A black negligee formerly belonging to Monica Lewinsky is among items once owned by the infamous White House intern to be auctioned in Los Angeles this week.
Other items include a signed letter from Bill Clinton addressed to Lewinsky’s lover and a letter from Lewinsky including the line “am I good at lying through my teeth or what.”
The 32 items were examined as potential evidence by prosecutor Kenneth Starr’s team ahead of Clinton’s 1998 impeachment, one of the most controversial presidential scandals of the 20th century.
The signed type-written Clinton letter, on White House stationery, was addressed to Lewinsky’s lover Andy Bleiler at her request, wishing him a happy birthday in February 1996.
In a letter to Bleiler, Lewinsky wrote: “I thought (an enclosed ring) might fit a manly man like you (am I good at lying through my teeth or what...you a ‘manly man’ — ha-ha)!“
Bleiler, Lewinsky’s former high school drama instructor, had a five-year affair with her which began in 1992 and lasted through much of the time she had an intimate relationship with Clinton, according to the Washington Post.
Various items of clothing are also for sale. They were given by Lewinsky from her personal wardrobe to Bleiler’s wife Kate, and include the floor-length negligee, a green silk blouse and some jackets and pants.
The items, offered for sale by Bleiler’s former wife, now called Kate Nason, are going under the hammer by celebrity auction house Nate D Sanders, in an online auction which ends tomorrow.
Clinton was impeached in December 1998 for allegedly lying about his relationship with Lewinsky. Although he was acquitted by the Senate in February 1999, the scandal clouded his second term as US president.
Monica Lewinsky clothing, letters in US auction
Monica Lewinsky clothing, letters in US auction
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
