This Day In History: Bill Clinton says "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" — Transcript
Full transcript
- 0:00now we don't do that anymore so while
- 0:01this was worthy of the nation's highest
- 0:03office Ronald Reagan's speech 12 years
- 0:05later on this day in 1998 a scandal of
- 0:09sex and lies marked a low point for the
- 0:11White House it was the day President
- 0:13Bill Clinton said words that would
- 0:14follow him and his wife for years to
- 0:17come Scott py reports tonight Monica
- 0:20Lewinsky's attorneys tell us that she
- 0:22has told prosecutors all she knows they
- 0:25describe what they call a complete
- 0:28account of her relationship with
- 0:30President Clinton but that account was
- 0:33given over the telephone today and was
- 0:35not written down prosecutors are TR
- 0:37still trying to decide whether they will
- 0:39offer immunity this new threat came on
- 0:42the same day that the president finally
- 0:45rallied to his own
- 0:47defense the president had been silent 3
- 0:50days his lawyers wanted it that way but
- 0:53the political damage was Rising much too
- 0:55fast today drawn and blur eyed Mr
- 0:58Clinton joined the
- 1:00to save his presidency but I want to say
- 1:03one thing to the American people I want
- 1:06you to listen to me I'm going to say
- 1:07this again I did not have sexual
- 1:12relations with that woman Miss
- 1:15Linsky I never told anybody to lie not a
- 1:18single time never these allegations are
- 1:22false and I need to go back to work for
- 1:25the American people thank you he turned
- 1:28his back on question S as the first lady
- 1:31followed
- 1:33applauding the woman who could bring
- 1:35down the president appeared for the
- 1:37first time today leaving her apartment
- 1:39with her lawyer Lewinsky has indicated
- 1:42she will accuse Mr Clinton of a sexual
- 1:44relationship but only with a guarantee
- 1:46from prosecutors he knows that I want
- 1:50essentially full immunity uh he knows
- 1:52that I want and would accept nothing
- 1:54less than a promise not to prosecute U
- 1:56so how close we are is really in his
- 1:58hands not mine tonight independent
- 2:00Council Kenneth star is considering
- 2:02whether to accept Lewinsky's oral
- 2:04statement he had been insisting on a
- 2:06written version CBS News has learned the
- 2:09independent council is investigating
- 2:11reports that people working in the White
- 2:14House spotted Mr Clinton and Lewinsky
- 2:16alone in the Mansion at various times
- 2:19secret service records have been
- 2:20subpoenaed the agents expect to be next
- 2:23the White House strongly denies the
- 2:25reports the president's denial is quite
- 2:27clear uh that there couldn't have been
- 2:29that type of encounter uh I'm we've
- 2:32checked even with people who would have
- 2:34presumably been brought a report of any
- 2:36incident of that nature and they
- 2:38categorically deny there was such an
- 2:39incident sources tell CBS News Linsky
- 2:42was a frequent visitor to the White
- 2:44House long after she left the staff last
- 2:47month she was cleared in at least four
- 2:49times including weekends and evenings
- 2:52but her welcome seems to have ended 3
- 2:54weeks ago on January 3rd she was denied
- 2:57entry at the gate and sources tell C CBS
- 3:00News she threw a fit screaming don't you
- 3:03know who I am the president was
- 3:06traveling the day Lewinsky was turned
- 3:08away 4 days later she signed her sworn
- 3:11affidavit that she never had sex with Mr
- 3:14Clinton a grand jury is due to convene
- 3:17tomorrow Wednesday and Thursday the
- 3:19grand jury will be hearing from
- 3:21witnesses that include the president's
- 3:22friend Vernon Jordan and the president's
- 3:24own personal
- 3:26secretary it took seven more months for
- 3:29the other SHO to drop and the Daily News
- 3:31ran the story with the caption liar liar
- 3:35after President Clinton admitted to
- 3:36having an inappropriate relationship
- 3:38with Monica Lewinsky the president was
- 3:41impeached by the house but then
- 3:42acquitted by the United States Senate
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