Monica Lewinsky’s tribute to Lindsey Graham following his death sparked interest across the aisles, not only for her respectful candor, but also served as a reminder of the late senator’s impact on history.
Lewinsky, 53, paid her respects to the late South Carolina senator shortly after his death earlier this month and gave followers insight on their decades-long connection.
Her non-partisan testimonial drew criticism online, but experts believed that her tribute was an authentic gesture which reflected her personal philosophy of people over party.
Graham, who died July 11 after what his office described was a “brief and sudden illness,” was one of the Republican Party’s most influential voices with more than three decades of service.
His death prompted thousands of tributes, including one poignant message from the former White House intern.
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“I’ve disagreed with many (many) of Lindsey Graham’s choices and beliefs, but he was also — as one of the house managers on the ’98 impeachment — the one who worked tirelessly to prove there was a smear campaign against me from inside the WH,” Lewinsky posted on X shortly after his death.
When X users took umbrage with the homage, Lewinsky was quick to remind followers that her experience was “healing” after years of trauma from the Clinton scandal.
“Come on. He did not do it for you. The man was evil,” one user wrote.
Lewinsky fired back, “I know he didn’t do it for me. i didn’t whitewash his history. but those actions were healing for me (and my family)… thanks for sharing your opinion.”
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Adrienne Uthe, founder of Kronus Communications, exclusively told Fox News Digital that Lewinsky’s tribute “fits her clearly identified personal philosophy to a tee.”
“She’s not suddenly a Lindsey Graham fan — she’s just honest enough to say he did one thing that mattered to her, and she’s not going to let political disagreement erase that,” Uthe said. “It works in her favor, and it’s the kind of nuance that actually means something.”
Uthe noted that Lewinsky’s post was “nonchalant, direct, and completely unpolished in the best way.”
“There’s no performance to it — it reads like: ‘Hey, he wasn’t perfect, I disagreed with most of what he did, but he did this one thing for me and I appreciated it.’ That’s it. It’s classy, and it’s a stand-up thing to highlight in someone’s death.”
Lewinsky was 21 years old when she began an unpaid internship at the White House in July 1995. She turned 22 that summer, and her sexual relationship with former President Bill Clinton, who was 49 at the time, began in November 1995.
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It was only after she confided in a Pentagon co-worker, Linda Tripp – who secretly recorded their conversations, which were then used in Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton – when the affair became public fodder.
During a January 1998 White House news conference, Clinton famously denied the affair, and stated, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,” and Lewinsky subsequently went into hiding due to public humiliation.
Graham was one of the 13 House members appointed to Clinton’s impeachment trial, where he not only blasted the former president for lying under oath, but also argued to restore “honor and integrity to the office.”
“You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role,” he said on the floor in January 1999.
“Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
The impeachment trial against the 42nd president began in January 1999 and ended Feb. 12. While Clinton was impeached by the house, he was acquitted of perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
Holly Baird, crisis management expert and founder of Media Source PR, told Fox News Digital that Lewinsky’s tribute made it clear that her appreciation for the late senator was limited to specific circumstances and “should not be interpreted as agreement with his broader political positions.”
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“Lewinsky’s advocacy has centered on fairness, empathy, and the lasting impact of public treatment,” Baird said. “Acknowledging someone she disagreed with politically for treating her fairly is consistent with those broader themes and reflects the principles she has consistently emphasized throughout her public life.”
She added, “The statement reflects the idea that personal gratitude and political disagreement can coexist.”
Former White House spokesperson Alexandra LaManna, noted how Lewinsky has dedicated her life to “turning one of the most public personal humiliations in modern history into something that has helped countless other people feel seen.”
“By speaking openly about her own experience, she has helped change the way we think about public shaming, power imbalances, and being defined by the worst moment of your life,” LaManna said.
“So when she thanks Lindsey Graham for standing up for her at a time when almost no one else did, it doesn’t read as politics – it reads as someone recognizing decency where she found it, even in a complicated story.”
Shortly after Graham’s death, his sister, Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., was appointed to temporarily fill her brother’s seat. She later announced on Fox News that she would enter next month’s special primary election to run for a full term in the Senate.
