How one sees the Clinton presidency (a very mediocre one in our minds) should be entirely separate from how one sees the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Thank god, Monica Lewinsky has come out of the entire matter as one of the wittiest, sharpest, and most likable voices on social media and someone who seems as comfortable in her own skin as possible… a minor miracle.

At the time, many of us could only feel outraged by the fact that the Republicans tried to impeach Clinton over it, from an investigation that started (Clinton appointed the special prosecutor) over a land deal in Arkansas and ended over a vague statement in a deposition and (gross alert) a DNA test from a stained dress. It was, and still is, offensive that the Republicans would investigate it and then try to impeach a president over that lie. Then the GOP waves away a president that says “Your foreign aide is dependent upon you making up an investigation against my rival.” (The essence of Trump’s message)

George Conway, the excellent attorney that we often cite, was one of the brilliant young attorneys who tried to bring Clinton down. The Daily Beast’s podcast “the new normal” asks him about whether he has regrets about going after Clinton. No, he says, but he does regret what it did to Monica Lewinsky. So do we:

No, Conway says. He doesn’t regret helping take down former President Bill Clinton, especially in the post-MeToo era. But he does “feel bad for what happened to Monica.”

Molly says she’s been thinking about “the apology that we owe Monica. She was 21 years old in an internship with a man, a powerful man with a history of sexual harassment and assault who had allegations against him and who was also just, like, a Casanova. And then, somehow, this is all her fault. The media made it all her fault.”

Conway, for his part, says he had no idea “that it was going to be awful for Monica. I thought it was gonna be awful for Bill… it was impossible to fully foresee how the whole thing would play out… Frankly, I thought she was going to be portrayed as a victim of this guy.”

We might point out, that none of this would even have happened (to Monica) had the prosecution been a bit more responsible. We aren’t convinced that Clinton lied. He was asked, “Is there a relationship with Monica Lewinsky (or intern)” – an unbelievably awkward question, but undoubtedly “present tense.” But Clinton had stopped seeing her months prior and – we believe (we’re not looking it up) she had been moved out of the White House by smarter staff. Had Clinton been asked “Have you had a relationship, since being in the White House, then Clinton would’ve been lying. Instead, he was asked “is” there a relationship. In our legal minds, that’s not really a lie, he doesn’t have to make sure the person understands the context, only yes or no.

A common tactic before depositions is to tell a client: “If they ask you ‘Do you know what time it is?’ The answer is yes or no, you don’t need to tell them the time.”

Regardless, Bill Clinton deserved to be censured, rather severely, he probably didn’t deserve to be impeached, especially under the Trump standard. But it was unbelievably wrong for him to take advantage of a woman – though of age – with such a power imbalance. Second, if there was a way, the prosecution should have tried to keep Monica anonymous or do something to ensure she had more privacy. And the press should have made it clear that she was the victim, not Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton, even during the impeachment process was never a victim. Monica was and remains so. Thankfully, against all odds, she’s developed into a wonderful woman who is a favorite on social media.

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