Plot Synopsis

Executive produced by Alex Gibney, THE CLINTON AFFAIR is three-night, six-hour documentary series that weaves together never-before-seen archival footage with exclusive new interviews, as it examines the biggest political scandal of a generation and its lasting influence and reverberations on America -- on the 20th anniversary of the impeachment proceedings of former President Bill Clinton. Exploring broader topics including media, feminism, politics and power, the documentary investigates the history leading up to the impeachment trial and chronicles the role each of these forces played in this story of sex, power, money, lies and ideological warfare. Beginning Sunday, November 18, 2018 from 9-11pm ET/PT on A&E, this limited documentary event series unfolds over three consecutive nights and traces the twisted, intertwined series of events that led to the impeachment trial that set the nation on the path towards a more staunchly partisan political system. The series features arresting archival footage as well as comprehensive interviews with the people closest to the events including a timely, in-depth reflection on the topic with Monica Lewinsky. THE CLINTON AFFAIR features a full range of interviews from key players and observers who were intimately involved in this long standing political drama:

Jill Abramson, Journalist - The New York Times (1997 - 2014)
Jay Apperson, Former Deputy Independent Counsel
Peter Baker, Journalist - The Washington Post (1988 - 2008)
Bob Barr, Former Congressman (R-GA)
Bob Bennett, Former Lawyer for Bill Clinton
Steve Binhak, Former Associate Independent Counsel
Bob Bittman, Former Deputy Independent Counsel
Jim Blair, Clinton Friend & Advisor
Sidney Blumenthal, Former Senior Advisor to Bill Clinton
Juanita Broaddrick, Arkansas businesswoman
David Brock, Journalist - The American Spectator (1992 - 1997)
Joseph Cammarata, Former Lawyer for Paula Jones
Susan Carpenter-McMillan, Former Spokeswoman for Paula Jones
James Carville, Former Political Strategist for Bill Clinton
Joe Conason, Co-author, The Hunting of the President
Tom Daschle, Former Senator (D-SD)
Len Downie, Executive Editor - The Washington Post (1991 - 2008)
W. Hickman Ewing Jr., Former Deputy Independent Counsel
James Fisher, Former Lawyer for Paula Jones
Robert Fiske, Former Independent Counsel
Barney Frank, Former Congressman (D-MA)
Jeff Gerth, Journalist - The New York Times (1976 - 2005)
Lucianne Goldberg, Literary Agent
James Hamilton, Washington Attorney
Rusty Hardin, Former Associate Independent Counsel
Patricia Ireland, Former President - National Organization for Women
Michael Isikoff, Journalist - Newsweek (1994 - 2010)
Cliff Jackson, Arkansas Attorney and Classmate of Bill Clinton
William Ray Jahn, Former Associate Independent Counsel
Paula Corbin Jones, Former Plaintiff in Jones v Clinton
Joe Klein, Journalist - Newsweek (1992 - 1996)
Monica Lewinsky, Former White House Intern and Staffer
Bob Livingston, Former Congressman (R-LA)
Joe Lockhart, Former White House Press Secretary
Trent Lott, Former Senator (R-MS)
Gene Lyons, Co-author, The Hunting of the President
Ann McDaniel, Washington Bureau Chief - Newsweek (1996 - 1998)
Susan McDougal, Former Whitewater Investor
Dick Morris, Former Clinton Pollster
Lisa Myers, Correspondent - NBC News (1981-2014)
Jennifer Palmieri, Former Deputy White House Press Secretary
Todd Purdum, White House Correspondent - The New York Times (1994 -1997)
Robert Ray, Former Independent Counsel
Larry Sabato, Political Scientist
Amy Sabrin, Former Attorney for Bill Clinton
Jane Sherburne, Former White House Special Counsel
David Shuster, Former Journalist for KATV Little Rock ('94 - '96)
Ken Starr, Former Independent Counsel
Danny Traylor, Former Lawyer for Paula Jones
Bruce Udolf, Former Associate Independent Counsel
John Whitehead, Founder of Rutherford Institute
Kathleen Willey, Former White House Volunteer and Staffer
Solomon Wisenberg, Former Deputy Independent Counsel

The six installments include:

"Handing the Sword to the Enemy" (Sunday, November 18 @ 9pm): Democrats retake the White House after twelve years of Republican control, but the scandals that plagued Bill Clinton during the campaign follow him to Washington. After the suicide of White House Counsel Vince Foster, President Clinton attempts to put them to rest by calling for an Independent Counsel to investigate wrongdoing. In the wake of reports that Clinton tasked State Troopers to arrange trysts when he was Governor, Paula Jones files a sexual harassment lawsuit against him and Republicans seize the opportunity to use scandal as a weapon against the Clintons. As the Independent Counsel investigation expands, the president begins a relationship with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky that threatens to undo his political career.

"The Blue Pass" (Sunday, November 18 @ 10pm): Republicans take control of the House for the first time in 40 years, led by a new breed of politician, Newt Gingrich. Gingrich's uncompromising partisanship defines the "Republican Revolution" and steers the country towards a government shutdown. President Clinton's flirtation with Monica Lewinsky escalates and culminates in an intimate encounter during the government shutdown. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court takes up the allegations of sexual harassment Paula Jones has pitted against the president as the Independent Counsel indicts a growing circle of his associates. With the 1996 Presidential Election heating up, Monica is transferred out of the White House to the Pentagon.

"Mixed Messages" (Monday, November 19 @ 9pm): Monica Lewinsky confides the details of her relationship with President Clinton to coworker, Linda Tripp, who surreptitiously records their private conversations and shares them with a conservative provocateur, Lucianne Goldberg. The Jones lawsuit is given a green light by the Supreme Court, which opens the door for her lawyers to find other women who claim harassment by the president. The Independent Counsel demands the First Lady testify before a Grand Jury. Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff learns about the President's affair from Linda Tripp.

"Room 1012" (Monday, November 19 @ 10pm): With President Clinton's deposition in the Paula Jones case less than a week away, Linda Tripp contacts Starr's team to tell them the President and Monica plan to lie under oath. Starr and the FBI wire Linda Tripp for a private meeting with Monica Lewinsky. Two days later Lewinsky is detained by FBI agents at the Pentagon Mall and interrogated for nearly 12 hours by prosecutors from the Office of Independent Counsel who try to convince her to cooperate with their investigation or face possible jail time.

"State of the Union" (Tuesday, November 20 @ 9pm) & "The Will of the People" (Tuesday, November 20 @ 10pm): : The president is taken by surprise during his deposition in the Paula Jones case as her lawyers reveal their detailed knowledge of his relationship with Lewinsky. Those details slowly leak and then flood the mainstream media. The president issues a stern denial, and a war over the truth is waged.