04 January 2024 , 16:36
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Former US Presidents Bill and Hillary Clinton have remained together throughout the highs and lows of their 40-year marriage, from his unlawful affair with a 22-year-old intern to claims he 'likes them young' in Ghislaine Maxwell's court case.
Newly-released documents from a 2015 civil lawsuit filed against Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice Maxwell were released on Thursday and include court transcriptions as well as the names of high-profile figures associated with the billionaire paedophile.
One of Epstein's victims, Johanna Sjoberg, detailed multiple accusations of sexual misbehaviour against the disgraced mogul to jurors. Ms Sjoberg also testified that, although she never met the 42nd US President Bill Clinton, Epstein once remarked to her "Clinton likes them young".
Through a spokesperson, Clinton has denied visiting Epstein's homes, having any contact with him in the last 20 years and any knowledge of his "terrible crimes". His 2019 statement said he was accompanied on his trips aboard Epstein's plane by staff and supporters from his charity, the Clinton Foundation, and "his Secret Service detail travelled every leg of every trip".
Clinton has been with his wife Hillary for over 50 years and they are the first married couple to each be nominated for US President, in 1993 and 2009. The pair met at Yale Law School in 1971 and tied the knot four years later in the living room of their home in Arkansas. They went on to have a daughter Chelsea Clinton, and three grandchildren, and remain in a happy relationship despite two affairs that Bill has admitted to.
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Monica Lewinsky affair
Bill Clinton admitted to an illicit affair with intern Monica LewinskyPsychology graduate Monica Lewinsky, 22, was an unpaid intern when she became embroiled in a national scandal and embarked on an illicit affair. Bill initially testified under oath that he had not had a relationship with Monica during an investigation into his improper behaviour - but later admitted live on television that he had lied.
Monica had told her co-worker, Linda Tripp, about her relationship with Bill, and Tripp began secretly recording their telephone conversations. Other members of staff had already raised concerns about her 'special treatment'. But the smoking gun was a blue Gap dress that Monica told Linda about, admitting it bore an unsavoury stain which later proved she and Bill were intimate.
On the night in question, Bill headed into a room with Monica and his secretary, Betty Currie, who then departed - having helped achieve the illusion that the couple were not alone together. "We moved to the bathroom and were more intimate," explained Monica. "There was some attention paid on me and then I was reciprocating, where up until that point he had always stopped before completion on his part. I sort of stood up and said I wanted to move past that stage and so he finally said okay."
Monica didn't notice her dress had been soiled and hugged the President goodbye before heading off. The garment was eventually examined as part of the FBI investigation of Bill's professional conduct, and indeed proved he had lied when he denied "sexual relations" with his intern, perjuring himself. The affair led to him becoming only the second president to ever be impeached. He was charged with perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice after he denied having sex with Lewinsky.
It was an unsavoury stain on her dress that proved the pair had been intimate (Getty Images)Monica went on to become a TV personality, designing a handbag line and promoting a diet plan, before dropping out of the spotlight to pursue a Master's degree in psychology in London. She has since become a social activist who speaks out against cyberbullying after spending years being hassled about the affair, which she now realises was a "gross abuse of power". While Bill late claimed his affair was his way to "manage his anxieties" during a stressful time in the White House.
"You feel like you're staggering around, you've been in a 15 round prize fight that was extended to 30 rounds and here's something that will take your mind off it for a while, that's what happens," he said on the Hulu documentary titled Hillary. "We all bring baggage to life, and sometimes we do things we shouldn't do and it was awful what I did. Everybody's life has pressures and disappointments, terrors, fears of whatever. Things I did to manage my anxieties for years."
Discussing Bill's former mistress, Hillary admitted: "I feel terrible about the fact that Monica Lewinsky's life was defined by it, unfairly I think. Over the years, I've watched her trying to get a normal life back again, but you've got to decide how to define normal."
Recalling the moment he confessed to his wife, Bill said: "I went and sat on the bed and talked to her. I told her exactly what happened, when it happened. I said I feel terrible about it. She said you have to tell your daughter. She said that's worse than me. So I did that, which was awful." Hillary added: "I was just devastated. I could not believe it. I was so personally just hurt, and I can't believe this, I can't believe you lied... We saw a counsellor... painful, painful discussions."
Sexuality rumours
In 2019 Hillary Clinton shut down the many rumours that she'd had lesbian relationships (AFP/Getty Images)Rumours about Hillary's sexuality swirled for decades with claims the former US President allegedly had relationships with women. Gennifer Flowers, whom Bill admitted to having sexual encounters with, told Mail Online that Bill "was well aware Hillary was bisexual, and didn't mind". While Sally Miller, who claims to have had an affair with Bill, told the publication that "Hillary is a lesbian".
But Hillary finally dispelled the myth in a radio interview with Howard Stern in 2019. "Contrary to what you may hear, I actually like men," she told the host, while calling her ex-boyfriend before Bill "really handsome". "He looked like a Greek god. He was very attractive," she added.
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Stern then asked her to clarify: "Raise your right hand. You've never had a lesbian affair?" To which Hillary giggled: "Never, never, never!" and added: "Never even been tempted, thank you very much." The former Secretary of State then said: "Everything we do can cause suspicion, apparently."
Staying together
The former First Lady has said she had "no regrets" about choosing to stay with Bill after his affair. On her podcast, You and Me Both, last year, she gave further insight into her decision. "I'm not giving relationship advice. Everybody has to find their own way," she said. "But I think our ability to keep talking is one of the reasons why we're still sitting here together." To which Bill agreed: "Yeah, I do, too."
She added: "Part of, I think, the real core of our relationship, our marriage, has been we started a conversation and we never stopped. Through good times and hard times, through happy times and sad times - it doesn't mean we don't get frustrated and upset with the other because that's human nature. But we always kept talking." In her third memoir, What Happened, in 2017, she included a sentimental ode to Bill that read: "He has been my partner in life and my greatest champion since the moment we met."