Monica Lewinsky to co-produce Bill Clinton impeachment drama

Monica Lewinsky is co-producing a new drama series about the impeachment of former US president Bill Clinton and the scandal following their affair.

Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton pictured in 1995

Season three of American Crime Story, which has explored the OJ Simpson trial and the assassination of Gianni Versace in previous series, is titled Impeachment and will premiere in September 2020, network FX has said.

The series, created by producer Ryan Murphy, will star his frequent collaborator Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, the civil servant who secretly recorded Lewinsky’s confidential phone calls about her affair with the then president.

Booksmart actress Beanie Feldstein plays Ms Lewinsky, while Annaleigh Ashford portrays Paula Jones, who sued Mr Clinton for sexual harassment.

Ms Lewinsky was a 22-year-old White House intern when she had an affair with then 49-year-old Mr Clinton while he was US president, between 1995 and 1997.

In an emailed statement to Vanity Fair, she said she had initially been “hesitant and more than a little scared” to get involved in the project.

However, she said that she was “grateful for the growth we’ve made as a society that allows people like me who have been historically silenced to finally reintroduce my voice to the conversation”.

The series is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s best-seller A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story Of The Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down A President.

Murphy originally bought the rights to bring the book to TV in 2017, but said he did not want to work on the project without Ms Lewinsky’s involvement.

At the time of the scandal, Ms Lewinsky was subjected to intense public scrutiny and later admitted her mental health had been deeply affected.

Mr Clinton is the second and last president to have been impeached.

He was cleared of charges of perjury and obstruction of justice following a 21-day Senate trial in 1999.

Mr Clinton went on to serve a second term as president and left office in 2001.

He apologised publicly after the relationship came to light, acknowledging that he had “sinned”. – skynews.com