Reminiscent of past scandals, the Stormy Daniels case is a familiar echo from history. Almost three decades ago, in May 1994, Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state clerk, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. She alleged that in 1991, while he was governor of Arkansas, he had coerced her into a hotel room in Little Rock, where he then attempted to engage in a sexual act with her, which she rejected.
Mr. Clinton denied the allegations, and his legal team argued that he was immune to civil litigation while in office. Although a federal judge ultimately dismissed Ms. Jones’s claim, the Supreme Court rejected Mr. Clinton’s immunity argument, deeming the lawsuit to be a minimal distraction. Unbeknownst to many, information was covertly exchanged between Ken Starr’s investigation and Ms. Jones’s lawyers as part of the ever-expanding Whitewater inquiry.
During Mr. Clinton’s deposition in the Jones case, his lawyers inquired about his involvement with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. His denial of any involvement led to charges of perjury and obstruction, resulting in his impeachment by the Republican House of Representatives. However, he was acquitted by the Senate in 1999 in a bipartisan vote. For those who lived through the tumultuous years of the 1990s and then witnessed the events of September 11th, 2001, it’s difficult not to experience a sense of déjà vu when watching a new documentary about Stephanie Clifford, also known as “Stormy”.
2024-03-27 09:13:26
Article from www.economist.com