On August 17, 1998, President Bill Clinton became the
first sitting president to testify before the Office of
Independent Counsel as the subject of a grand-jury
investigation.

The testimony came after a four-year investigation into
Clinton and his wife Hillary’s alleged involvement in
several scandals, including accusations of sexual
harassment, potentially illegal real-estate deals and
suspected “cronyism” involved in the firing of White
House travel-agency personnel.

The independent prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, then
uncovered an affair between Clinton and a White
House intern named Monica Lewinsky.

When questioned about the affair, Clinton denied it,
which led Starr to charge the president with perjury
and obstruction of justice, which in turn prompted
his testimony on August 17.