1802: Thomas Jefferson
In 1802, a Richmond newspaper claimed that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with a slave he was keeping as his concubine. She was 16-year-old Sally Hemings. Jefferson was 30 years her senior. The story spread quickly and was used to tarnish his reputation by his opposition. Jefferson never refuted the accusations, but his actions spoke louder than words — he freed all of the Hemings children and included them in his will. Stories of Hemings and Jefferson have been discussed since, and some believe that he truly loved her. In 1985, a research team hired by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation came to the conclusion, through DNA analysis, that Jefferson was most likely the father of all five of her children. Despite this evidence, some people still refuse to believe that he was the father.
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1960: John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was arguably the most attractive president America has ever seen. Beyond that, he had endless charisma and was a true ladies' man. He is rumored to have had several extramarital affairs while president. The most famous suspected lover was, of course, Marilyn Monroe. Monroe sang a sultry, "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to Kennedy during a New York Fundraiser, which only added fuel to the steamy rumors.
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1985: Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas was confirmed as a Supreme Court Judge. Shortly after, an interview with the FBI and a woman named Anita Hill was leaked. As a result, his confirmation hearings were reopened to investigate her accusations of sexual misconduct. Hill alleged that the abuse took place when she worked as his assistant in 1985. She explained that what started as a positive work relationship turned into unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate behavior. According to Hill, “Thomas referred to the size of his own penis as being larger than normal and he also spoke on some occasions of the pleasures he had given to women with oral sex.” There were other women who wrote letters describing unwanted advances, but none of them went on to testify. Despite Hill’s testimony, Thomas was sworn in with a majority vote in the Senate of 52-48.
1998: Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton has had multiple allegations made against him for sexual misconduct. He was sued during his presidency for exposing himself to a woman while he was governor of Arkansas. A White House volunteer also claimed that in 1993 he fondled her breasts and forced her hand down on his crotch while in the Oval Office. But the most infamous allegations were that the President had received oral sex from his 22-year-old intern, Monica Lewinsky, taking Washington by storm. Clinton famously denied these allegations declaring on January 26, 1998, that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Lewinsky met with prosecutors, and her semen-stained dress ultimately led to his impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice. However, he was acquitted and completed his term.
1999: Newt Gingrich
Former GOP Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was at the forefront of demanding Clinton's impeachment. But while Gingrich attacked Clinton's family values, he had his own dirty secrets. Gingrich was married to his former geometry teacher, Jackie Battley, and had kids at a young age. According to Battley, while she was in the hospital battling cancer Gingrich told her that he wanted a divorce. Six months after the divorce was finalized he married his second wife, Marianne Ginther. The second marriage didn't work out either, and they had a bitter divorce. Gingrich then married his third wife, Callista Bisek, who was a former aide. Gingrich's secrets started to unravel during his 2012 presidential campaign when Ginther started talking. Ginther claimed that in 1999 Gingrich asked her for an open relationship or a divorce. She knew there was another woman and chose divorce. The other woman was his third wife, Bisek. Gingrich admitted to his affairs in 2007 while campaigning for his presidential candidacy. "There are things in my own life that I have gotten on my knees and turned to God and prayed about," Gingrich said. Even with his admission he went far in the presidential race but ultimately ended his campaign and endorsed Mitt Romney.
1999: Bill Clinton (Again)
In 1999, before Clinton was acquitted by the senate, a woman named Juanita Broaddrick took an interview with Dateline NBC accusing him of rape. She alleged that in 1978, during his campaign to become Governor of Arkansas, she met him at his hotel for coffee and he asked her to come to his room. He then allegedly began to forcibly kiss her and raped her while biting her upper lip shut. Consequently, she said her lip was swollen and bruised and recalled, "The last thing he said to me was, 'You better get some ice for that.' And he put on his sunglasses and walked out the door.” Clinton denied all allegations through his lawyer, and because there was no evidence, he was never charged. No one will ever know the truth about the scandal besides Clinton and Broaddrick.
2001: Gary Condit
In 2001, California Rep. Gary Condit was questioned by police after the disappearance of an intern named Chandra Levy. Condit was questioned several times and confessed that he had had an affair with Levy but denied knowing anything about her disappearance. At the time of her disappearance, he was meeting with the Vice President — a solid alibi. His alibi and lack of evidence made it impossible to charge Condit. In 2002 Levy's skeletal remains were discovered at Rock Peak Park and it’s presumed that she was murdered. The case attracted media attention from the start and tainted Condit's image. He was not reelected.
2004: James McGreevey
James McGreevey resigned in 2004 as the Governor of New York after coming out as gay. The father of two stood by his wife, Dina, and announced his resignation at a press conference. He also admitted that he had an affair with another man and explained that since he was a young boy he had "a certain sense that separated [him] from others." His wife filed for divorce and sued him for $600,000 because he hid his homosexuality. McGreevey fought back saying she should have known all along. Dina painted herself as the victim, but in 2008 his former driver Teddy Pedersen came forward and explained that he would have threesomes with both McGreevey AND his wife BEFORE they even got married! Their "Friday Night Special" was denied by Dina, but James admitted to the orgies. In the end, James won the divorce battle and was ordered to pay child support but not alimony.
2007: Eliot Spitzer
Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was in the middle of a high-priced sex scandal in 2007. A federal wiretap was put on Spitzer because of suspicious bank withdrawals. As a result of the tap, it was discovered that he spent up to $80k on prostitutes while governor. One of his lovers is Ashley Dupre, and she took several interviews about their affair. The case went viral, and he was ridiculed by the media. The scandal forced him to eventually resign. He is still married to his wife.
2007: Larry Craig
Larry Craig is a former Idaho GOP Senator. He was a long time supporter of anti-gay legislation but may have been protecting his own insecurities. In 2007, he was arrested after trying to solicit sex from an undercover officer inside the men's restroom in an airport. After he was arrested, several men came forward and claimed that Craig had made sexual advances towards them as well. Craig was married at the time and tried to deny any wrongdoing. He eventually plead guilty to “disorderly conduct” as part of a plea bargain. Craig announced his intention to retire from the Senate but then refused to resign a month later and completed his term. His story became the plot line of many shows including Law and Order, and he became the butt of jokes all through Washington. To this day he insists that he is not homosexual.
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2007: John Edwards
John Edwards is a former senator who also ran for Vice President and President of the US. His scandal was old-fashioned cheating. In 2007 it was reported in The National ENQUIRER that Edwards was having an affair with a filmmaker named Rielle Hunter and they even had a love child together. The reports weren’t taken too seriously initially, but the story was picked up by other outlets. ABC News reported that Edwards had asked a member of his team named Andrew Young to find a doctor to release fake paternity test results and also to steal a diaper from Hunter’s baby so he could do a secret DNA test. Hunter and Edwards both denied the claims but Edwards dreams of running for Vice President under Barack Obama came to an end in 2008. Edwards owned up to the affair but kept denying that he was the father until 2010. That same year there were reports that a sex tape existed of Edwards and Hunter. Edwards' wife was struggling with breast cancer during the scandal but was in remission when he first admitted he was cheating. Sadly, the cancer came back, and they announced that it was incurable. She died on December 7, 2010. As time went on, it became evident that Edwards and Hunter had been together before, during and after her battle with cancer. In 2016 Edwards made his first public appearance on The Steve Harvey Show and explained that he and Hunter were together until 2015.
2011: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger had several women accuse him of sexual misconduct while he was campaigning for Governor of California. The women accused him of things ranging from groping to sexual harassment. Schwarzenegger never entirely denied the allegations, and none of them were investigated. But the bombshell was yet to come — In 2011 it was revealed that he had a secret love child. He admitted to the media that he had a son who was already 14 years old! The mother of his child was his assistant and longtime housekeeper of 20 years, Mildred Baena. As a result, his wife Maria Shriver moved out of their house and announced that they were separating. Schwarzenegger apologized for his actions and told the Associated Ppress, "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.” Today he and his secret son are open about their relationship and often post photos of each other on social media.
2011: Herman Cain
Herman Cain was the Republican presidential hopeful for 2012 but was hit with allegations of sexual harassment dating back to the 1990s. It was disclosed that while he was the leader of the National Restaurant Association two women complained of his unwanted sexual advances. The women left the organization and received "separation packages." According to The New York Times, a woman named Sharon Bialek claimed that after she was fired she met with Cain to ask for help finding a new position, and he stuck his hand up her skirt and pushed her head down onto his lap. When she asked what he was doing he allegedly responded, "You want a job, right?" Then, a woman named Ginger White claimed they had had a 13 year relationship that lasted all the way up until he started his campaign. Cain denied all allegations but suspended his campaign at the end of 2011.
2011: Anthony Weiner
Anthony Weiner is a former democratic representative for New York. He has been in the midst of several sexting scandals involving Twitter. Weiner just couldn’t stop the sexy Twitter fingers. Weiner's love of sexting was discovered in 2011 after he sent a 21-year-old woman a link to a sexually suggestive photo of himself. He initially denied that he sent the link but then later admitted to it. Following the shame and embarrassment, he resigned from Congress in 2011. Two years later Weiner tried getting back into politics hoping the world had forgotten about his sex scandals. In 2013, he ran for Mayor of New York City, but things got even worse. More photos were leaked of Weiner, and he was forced to admit he had sexted three more women. Despite the 2nd round of shame he remained in the race — ultimately losing. But it didn't stop there! In 2016, the FBI began to investigate a report from the Daily Mail about Weiner sexting a 15-year-old girl, and he was arrested. Following the investigation he plead guilty to sending obscene material to a minor and was sentenced to 21 months in a federal prison. His wife filed for divorce after his plea. Weiner began his sentence in 2017 in Massachusetts.
2015: David Vitter
David Vitter is a former Senator who represented Louisiana from 2005 to 2017. In 2007 his name was discovered in the phone book of the "DC Madam" connecting him to a prostitution ring. Vitter admitted to using the "escort service" and issued a statement saying “Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling." Vitter continued to apologize and was reelected in 2010. In 2015 he ran for Governor, and his past came back to haunt him. An escort named Wendy Ellis claimed that Vitter didn't just call her once, but had been visiting her for 3 years! Even worse, she claimed that she had gotten pregnant and he told her to have an abortion, which she refused. No paternity tests were ever made public, and Vitter lost the election.
2016: Donald Trump
President
Donald Trump was sued by 23 different women for sexual assault during his election. The allegations piled up after an audio recording from 2005 was released with Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. One of the main quotes that gained worldwide attention was, “Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” The President called the tape “locker room talk” and then later claimed the tape was fake. In addition, Trump was sued by porn star
Stormy Daniels and allegedly gave her hush money following their affair. The scandal is still being investigated.
2017: Roy Moore
In 2017, Roy Moore was a candidate for the US Senate representing Alabama. During his campaign, he was accused by nine women of sexual misconduct. Three of the women accused him of sexual assault while they were in their teens — the youngest having been only 14 at the time. Six other women claimed he engaged in inappropriate or unwanted behavior with them. Most of the accusations were about events occurring in the 1970s, and he denied all of them. Despite the accusations, President Trump endorsed Moore. But even with the President's endorsement, Moore lost the vote.
2018: Brett Kavanaugh
Brett Kavanaugh is the most recent Supreme Court Judge to be confirmed. Simultaneously, he was accused of sexual assault and misconduct by Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez and three other women. The alleged assaults took place while he was in high school and college. The world watched the case unfold and discussions of violence against women, rape culture and victim-blaming were constants on the radio and television. Ford’s allegations were at the forefront of the scandal and she agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following the testimony, several of Kavanaugh's endorsements backed out. Despite the scandal, the FBI declined to interview Kavanaugh and spoke to only a few witnesses. A week after the testimony, Kavanaugh was sworn in as the next Supreme Court Judge.