Bill Clinton responded Sunday to the death of Ken Starr — whose investigation into the Clintons’ Whitewater real estate investments led to the 1998 impeachment of the former president and discovery of his affair with Monica Lewinsky — with a short and decidedly prudent statement.
“I read the obituary, and I realized that his family loved him, and I think that’s something to be grateful for. And when your life is over, that’s all there is to say,” Clinton said in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” that aired Sunday. “But I was taught not to talk about people that, you know…I have nothing to say, except that I’m glad he died with the love of his family.”
The former president’s remarks come almost a week after the former judge and lawyer passed away at the age of 76.
Despite being back in the news recently as he served as one of Donald Trump’s personal lawyers during his second impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate in February 2021, Starr is most remembered for uncovering the affair after initially being hired as independent counsel to investigate a failed Arkansas real estate investment by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Starr’s revelations eventually led to Clinton’s impeachment, though the former president was acquitted the following February following a trial in the U.S. Senate.
Starr reflected on his role in the Lewinsky-Clinton affair in his 2018 memoir, writing, “I deeply regret that I took on the Lewinsky phase of the investigation. But at the same time, as I still see it 20 years later, there was no practical alternative to my doing so.”
Following his death, Lewinsky expressed last week that she had “complicated feelings” about the death, saying, “As I’m sure many can understand, my thoughts about Ken Starr bring up complicated feelings… but of more importance, is that I imagine it’s a painful loss for those who love him.”
You can watch Clinton’s comments above.
