>>> MONICA LEWINSKY IS SPEAKING OUT.
OUT.
THIS MORNING A AND E NET WORK RELEASING CLIPS FROM ITS HIGHLY
ANTICIPATED DOCU SERIES, THE
CLINTON AFFAIR.
CLINTON AFFAIR.
ITS AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT BILL
CLINTON.
CLINTON.
LEWINSKY DETAILING ON CAMERA WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH HER HEAD
DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF HER
AFFAIR WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON. >> ITS NOT AS IF IT DIDNTNTON.
>> ITS NOT AS IF IT DIDNT REGISTER WITH ME THAT HE WAS THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT.
OBVIOUSLY IT DID.
BUT I THINK IN ONE WAY THE MOMENT WE WERE ACTUALLY IN THE
BACK OFFICE FOR THE FIRST TIME,
THE TRUTH IS THAT I THINK IT
MEANT MORE TO ME THAT SOMEONE
WHO OTHER PEOPLE DESIRED DESIRED
ME, HOWEVER WRONG IT WAS,
HOWEVER MISGUIDED, FOR WHO I WAS
IN THAT VERY MOMENT AT 22 YEARS
OLD, THAT WAS HOW IT FELT.
>> JOINING ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT IT, "NEW YORK TIMES" CHIEF WHITE
HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND MSNBC
ANALYST, PETER BAKER.
HE HAS COVERED CLINTONS IMPEACHMENT EXTENSIVELY, HE
DETAILED IT IN TWO BOOKS, AND
NBC NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT KATE
SNOW IS WITH ME.
KATE, LET ME START WITH YOU. WHAT DO WE EXPECT TO LEARN NOW
THAT WE HAVENT KNOWN FOR THE
PAST 20 YEARS OR SO?
>>st ITS AN INTERESTING QUESTIO
ITS A THREE-DAY EXTRAVAGANZA ON A AND E.REE-DAY EXTRAVAGANZA ON
A AND E.
IT STARTS ON SUNDAY NIGHT. THEY HAVE INTERVIEWED MORE THAN
40 PEOPLE, MORE THAN 50
ACTUALLY, EVERYONE FROM LAWYERS
TO PEOPLE WE KNOW, NAMES WE
KNOW, LIKE KEN STAR, BOB
BENNETT, CINDY BLOOMING THAT WILL, -- BLUMENTHAL, PEOPLE WHO
WERE INVOLVED IN THE MOMENT, AND
MOST IMPORTANTLY THE WOMAN YOU
JUST SHOWED, MONICA LEWINSKY, AND SHE TALKS ABOUT WHEN SHE,
AND SHE TALKS ABOUT WHEN SHE STARTED TALKING WITH
INVESTIGATORS AND SHE DETAILS WHAT THAT FELT LIKE.E DETAILS
WHAT THAT FELT LIKE. THEY WANTED HER TO WIRE.
SHE SAID SHE WAS TERRIFIED.
HERES HOW SHE DESCRIBES BEING INTERVIEWED.E DESCRIBES BEING
INTERVIEWED.
>> THERE WAS A POINT FOR ME
SOMEWHERE IN THIS FIRST SEVERAL
HOURS WHERE I WOULD BE
HYSTERICALLY CRYING AND THEN I
WOULD JUST SHUT DOWN, AND IN THE
SHUT DOWN PERIOD, I REMEMBER LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW ANDER
LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND THINKING THAT THE ONLY WAY TO
FIX THIS WAS TO KILL MYSELF, WAS
TO JUMP OUT THE WINDOW, AND I JUST, I FELT TERRIBLE., AND I
JUST, I FELT TERRIBLE. I WAS SCARED AND I JUST, I WAS
MORTIFIED AND AFRAID OF WHAT
THIS WAS GOING TO DO TO MY
FAMILY.
AND, YOU KNOW, I STILL WAS IN
LOVE WITH BILL AT THE TIME.
SO I JUST, I FELT REALLY RESPONSIBLE. FELT REALLY
RESPONSIBLE.
>> ITS HARD TO LISTEN TO.
I MEAN, THERES A LOT OF EMOTION THERE., THERES A LOT OF EMOTION
THERE.
I TALKED TO SOMEONE CLOSE TO MONICA LIEU WINEEWINSKY A COUPLE
HOURS AGO ABOUT THIS PROCESS FOR
HER.
THIS IS A YEAR SHE HAS BEEN
RELIVING THIS HISTORY, WHICH OBVIOUSLY ON A VERY PERSONAL
LEVEL IS VERY PAINFUL.
>> WHY NOW?
WHY DO THIS NOW?
>> THEY CAME TO HER. SHE SAYS PART OF IT, SHE WROTE
AN ARTICLE TODAY IN VANITY FAIR.
SO THATS WHY I HAVE ANY INKLING
WHAT SHE IS THINKING ABOUT THIS,
SHE SAYS PART OF IT WAS WOMEN
ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECTS AT
THE HIGHEST LEVELS, A LOT OF
WOMEN PRODUCERS, ONE OF THE
DIRECTORS IS A WOMAN, AND SHE FELT THAT THAT WOULD BRING AE
FELT THAT THAT WOULD BRING A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO IT.
I MEAN, ITS ACTUALLY CALLED THE
CLINTON AFFAIR RATHER THAN THE
LEWINSKY AFFAIR, THE SERIES, WHICH IS TELLING.THE SERIES,
WHICH IS TELLING. >> WHICH IS HOW IT HAS BEEN
REFERRED TO OVER THE PAST YEARS.
>> SHE SAYS IN THE VANITY FAIR
ARTICLE, SHE SAYING AN IMPORTANT
PART OF MOVING FORWARD IS
EXCAVATING, OFTEN PAINFULLY WHAT
HAS GONE ON BEFORE. POLITICIANS DUCK AND DODGE
SAYING THATS OLD NEWS THATS IN
THE PAST, YES, THATS EXACTLY
WHERE WE NEED TO START TO HEAL,
SHE SAYS WITH THE PAST, BUT ITS NOT EASY.WITH THE PAST, BUT ITS
NOT EASY.
SHE ALSO SAID IN THAT ARTICLE,
CRAIG, THAT SHE WANTS TO HELP
OTHER WOMEN, YOU KNOW, SHES
BEEN A BIG PART OF THE KIND OF
THE CHORUS AROUND ME, TOO.
SHE HAS WRITTEN ABOUT THAT
EARLIER IN VANITY FAIR.
SHE FELT THIS WAS A MOMENT TO TRY AND RE-EXAMINE SOME OF WHAT
HAPPENED WITH A NEW LENS.
>> PETER, PART OF WHAT SHE DID
IN THIS VANITY FAIR ARTICLE IS TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE WOULD SAY TO
HILLARY CLINTON NOW IF GIVEN THE
OPPORTUNITY.
OPPORTUNITY.
MONICA LEWINSKY WRITING IN PART IF I WERE TO SEE HILLARY CLINTON
IN PERSON TODAY I KNOW THAT I
WOULD SUMMON UP WHATEVER FORCE I
NEEDED TO AGAIN ACKNOWLEDGE TO HER SINCERELY HOW VERY SORRY I
AM.
AM.
PETER, AS YOU KNOW, HILLARY
CLINTON HAS OVER THE YEARS
CONTINUED TO DEFEND HER
HUSBANDS BEHAVIOR BACK THEN, HIS RESPONSE TO OVER THE PAST
TWO DECADES.
TWO DECADES.
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IN ANY
WAY, SHAPE OR FORM CHANGES THAT?
>> WELL, LOOK, YOU KNOW, MONICA
LEWINSKY HAS BEEN ONE OF THE
MOST HUMAN FIGURES OUT THERE IN
A VERY UGLY MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY.GLY MOMENT IN OUR
HISTORY.
SHE WAS A VERY REAL PERSON DEALING WITH REAL EMOTIONS AS
YOU SEE IN THAT INTERVIEW, EVEN
NOW RAW FOR HER 20 YEARS LATER
AND I THINK SHE DID OBVIOUSLY
REGRET WHAT HAPPENED.
IT WASNT WHAT SHE, YOU KNOW,
SHE WAS 22 AT THE TIME.
AND ITS, YOU KNOW, ITS BEEN A
REAL GHOST THATS HAUNTED THE
CLINTONS EVER SINCE.
HILLARY CLINTON WAS INTERVIEWED
EARLIER THIS YEAR AND SAID THAT
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT
HAPPENED WITH MONICA LEWINSKY
AND THESE OTHER ME TOO TYPE
INCIDENTS IS SHE WAS A GROWN
CONSENTING ADULT, BUT THAT OF
COURSE OVERLOOKS THE FACT THAT
THERE ARE OTHER WOMEN WHO
ACCUSED PRESIDENT CLINTON OF EVENTS THAT ARE NOT CONSENSUAL,
AND I THINK THATS BEING
RELOOKED AT IN THIS ME TOO
MOMENT 20 YEARS LATER, PEOPLE
WHO DEFENDED HIM ARE TAKING A SECOND LOOK IN LIGHT OF THE WAY
WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT
THESE THINGS, WE SHOULDNT HAVE,
KRISTEN GILLIBRAND, THE SENATOR FROM NEW YORK SAYS HE PROBABLYR
FROM NEW YORK SAYS HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE RESIGNED.
MONICA LEWINSKY WAS ASKED
RECENTLY, HOW DOES SHE LOOK AT IT DIFFERENTLY, THE POWEROK AT
IT DIFFERENTLY, THE POWER
DIFFERENTIAL THAT EXISTS BETWEEN
A PRESIDENT AND FORMER INTERN
WAS SO FAST THAT SHE NOW UNDERSTANDS THAT MADE THIS
DIFFERENT THAN SIMPLY CONSENTING
ADULTS.
ADULTS.
SO I THINK WERE LOOKING AT
THESE ADULTS OF 20 YEARS AGO IN
A NEW LIGHT GIVEN OUR CURRENT SITUATION.T GIVEN OUR CURRENT
SITUATION.
>> PETER, BILL CLINTON, FOR A
LONG TIME WAS THE GO-TO GUY IN TERMS OF DEMOCRATIC FUNDRAISING.
IF YOU WANTED TO PACK A ROOM AND
RAISE A TON OF MONEY, YOU WOULD CALL BILL CLINTON.EY, YOU WOULD
CALL BILL CLINTON. THE WANING DAYS OF THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS HE WAS NOWHERE TO BE
FOUND ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
HOW MUCH OF THAT DO YOU THINK IS
A RESULT OF THIS? >> I THINK ITS EXACTLY BECAUSE
OF THIS.
OF THIS.
I THINK ITS EXACTLY BECAUSE OF
THIS ME TOO MOMENT.
SUDDENLY HE IS, AGAIN, A FIGURE
TO KEEP A DISTANCE FROM IF
YOURE A DEMOCRAT.
YOU DONT WANT TO BE ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SEXUAL SCANDALS THAT INVOLVED THAT
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT.
THATS NOT WHAT YOU AS A
CANDIDATE WANTED TO FOCUS ON
THIS FALL, SO BETTER OFF TO KEEP
HIM AWAY, AND YOURE RIGHT, ITS
A REAL CHANGE.
HE MANAGED TO GET OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE WITH A HIGHF THE
WHITE HOUSE WITH A HIGH POPULARITY FIGURE.
POPULARITY FIGURE.
HE HAD MANAGED TO PUT SOME OF THESE SCANDALS BEHIND HIM, BUT
NOW 20 YEARS LATER, THEY ARE
KIND OF COMING BACK AGAIN.
>> PETER BAKER OF THE "NEW YORK
TIMES," THANK YOU.
I KNOW YOURE WORKING ON THIS
FOR TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MORNING, BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PARTS OF
OUR COUNTRYS HISTORY THAT YOU
FEEL LIKE OVER 20 YEARS, WE HAVE HEARD FROM ALL SIDES, BUT THISVE
HEARD FROM ALL SIDES, BUT THIS FEELS DIFFERENT FOR SOME REASON.
>> IT DOES.
I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, MUCH
LIKE THE O.J. STORY, WHICH CAME
BACK IN A DOCU SERIES, THINK
ABOUT, WE WERE JUST TALKING
ABOUT WATCHING THIS AND THE
INTERNS WHO WORK HERE, WHO ARE
20 SOMETHING, THEY DONT
REMEMBER THIS HISTORY.
>> YOURE RIGHT.
>> SO FOR A LOT OF VIEWERS, I
THINK, THIS MAY BE THE FIRST
TIME THEY REALLY ENCOUNTER WHAT HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO.NTER WHAT
HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO. SO THATS JUST AN INTERESTING
PERSPECTIVE, TOO, FOR THE YOUNG