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Bill Clinton on #MeToo Movement: I Have Questions 'About Some of the Decisions Which Have Been Made'

June 4, 2018

Former President Bill Clinton said in a interview that aired Monday he likes the #MeToo movement, but he still has some problems with it.

NBC's Craig Melvin was interviewing Clinton alongside author James Patterson when the NBC anchor and corespondent asked Clinton, considering his own history, what he thinks of the movement against sexual harassment.

Clinton said in his own experience, critics have changed the facts of the allegations against him.

"I like the #MeToo movement; it's way overdue," Clinton said. "I think the– it doesn't mean I agree with everything; I still have some questions about some of the decisions which have been made."

Some have criticized the #MeToo movement for rushing to judgment when accusations have been made, instead of allowing all allegations to be investigated before the accused suffer from lasting negative consequences in their careers and personal lives.

The movement emerged last October after media reports revealed several allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and other powerful men in the media, politics, and Hollywood.

The movement has reignited questions about Clinton's behavior in the White House and allegations of sexual misconduct. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) said last November that Clinton should have resigned the presidency due to his extramarital with Monica Lewinsky, who worked as an intern and junior White House staffer at the time of their relationship. Clinton pushed back against Gillibrand's comments during the interview, saying "[Gillibrand's] living in a different context. And she did it for different reasons. So, I – but I just disagree with her."

Controversies surrounding Clinton go back to his years as governor of Arkansas but culminated in the Monica Lewinsky scandal during his presidency. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton, but he was acquitted by the Senate. He has has acknowledged the affair with Lewinsky took place.