Was Bill Clinton's Lewinsky affair an "abuse of power"?

After Hillary Clinton declared Sunday that her husband's affair with 22-year-old trainee Monica Lewinsky in 1998 was not "an abuse of power", many online people have discussed her point of view. view.

The 2016 presidential candidate made these comments during an interview with CBS, which also evoked the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, accused of sexual harassment.

Mrs. Clinton also told CBS that she thought it was just that her husband, 49 years old at the time, was not resigning and that Ms. Lewinsky "is an adult" .

The frank remarks on the scandal are interpreted in the context of the #MeToo movement, one year old, which resulted in the resignation of many prominent men after accusations of sexual assault and harassment.

Former President Bill Clinton was charged with perjury and acquitted by Congress in 1998 after lying about his relationship with Ms. Lewinsky.

Ms. Clinton's comments contradict Ms. Lewinsky's description of the relationship.

On social media, many disagree with Clinton, suggesting instead that her husband's position as president and Ms. Lewinsky's role as a young intern at the White House define an abuse of power.

"He was a 22-year-old trainee and he was president of the US It's frankly difficult to think of a dynamic that is * more * clearly a blatant abuse of power," wrote lawyer Lindsey Barrett on Twitter.

US columnist Kristen Powers tweeted, "It should not be so difficult, Hillary is not responsible for what her husband did, but she should be able to recognize it as an abuse of power."

In March, Monica Lewinsky wrote in Vanity Fair that she viewed the case as "a blatant abuse of power," adding "he was my boss." He was the most powerful man on the planet ".

Previously, she described their relationship as "consensual" and said that any abuse was a result of the political scandal.

Other online people commented that Clinton's remarks undermined the progress made by the #MeToo movement, in which complaints of sexual assault and harassment are taken more seriously.

"In a statement, it undermined the abuse of power and position against almost all sexual harassment in the workplace," author tweeted David Rothkopf..

• What did Me Too really change?

However, others defended Ms. Clinton's point of view, highlighting Ms. Lewinsky's consent to the relationship.

"Why is it an abuse of power if the trainee is a volunteer participant? I can think of many other obvious examples of abuse of power," wrote one Twitter user, while another added: "A 22 year old player is perfectly capable of own decisions."

The debate highlights an essential divide in the #MeToo movement of "victimizing" and "infantilizing" young women who have consensual relationships with powerful men by describing their relationships as abusive.

Others asked why Mrs. Clinton was held responsible for her husband's behavior, suggesting that he was sexist.

"I wish the media would spend more time lobbying Bill Clinton for answers about his own actions than asking Hillary Clinton," wrote another Twitter user, @_celia_bedelia.

"She had nothing to do with it, it was her business.It was twenty years ago.Why continue to talk about a case of 20 years ago." years? (We know why but fucking), "added another.

Some drew attention to Ms. Clinton's response to the CBS reporter, who asked why there was no further investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump. .

Clinton's comments come less than a month before the mid-term elections in the United States.

By Georgina Rannard, UGC and Social News