Monica Lewinsky

Monica Lewinsky is a former White House intern. Her ignominious place in Bill Clinton's presidency is acknowledged in alcove #5, The Fight for Power, of the main floor exhibit space. The text presented in the alcove acknowledges a "serious mistake" on Clinton's part in engaging in a sexual dalliance with the intern, and admits that he had "not been forthcoming" when challenged about the relationship. In defending the president's mistake, the exhibit presents the argument that presidential opponents used the scandal to feed "the media's hunger for constant scandal, real or imagined," and launch a impeachment witch hunt to "deny the very legitimacy of the president's election."

Sharon Fawcett, deputy assistant archivist for presidential libraries at the National Archives and Records Administration noted that while she doesn't "expect exhibits to make the president look bad. But we do expect to have a clear statement of facts, and acknowledgment that there are two sides to the story."

References

• Fred A. Bernstein, "Archive Architecture: Setting the Spin in Stone," New York Times, June 10, 2004.