AMERICAN PEOPLE, I WANT YOU TO
LISTEN TO ME.
I’M GOING TO SAY THIS AGAIN I
DID NOT HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS
WITH THAT WOMAN, MS. LEWINSKY.
I NEVER TOLD ANYBODY TO LIE, NOT
A SINGLE TIME, NEVER.
THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE FALSE.
>> Martha: A LOT OF US REMEMBER
WHERE WE WERE WHEN PRESIDENT
CLINTON TOLD THAT INFAMOUS LIE
TO A STUNNED REPUBLIC LICK.
ONE OF THE SURREAL EVENTS THAT
FOREVER CHANGED POLITICS, THE
MEDIA, AND THE PRESIDENCY IN
MANY WAYS.
20 YEARS AGO THAT THAT STORY
FIRST BROKE WITH THE HEADLINE ON
DRUJ REPORT, A PLACE NOBODY HAS
HEARD OF AT THE TIME, NEWS WEEK
KILLS STORY ON WHITE HOUSE
INTERN.
BLOCKBUSTER REPORT, 24-YEAR-OLD
FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN, SEX
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESIDENT.
ONE OF THE FIRST BREAKING BOMB
STHELS THAT THIS NETWORK
COVERED.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> COULD PRESIDENT CLINTON HAVE
HAD AN AFFAIR WITH AN INTERN AND
COVERED IT UP?
>> THE CLINTON BOMBSHELL, A NEW
SCANDAL THAT’S ROCKING THE WHITE
HOUSE.
>> WHITEWATER INDEPENDENT
COUNSEL SAID TO HAVE A NUMBER OF
TAPES THAT MONICA LEWINSKY TOLD
FELLOW STAFFER LINDA TRIPP SHE
WAS SEXUALLY INVOLVED WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
>> Martha: HOWIE KURTZ WAS THERE
AND JOINS ME NOW.
HARD TO BELIEVE THIS WAS 20
YEARS IN SOME WAYS.
HONESTLY, IT SEEMS LIKE LOT
LONGER AGO THAN THAT.
HOW DO YOU THINK IT CHANGED THE
MEDIA, HOW DID IT CHANGE THE
PRESIDENCY?
>> IT WAS SUCH A DIFFERENT
CULTURE.
JUST POINTING TO THE DRUDGE
REPORT, A THIRD TIER SITE MOST
DIDN’T TRUST OR FOLLOW.
I KNEW IT BECAUSE I HAD DONE AN
EARLIER STORY.
THE GATE KEEPERS DIDN’T FOLLOW
IT UP, NEWSWEEK SPIKING THE
STORY, "WASHINGTON POST"
INDEPENDENTLY REPORTED ON KEN
STARR’S INVESTIGATION AND THE
WHOLE THING EXPLODED.
AS FAR AS POLITICS, IT SHOWED
THAT A POLITICIAN, EVEN A
PRESIDENT, COULD SURVIVE THE
GROSSEST KIND OF SEXUAL,
GRAPHICS ALLEGATIONS ABOUT A
WOMAN AND LED TO THE REPEEFLT
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR LAW, KEN
STARR WAS INVESTIGATING THE
WHITEWATER LAND DEAL IN
ARKANSAS.
PAVED THE WAY FOR HILLARY
CLINTON’S CAREER AS WELL.
>> Martha: AMAZING TO THINK THE
INVESTIGATION WAS GOING ON FOR
18 MONTHS BEFORE PRESIDENT
CLINTON AND MONICA LEWINSKY EVER
MET.
THAT’S WHAT THE SPECIAL COUNSEL
ENDED UP HANGING THEIR CASE ON,
SOMETHING THAT DIDN’T EVEN EXIST
IN THE BEGINNING WHEN THEY
STARTED DIGGING INTO THE
WHITEWATER MATTER.
BRINGS TO MIND THE WAY PEOPLE
LOOK AT THE SPECIAL COUNSEL NOW
AND HOW WIDE-RANGING THOSE
INVESTIGATIONS CAN BE.
KEN STARR HIMSELF HAS HAD
MISGIVINGS ABOUT THE WAY IT
WENT.
>> RIGHT.
BUT ALSO, IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY
THE MEDIA HANDLED IT, IT WAS
LIKE TODAY WITH TRUMP, 24/7,
EVERY SINGLE DAY, CABLE, FRONT
PAGES, FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AS
THE PRESIDENT WAS IMPEACHED AND
ACQUITTED BY THE SENATE, THE
PUBLIC, MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC,
DIDN’T CARE AS MUCH ABOUT THE
24/7 SEX SCANDAL AS THE PRESS
DID.
LEADING PUNDITS SAYING BILL
CLINTON WAS GOING TO RESIGN.
SLIRPT THE PUBLIC WAS DISGUSTED
BUT MORE PEOPLE CARED ABOUT THE
BOOM COMMISSION AND OWN LIVES
THAN THE FACT HE LIED ABOUT THE
SEXUAL ENCOUNTER.
>> Martha: I MEAN THERE ARE
FASCINATING PARALLELS EVEN WITH
THE BURYING OF THE STORY, YOU
THINK ABOUT NBC HAVING THE
HARVEY WEINSTEIN STORY AND NOT
PUBLISHING IT.
THE WAY THAT THAT STORY
ULTIMATELY CAME OUT.
I WANT TO ASK BEFORE I LET YOU
GO WE’VE BEEN SEEING IF THE FAKE
NEWS AWARDS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.
APPARENTLY THERE’S SOME DEBATE
WITHIN THE WHITE HOUSE WHETHER
OR NOT THIS WHOLE THING IS A
GOOD IDEA GIVEN THE CLIMATE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> THE ELUSIVE AWARDS.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS
ACCOMPLISHED HIS GOAL, WHICH IS
GOTTEN ALL OF TO US TALK ABOUT
IT AND HE’S PUT THE SPOT LIGHT
ON WHAT HE CALLS FAKE NEWS.
SOME NEWS ORGANIZATIONS MAY WANT
TO GET THESE AWARDS, THEY CAN
USE IT A AS BADGE OF HONOR.
LOOK, I THINK HE’S TROLLING THE
PRESS, WHETHER HE DOES THE
AWARDS, DOESN’T DO THE AWARDS,
WILL THERE BE POPCORN, WHO IS
THE DECIDER, IS IT JUST TRUMP,
DOES HE HAVE A TEAM.
I THINK HE’S MADE HIS POINT.
HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESIST 679
MAYBE THE STAFF SAYING NOT SUCH
A GOOD IDEA, MOVE ON.
>> Martha: SENATORS FLAKE AND
McCAIN HAVE COME OUT FORCEFULLY
ON WHAT THEY SEE AS THE DANGER
OF INJURING THE CREDIBILITY OF
THE MEDIA.
DO YOU AGREE?
>> I THINK THAT SOME OF THEM
MAKE GOOD POINTS BUT I THINK
JEFF FLAKE IN PARTICULAR
UNDERMINED HIS ARGUMENT WHEN HE
COMPARED PRESIDENT TRUMP TO
STALIN AND HIS TREATMENT OF THE
PRESS.