Four and a half years ago, Paula Jones accused President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct. She alleged that in 1991, then-Gov. Clinton of Arkansas propositioned her for sexual favors in a Little Rock hotel room. This messy situation was finally resolved a few days ago, when Jones accepted an $850,000 settlement. It is ridiculous that a president, a man in charge of running this country, has been forced to deal with these sexual misconduct charges for this long.
The Paula Jones case was the first wave of a three-woman onslaught. Monica Lewinsky, a former White house intern, became embroiled in the Paula Jones case when Jones’s attorneys called on her to demonstrate Clinton’s pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior. Kathleen Willey appeared with her own story of unwanted sexual advances by Clinton. As a result of all these accusations, Clinton faces impeachment hearings. Less than one week before they were scheduled to begin, Clinton decided to settle the Jones case that started it all.
Settling the Jones lawsuit will not eliminate the impeachable charges against the president, but some Republican lawmakers feel that Clinton’s lies regarding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky will not be considered as grievous without the lawsuit casting a shadow over the proceedings. Although it appears the impeachment process will go forward, the settlement of the Jones case places an unfortunate sequence of events behind the president and, given the details of the settlement, gives Clinton some room to breathe and returns a small measure of respect to the office.
The settlement does not include an apology or even an admission of guilt. Rather, Jones received $850,000 for her trouble, short of her original demands of $1 million and an apology from Clinton. Even though the $850,000 will not cover Jones’ legal bills, had she gone to trial there was a good chance she would lose and come out of the courtroom with an immense debt and nothing to show for her efforts.
Clinton continues to deny Jones’ allegations and apparently will not have to deal with them any longer. Robert Bennett, Clinton’s lawyer, has stated, “the president remains certain that the plaintiff’s claims are baseless. It is clear that the American people want their president and Congress to focus on the problems they were elected to solve. This is a step in that direction.”
Although Bennett is correct in stating that it is in the best interest of the country for this lawsuit to be finally closed and forgotten, along with the step in the right direction is a step in the wrong direction. It is difficult to imagine any progressive sexual harassment legislation passing under Clinton’s watch. Were Clinton to sign any kind of bill taking steps toward eliminating sexual harassment, he would look like a hypocrite. As this would be political suicide for the president, sexual harassment legislation will most likely be pushed aside until Clinton leaves office.
The majority of college students can earn a degree in four years, a degree that will teach them valuable skills for the future. The Paula Jones case has gone on for an even longer period of time, but what has the country learned? We have learned we don’t like to hear about the president’s sex life. Hopefully, the impeachment trial will now be resolved quickly, allowing Clinton to get back to work and focus on issues of real importance.