US Sen Kirsten Gillibrand says former Democratic President Bill Clinton should have resigned over his sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky 20 years ago.
The New York Democrat made the remark in an interview with The New York Times that was published on its website Thursday after being asked if she believed Clinton should have stepped down at the time.
‘Yes, I think that is the appropriate response,’ she said, adding that ‘things have changed today, and I think under those circumstances there should be a very different reaction’.
US Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (left) says former Democratic President Bill Clinton (right, should have resigned over his sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky 20 years ago
The New York Democrat made the remark in an interview Thursday after being asked if she believed Clinton (left, when he was president) should have stepped down at the time of the affair with Lewinsky (right)
‘Yes, I think that is the appropriate response,’ she said, adding that ‘things have changed today, and I think under those circumstances there should be a very different reaction’. Clinton and Lewinsky are pictured in 1998
‘And I think in light of this conversation, we should have a very different conversation about President Trump, and a very different conversation about allegations against him,’ she added.
A spokesman later said Gillibrand was trying to underscore that Clinton’s actions, had they happened in the current era, should have compelled him to resign.
Gillibrand is the highest-profile elected Democratic official to say that the former president should have stepped down as a result of his affair.
The House in 1999 voted to impeach Clinton of perjury and obstruction of its investigation into the affair. The Senate acquitted him.
Gillibrand’s remarks came to light on the day Democratic US Sen Al Franken of Minnesota apologized after a Los Angeles radio anchor accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her during a 2006 USO tour.
Franken is the latest in a long line of high-profile men to face a sexual assault accusation, after TalkRadio 790 KABC morning host Leeann Tweeden wrote of her experiences and published a photo that shows Franken grabbing her breasts while she was asleep on a military aircraft.
Gillibrand was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton is pictured during her husband’s presidency
Gillibrand’s remarks came to light on the day Democratic US Sen Al Franken (left) of Minnesota apologized after a Los Angeles radio anchor accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her during a 2006 USO tour
She says Franken forced his tongue into her mouth when she expected to be rehearsing a scene where they would fake a ‘kiss’ for the military audience.
After hearing of his apology, Tweeden said during a press conference that ‘people make mistakes. I’m not calling for him to step down. That’s not my place to say that’.
But the mother of a young son and daughter, both toddlers, hinted that if other women were to come forward with similar stories, that may change.
Gillibrand also called Franken’s behavior ‘very disturbing’.
She said: ‘I was very disappointed. But it’s important that survivors are coming out and speaking truth to power and telling their stories.’
Gillibrand was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.