Political Sex Scandals in History
People often look up to politicians who are supposed to lead by example. So it is definitely disappointing to see them commit indiscretions that jeopardize their careers and create embarrassment not only for themselves but also for their country and families as well. Here are some notable political sex scandals in history.
Bill Clinton (1946 – )
President of the United States (1993 – 2001)
News of Clinton’s extramarital affair with 22-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky broke out in January 1998, what became known as the Lewinsky Scandal. After issuing numerous strong denials, Clinton eventually admitted having “improper physical relationship” with Lewinsky during his testimony in Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit in August 2008, when key evidences surfaced, particularly blue dress stained with his semen. Clinton was consequently impeached for charges of obstruction of justice and perjury by the House of Representatives in December 1998; however, he would be acquitted by the Senate the following year.
John Profumo (1915 – 2006)
British Politician
Profumo, the Secretary of State for War under Harold Macmillan’s administration, was unfortunately best known for his involvement in the Profumo Affair in 1963. At the very height of the Cold War, he was accused of putting national security at risk by his short-lived affair with Christine Keeler, a showgirl who was also having a relationship with Soviet naval attaché Eugene Ivanov. The scandal led to his resignation and withdrawal from politics following his admission of having misled the Commons when questioned about his friendship with Keeler.
Gary Hart (1936 – )
United States Senator – Colorado (1975 – 1987)
Hart was clearly one of the favorites to clinch the Democratic nomination in the 1988 presidential election when he announced his candidacy in 1987. Then rumors started spreading that he was having an extramarital affair. In response, he dared the press to follow him around, noting that they won’t find anything interesting. However, Hart’s presidential campaign abruptly ended when the Herald was able to obtain pictures of him cavorting with then 29-year-old model Donna Rice aboard a yacht called Monkey Business.
François Mitterrand (1916 – 1996)
President of France (1981 – 1995)
Adding excitement to his 14 years of presidency was the thrill of juggling two families. Mitterand was publicly known to have had many extramarital relationships, the most notable of which was with Anne Pingeot, with whom he had an illegitimate daughter, Mazarine. He wanted secrecy on his daughter’s existence, even going to the extent of ordering illegal wiretappings under the pretense of fighting terrorism to guarantee privacy. However, by 1994, Mitterand’s imminent retirement and deteriorating health meant he could no longer rely on the clout he once had among the French journalists, who cannot ignore Anne’s and Mazarine’s presence at his funeral.
Mark Foley (1954 – )
United States Congressman – Florida (1995 – 2006)
Foley, the six-term Republican, resigned from Congress in 2006, following allegations that he sent numerous sexually explicit emails and instant messages from his personal AOL account to teenage boys who had served as congressional pages. As soon as the investigations began, many pages came forward, exposing at least a decade history of improper conduct by Foley and that it was common knowledge among the people on Capitol Hill including House Republicans, who chose to keep silent. However, no criminal charges were filed due to “insufficient evidence” since Foley only had sexual liaisons with some of them when they are no longer minors.
Pierre Sévigny (1917 – 2004)
Canadian Politician, Author and Academic
Sévigny was thrust into the limelight in 1966 when his affair with East German immigrant Gerda Munsinger while serving as Deputy Defence Minister under John Diefenbaker’s government was made public. It was suspected that Munsinger was a Soviet spy and could pose a security risk. For a few weeks, Canada became consumed with the country’s first national political sex scandal, the Munsinger Affair. Though absolved of any guilt concerning any breach of security, Sévigny was chastised by the royal commission of inquiry for his behavior, while Diefenbaker was criticized for failing to fire Sévigny upon discovery of the latter’s indiscretion.
Clarence Thomas (1948 – )
Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court
Thomas’ nomination to the Supreme Court in 1991 was instantly met with questions about his qualifications and opposition from several groups due to his conservative political views. Toward the end of the confirmation hearings that became notable for their sexually explicit content, the press released an FBI interview with Anita Hill, accusing Thomas of sexual harassment when they worked together in the early 1980s, leading to media frenzy. A few other women also corroborated Hill’s testimony on how he often made references to porn films, the female anatomy, his sexual prowess and various sex acts, but were not called to the stand. Thomas denied all allegations and was confirmed by the Senate by a narrow margin. However, new evidences, such as eyewitness accounts and video rental records proving his interest in pornography, were soon discovered but were later dropped as he had already been sworn in.
John Major (1943 – )
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1990 – 1997)
Having battled “sleaze” during his term and having suffered a devastating electoral defeat in the 1997 general election, it’s no wonder why Major tended toward a low profile retirement, indulging himself in playing his favorite sport, cricket. But all bliss was disrupted in 2002, when Edwina Currie, a former Member of the Parliament, published her “Diaries 1987 – 1992″ disclosing her four-year affair with Major from 1984 to 1988. In a press statement, Major said that he was “embarrassed” about the affair and had privately revealed the matter to his wife who had since forgiven him.
More Scandals
- Scandals in the Corporate World
- Notable Military Scandals in History
- Corporate Accounting Scandals
- Scandals: Five Misbehaving Scientists
- Notable Medical Scandals
US Presidential Trivia
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User Comments
Debra.
On December 21, 2008 at 8:57 am
WOW! Eddie where do you get this stuff? as usual you have managed to peek my interest. A wonderful and interesting article with loads of info.
Heather
On December 21, 2008 at 8:58 am
This just goes to show, everyone’s human and even the most powerful of people mess up.
Thanks for publishing this ^^
Morgana
On December 21, 2008 at 9:12 am
Politicians , who can believe them? They always find a way to misuse their office for personal gain, whether it be sex related or money related.
papaleng
On December 21, 2008 at 10:07 am
a very interesting article Eddie, wish you’ll come out with another article featuring Philippine politicians.
S A JOHNSON
On December 21, 2008 at 10:07 am
I totally agree with Debra on all counts.
I also think that while leaders are still people it’s really important that they realize that they are not only representing themselves and while we do have human error, you still know right from wrong and what will and won’t look bad to and against those you represent.
Glynis Smy
On December 21, 2008 at 10:34 am
Interesting article, politicians think they are above being caught out, John Major certainly was the last UK one we thought would be considered worthy of an affair, he always came across as so boring!
PsychoButterfly
On December 21, 2008 at 10:35 am
VERY NICE ARTICLE!!
Jasin
On December 21, 2008 at 10:52 am
Well money always leads that way, they have nothing to strive to anymore, so they fall back on bad habbit’s…
Karen Gross
On December 21, 2008 at 11:58 am
I think that sexual scandals don’t bring down politicians as much as any other kind of scandal. In the court of public opinion, which is the only court that really matters for the future reputation of leaders, sexual “indiscretions” are forgiven easily for two reasons: a) sexual immorality is condoned in our modern western society; & b) politicians who have multiple extramarital affairs are seen as virile and attractive.
I have often thought that Clinton and his legal advisors were brilliant when they averted the world’s attention aways from his sexual harrassment charges by focusing on the consentual relationship with Lewinsky instead. This changed the president’s image from lewd old geiser to stud.
Jeoffrey Meister
On December 21, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Very interesting article, Eddie. Some of these I knew about and some I didn’t. I guess there are crooks in every level of employment and government.
goodselfme
On December 21, 2008 at 2:16 pm
this is done very well.
QueenZee
On December 21, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I liked this a lot. It is very informative. Keep up the good work!
Matt H
On December 21, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Very Informative! Thanks so much!!
-Matt
Bren Parks
On December 21, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Good read! I really love this kind of stuff.
MJPatrick
On December 21, 2008 at 3:33 pm
As usual very informative and well researced.
M J katz
On December 21, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Very good! I’ll bet you can do a sequel to this in no time at all with so many politicians leading such corrupted lives!
Unofre Pili
On December 21, 2008 at 6:16 pm
They just humans;they are not angels.Great article bro.
jhenz
On December 21, 2008 at 8:10 pm
wow… this is tough!
eddiego65
On December 21, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Thanks for your comments, friends.
Yes, Karen, I agree with what you’ve said. The morality of society have somehow deteriorated in recent generations basically due to strong influences of the various media.
Eunice Tan
On December 21, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Hi Eddie, I think about Bill Clinton immediately after reading your title. However I didn’t know the other scandals including John Major’s.
Westbrook
On December 21, 2008 at 8:53 pm
People are people no matter what their status. Some are weak and others are strong.
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas
On December 21, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Still so busy… just dropping by. Nice work, Eddie.
Inna Tysoe
On December 21, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Interesting article. But where is JFK?
Inna
Melissa Cook
On December 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Very interesting! thanks for sharing!
Ruby Hawk
On December 22, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Humans will be human. You would think they would be a little more discreet but I suppose they thought they were being discreet.
CHAN LEE PENG
On December 23, 2008 at 5:29 am
Thanks for researching this interesting and excellent article!
RJ Chamberlain
On January 4, 2009 at 3:46 am
Eddie I had only heard of Bill Clinton’s indiscretion before reading your article. Well done.
Jenny Heart
On January 11, 2009 at 8:38 am
Your readings are always have precise detailed information. Keep up the good work.
Duke
On January 18, 2009 at 9:51 pm
so so so interesting, im reading all your articles that have to do with politics and history they are really just all great. keep it up
Johnny Yuma
On January 24, 2009 at 5:11 am
Didn’t John Edwards finally admit to having a daughter with his extramaritial affair that he had after dropping out of the race for president? I know that he admitted to the affair, and I think I remember that he admtted that the daughter was his too–just not sure about that.
Johnny Yuma
Majic
On February 4, 2009 at 10:12 am
I like your article!
“They just humans;they are not angels”
By using the word “Human” we tend to dwell on the corrupt and misguided part. I wonder what “humanity” would mean then if we only look at human beings as weak and uncontrollable.
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