Monica Lewinsky Says She Carefully Chose Clothes Hoping President Clinton Would Notice Her

The former White House intern speaks candidly about the affair in the new A&E docu-series "The Clinton Affair."

Never-before-seen moments of intimacy between Monica Lewinsky and then-President Clinton at a party on the White House lawn in 1995 are featured on the upcoming A&E docu-series "The Clinton Affair."

Inside Edition spoke to director Blair Foster, who says she found the lost footage in White House archives.

“They had a number of boxes relating to these events and they weren't labeled. So, we said, 'OK, we want to know what is in those boxes,” she said. “We were very persistent and one day we got a hard drive and it had all of this footage that no one has ever seen." 

Lewinsky speaks candidly in the series about her sexual liaisons with Clinton, which she says often took place in the president's private study just off the Oval Office.

“He paid a lot of attention to me, he spent time, held my hand for longer than he should have,” Lewinsky says in a preview of the series, which premieres Sunday. She also admits that she carefully picked out certain dresses in the hopes that the president would notice her. 

Foster said that Lewinsky is speaking out now because next month will mark the 20th anniversary of Clinton’s impeachment.

“She wanted to be part of something that was looking back on these 20 years,” she said. “She wanted to get her story out there.”

News of the scandal first broke in January 1998, during the president’s second term in office. 

At first, the president staunchly denied the affair, telling reporters: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."

But in August 1998, Clinton admitted to the affair in a televised presidential report from the White House following grand jury testimony. 

“Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible,” he said. 

Clinton was subsequently brought up on perjury charges for lying about the affair under oath.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach the president, but in December 1998, following a 21-day trial in the Senate, Clinton was acquitted of all charges and allowed to remain in office. 

RELATED STORIES