Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What specific allegations did the Starr Report make about Clinton and Monica Lewinsky's sexual encounters?
Executive summary
The Starr Report accused President Bill Clinton of lying under oath about a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, and of obstructing justice and tampering with witnesses in connection with that relationship; it relied on Lewinsky’s timeline, recorded conversations, and physical evidence such as a DNA match from a dress [1][2][3]. Beyond alleging perjury and obstruction, the Report includes graphic descriptions of multiple sexual encounters — including oral sex and an episode involving a cigar — that critics said were gratuitously explicit [1][4][5].
1. What the Report formally alleged: perjury, obstruction and witness tampering
Kenneth Starr’s referral to Congress framed the core legal allegations as that President Clinton lied under oath in a January 17, 1998 deposition and to a grand jury about his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, and that he took steps that could amount to obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the Paula Jones/related investigations [1][3][6]. The Office of the Independent Counsel described its material as “substantial and credible information” supporting those possible grounds for impeachment [2][3].
2. The kinds of sexual acts the Report described
To prove those denials were false, the Starr Report recounted a series of specific intimate encounters between Clinton and Lewinsky, including instances of oral sex and other erotic contact summarized chronologically in Lewinsky’s chart and in the narrative the Independent Counsel presented [4][2]. The Report explicitly mentions at least seven sexual encounters in its excerpts and provides dates, times, and contexts for meetings at the White House [4][2].
3. Notorious details that drew criticism — the cigar anecdote
Among the most sensational and widely reported passages was an episode in which the Report says a cigar was used during a sexual act — a detail later picked up in press summaries and criticized as lurid and unnecessary to the legal claims [7][5]. Critics and some analysts argued Starr included such explicit detail beyond what was strictly required to establish perjury or obstruction [5].
4. Evidence cited: testimony, tapes and a DNA match
Starr’s narrative relied on Lewinsky’s own sworn statements and an 11‑page chart she helped prepare listing contacts, on Linda Tripp’s taped conversations with Lewinsky, and on physical evidence — notably, a forensic DNA match between semen on a dress Lewinsky owned and Clinton’s blood sample — which Starr’s office cited as corroboration [1][2]. The Report also examined third‑party testimony and Secret Service logs to place Lewinsky and the President together at specific times [7][2].
5. Disputes over scope and relevance of sexual detail
Multiple sources note controversy over whether Starr had authority to probe the sexual relationship (his mandate originally concerned Whitewater and the Paula Jones claim) and whether the explicit sexual narratives advanced prosecutorial goals or primarily served to embarrass the President [1][5]. Some reporting and academic summaries say the office may have gone beyond what was legally necessary and that portions of the Report were leaked to the press [1][6].
6. How the press and later summaries treated the Report’s claims
Media retrospectives and watchdog pieces caution that early press accounts sometimes exaggerated third‑party witness claims and that certain sensational details (and their implications) were magnified or misreported in real time; nevertheless, the Starr Report itself did include direct, explicit language about sexual acts to contradict Clinton’s sworn denials [7][6][5]. The Report’s publication produced a mix of factual corroboration cited by Starr and continuing debate over relevance and motive [2][5].
7. What available sources do not mention / limitations of this summary
Available sources provided here summarize the Starr Report and its most publicized allegations, but they do not reproduce the full text of every encounter or every piece of evidence; specific verbatim passages beyond excerpts are not quoted in these sources, and deeper forensic or legal analysis of each ground for impeachment is not present in the current reporting set [4][2]. If you want exact, line‑by‑line excerpts of the Report’s descriptions, consult the full Starr Report text held in congressional or Library of Congress archives [8].
Context note: the Starr Report combined legal claims (perjury, obstruction) with explicit sexual narrative to show Clinton had lied under oath; that mix produced both the legal referral and sustained criticism that Starr’s presentation was more salacious than strictly necessary to prove his legal points [1][5].