycle with her high-profile campaign against "cyber-bullying," many news outlets took a walk down memory lane to re-litigate the entire Clinton/Lewinsky affair of the 1990s.
The women of The View on ABC tackled the issue Tuesday with Rosie O'Donnell coming out vociferously against the former president saying he should have been "prosecuted" for his behavior.
ROSIE O'DONNELL: I love Monica Lewinsky and in 2002 I was opening the Mohegan Sun, and President Clinton was there. As well as Aretha Franklin and Cher. And the Secret Service came over and said President Clinton would like to speak to you, and I said I really can't right now, at the moment. And they said he really wanted to speak with me, and I said I really can't.
And I went onstage and I did a little bit about it, and I said she's walking around the world with the "Scarlett Letter" A on her forehead and he's laughing his way through his life. I just didn't think it was fair.
She wrote me a letter. And she said that I was the first public official -- public person -- that stood up for her, in 2002.
But I think she's an amazing woman and if it was a company like GE, he would have been prosecuted, because you're not allowed to have sex--
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: He was prosecuted. Didn't we? He was impeached.
ROSIE O'DONNELL: If it was a company, I think corporately, the corporation would have said, you know, you're out. You're not allowed to have sex with anyone in your line of duty. Right, your chain of command.
What's fascinating about this exchange is how it completely reveals the utter ignorance of the two stars of the daily gabfest.
First of all, say what you will about the former President's behavior and judgment (or lack thereof) for engaging in an affair with his young intern while literally in the Oval Office, it is not an actual crime. For O'Donnell to suggest that Clinton should be "prosecuted" for having the affair suggests she'd like to outlaw any relationship between an older man and a younger woman. Or, perhaps merely when the older man is in a position of power in the workplace and the woman in question is a lowly subordinate. A relationship like that may certainly be distasteful and tacky, but criminal behavior worthy of a "prosecution"? Of course not.
Further, Goldberg's contention that Clinton was prosecuted via the impeachment proceedings is an ignorant and misinformed understanding of history and the impeachment itself. Clinton was not impeached for having an affair with his intern, he was impeached by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. His relationship with Lewinsky was not a "high crime or misdemeanor" and was not prosecuted or impeached for it.
Transcript via RCP
