A memo just released by the National Archives reveals that President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, laid out in explicit language the questions President Clinton should have been asked in 1998 about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Among the explicit questions:
- “If Monica Lewinsky says that you inserted a cigar into her vagina while you were in the Oval Office area, would she be lying?”
- “If Monica Lewinsky says that on several occasions in the Oval Office area, you used your fingers to stimulate her vagina and bring her to orgasm, would she be lying?”
- “If Monica Lewinsky says that on several occasions you had her give oral sex, made her stop, and then ejaculated into the sink in the bathroom of the Oval Office, would she be lying?”
- “If Monica Lewinsky says that you masturbated into a trashcan in your secretary’s office, would she be lying?”
Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office, 1994
Kavanaugh’s memo to independent counsel Kenneth Starr also included this: “After reflecting this evening, I am strongly opposed to giving the President any ‘break’ in the questioning regarding the details of the Lewinsky relationship unless he resigns or confesses perjury. He has required the urgent attention of the courts and the Supreme Court for frivolous privilege claims — all to cover up his oral sex from an intern. He has lied to his aides. He has lied to the American people. He has tried to disgrace you and the Office with a sustained propaganda campaign that would make Nixon blush.”
The release comes as special counsel Robert Mueller is negotiating with the White House over a possible interview with Donald Trump in his investigation into whether the president’s 2016 campaign aided Russia in its efforts to intervene in the election.
If Trump refuses a Mueller subpoena, the issue could land before the Supreme Court. In Clinton v. Jones, Bill Clinton sought to stay a sexual harassment case filed against him until at least the expiration of his term in office. The US Supreme Court ruled against him.
Democrats want to know if Kavanaugh will be as tough on Trump as he was on Clinton, if a case arrives at the Supreme Court.