Top 10 Political Sex Scandals

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has gotten off easy compared to his philandering political predecessors. TIME looks back at the tawdry affairs that brought down the high and mighty

Bill Clinton

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Scandal: Affair with Monica Lewinsky
How Outed: Recorded phone calls (between Lewinsky and close friend)

In the early days of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the most damning evidence was presented by Linda Tripp. A close friend and confidante of Monica Lewinsky, Tripp recorded her conversations with the White House intern — conversations that revealed intimate details of what Lewinsky said was a sexual affair with the President. It was these tapes that, when handed over to special prosecutor Kenneth Starr in 1998, led to the expansion of his investigation into Clinton and Lewinsky's supposed relationship, paving the way for Bill an eventual impeachment vote by the House of Representatives.

Read TIME's 1998 cover story on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.

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