Anti-bullying advocate Monica Lewinsky opened up about being disinvited from a philanthropy event after former President Bill Clinton RSVPed to attend.
On Wednesday, Lewinsky, who had an affair with Clinton that led to his impeachment, tweeted about the snub that later prompted an apology from Town & Country magazine for how it handled the situation.
Lewinsky received an invitation to the event and luncheon in April, but days before the event, she said she was told that Clinton would be making the opening remarks and then he’d be leaving the event. Lewinsky asked if she was being uninvited and was reassured that her presence was still welcome.
“Let me be clear: given the fact that Bill Clinton was going to be on hand, I had no interest in watching his opening remarks. (I imagine the feeling was mutual.) Nor did I want to disrupt an event about promoting good works and social change by insisting on forcing an unwanted confrontation (not that we would have even encountered each other),” she wrote in an essay for Vanity Fair.
Because of Clinton’s presence, she offered to arrive 30 minutes after his remarks, but was later told that wouldn’t work. It was suggested that she only attend the luncheon.
“I was told, through an intermediary, that my presence, now that the president would be in attendance, would deflect the message of the summit and that the main takeaway would be: Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky . . . in the same room. Even though, we wouldn’t be. (It was also conveyed to me that the planners had worked for a year to get Clinton to introduce the Parkland kids. Interesting, given that the Parkland tragedy happened this past February.)”
According to Lewinsky, it was “quite clear” that her hosts wanted to put her in a position that made the event so unappealing that she would decline to attend.
Lewinsky also took aim at a statement released by Clinton’s spokespeople, arguing that the Clinton explanation, which said they knew nothing of the disinvite, sent a message of approval for Town & Country’s actions.
“The statement was important because of what wasn’t said. Though the situation was awkward, admittedly, by not addressing that the behavior itself was wrong and unacceptable, it sent a tacit message of approval. Not only as it relates to me personally, but more importantly, to what it says about these situations for anyone — any woman, minority, or person on the less powerful side of the equation who could be sidelined,” she wrote.
