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.
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