Monica Lewinsky Has Something Funny To Say About The Clinton Impeachment Trial

On February 13, 2021, President Donald Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial after being accused of inciting the riot and violence that took place at the United States Capitol Building on January 6 (per CBS News). The trial, which took place over the course of five days, attracted attention from millions of people around the world – including former White House intern and current activist Monica Lewinsky.

A few decades before the impeachment trials of President Donald Trump, Lewinsky was directly involved in another political scandal involving President Bill Clinton. Along with being accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual acts and harassment of former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones, Clinton was discovered to have maintained a sexual relationship with then-White House intern Lewinsky in 1995 and 1996. After lying under oath about the nature of his relationship with Lewinsky ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman"), Clinton only added to the list of various political indiscretions that eventually led to his impeachment trial during the second term of his presidency (per Time).

In the years after the scandal (which ultimately did not end in a conviction for Clinton), Lewinsky appeared on television shows, designed her own handbags, and eventually took a very public stand against cyberbullying. More than 20 years after the scandal, Lewinsky has at least been able to face the events with a bit more humor (via Oprah Magazine).

In a tweet posted on February 13, Lewinsky lamented that she wished that she would have made better style choices during her testimony at Clinton's impeachment trial. "Impeachment is very serious," Lewinsky tweeted. "But the worst thing about being reminded of testifying as a witness in the Clinton impeachment, is the flashback of how desperately I needed a glam squad for that taped deposition. #BadHairDay #BadMakeup #BadLighting."

Since her return to the public embrace in 2014, Lewinsky has been able to joke a bit more about her experiences in the scandal and resulting trial on Twitter and other platforms. Lewinsky's work to address cyberbullying has also shed some light on the bullying that she herself endured – and, in some cases, still endures – for decades. "In 1998, I lost my reputation and my dignity...I lost my sense of self," Lewinsky said in her 2015 TED Talk, "The Price of Shame" (via TED). "When this happened to me, 17 years ago, there was no name for it. Now we call it cyber-bullying."

For more political quips and jokes (sometimes at her own expense), pay a visit to Lewinsky's Twitter page – you can thank us later.