Slow Burn: The Clinton Impeachment | Episode 1, "Deal or No Deal"

Podcast: Slow Burn (Slate Podcasts)
Air date: August 8, 2018
Host & Narrator: Leon Neyfak

Overview

This first episode of the second season of Slow Burn launches a deep investigation of the Clinton impeachment, setting the scene with the fateful day in January 1998 when Monica Lewinsky—caught in her relationship with President Clinton—faced a wrenching, high-pressure choice: cooperate with Ken Starr's investigation or risk a decades-long prison sentence. Through archival clips and new interviews, host Leon Neyfak reconstructs the extraordinary events at the Ritz-Carlton, exploring how personal betrayals, prosecutorial tactics, and political high stakes collided, forever altering Lewinsky’s life and American politics.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Setup: Pentagon City Mall/FBI Confrontation ([01:01]-[04:52])

• Monica Lewinsky waits to meet Linda Tripp for lunch, but is instead confronted by FBI agents after Tripp delivers her to the investigation team.
• Agents present alarming allegations and push Lewinsky into a hotel room for questioning, using the existence of her sworn affidavit denying the affair as leverage.

Notable Quote:

“Monica, this is for your own good, she said. Just listen to them. They did the same thing to me.” – Linda Tripp, recalled by Leon Neyfak ([02:16])

2. The “Brace” and Starr’s High Stakes ([03:59]-[08:26])

• Bruce Udolph and others from independent counsel Ken Starr’s office attempt to "brace" Lewinsky, using threats of prison for perjury and obstruction.
• Udolph, a Democrat, recounts his doubts and discomfort with the tactic and the pivot from investigating Whitewater to focusing on an affair.

Quotes:

“This case involving Monica Lewinsky should have been dead on arrival, and it served no useful purpose.” – Bruce Udolph ([09:15])
“I went up there fully expecting to investigate a real estate deal... This is not necessarily something I signed up for, and it's not something that I feel terribly good about.” – Bruce Udolph ([08:06])

3. Interrogation Tactics and Fears ([10:29]-[13:58])

• Susan Schmidt describes the tension and logistical mistakes, such as allowing Tripp in the room, increasing Lewinsky's distress.
• Prosecutors lay out the legal threat: up to 27 years in prison for perjury, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice, seeking cooperation and asking Lewinsky to consider wearing a wire.

Lewinsky’s own words:

“Imagine, one minute I was waiting to meet a friend in the food court and the next I realized she had set me up as two FBI agents flashed their badges at me.” – Monica Lewinsky, recalling the event ([13:58])
“27 years. When you're only 24 yourself, that's a long time.” – Monica Lewinsky ([14:31])

4. High Pressure and Stalemate ([15:08]-[21:51])

• Lewinsky is emotionally overwhelmed, sobbing, confused, and desperate, at one point requesting to call her mother for support.
• Negotiators alternate between psychological tactics and attempts at empathy, but Lewinsky resists, making clear she doesn't want to be responsible for "bringing down the President."

Notable Exchange:

Monica’s mother: “You're going to tell these people everything they need to know...”
Monica: “I am not going to be the person who brings down the president of the United States.” ([24:15])

5. Humanizing Monica: Boredom, Defiance, and Small Acts ([21:04]-[24:15])

• During the long deadlock, small human moments break through: TV watching, a Crate & Barrel trip, Monica joking through tension.
• Lewinsky makes a failed, surreptitious call to Clinton’s secretary, Betty Currie, aiming to warn Clinton.

6. The Prosecutorial Dilemma and Fallout ([25:12]-[29:33])

• Starr’s team fails to “flip” Lewinsky in the crucial 11-hour standoff. Her refusal forces them into a long, difficult evidence hunt.
• Prosecutors reflect on the ethics—Udolph voices enduring moral and professional discomfort.

Quotes:

“What good does it serve to indict a 24-year-old girl for lying on an affidavit... What interest does the United States government have that are vindicated by that kind of prosecution?” – Bruce Udolph ([27:53])
“The humiliation and hurt to Monica Lewinsky. The hell with that. She's expendable. Is that something to be proud of?” – Bruce Udolph ([29:06])

7. The Broader Cultural and Political Impact ([29:33]-[32:31])

• Host Leon Neyfak reflects on the immense anger, confusion, and shifts in American political culture prompted by the scandal.
• The 90s’ emerging partisan warfare, sexual politics, and debate over privacy and character are all situated in this moment.
• Neyfak frames the season’s mission as understanding why people reacted as they did, and what the saga reveals about then and now.

Quote:

“Monica Lewinsky's refusal to succumb to Ken Starr saved Bill Clinton's presidency.” – Summarized by Leon Neyfak ([31:32])

8. Aftermath and Lewinsky’s Fallout ([32:31]-[33:57])

• The story leaks to the press (first on The Drudge Report), leading to Lewinsky’s global infamy and relentless media attention.
• Small details, like her apology letters to Watergate neighbors, humanize her amidst the media circus.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “She just said no. I think there's an honesty perhaps under everything else… She doesn’t disguise herself. I just think that’s admirable.” – Renata Adler ([32:03])
• “Reporters started staking out Lewinsky’s apartment at the Watergate. One day, her neighbor Bob Dole... brought the reporters a box of donuts.” ([33:11])

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Monica Lewinsky’s ambush and the setup: [01:01]-[05:49]
• The Whitewater to Lewinsky pivot: [06:06]-[08:26]
• Inside the “brace” — emotional breakdowns and legal threats: [14:10]-[19:22]
• The failed push for cooperation, Monica's resistance: [24:15]-[25:12]
• Udolph’s reflection on prosecutorial ethics: [27:53]-[29:33]
• Reflections on historical impact, and Monica’s courage: [31:32]-[32:03]

Closing Thoughts

"Deal or No Deal" sets the tone for a thoughtful revisiting of the Clinton impeachment, highlighting the deeply personal cost to Monica Lewinsky and the complex, often troubling legal and ethical choices shaping the national drama. Neyfak’s approach combines empathy, skepticism, and insight, setting up a season geared not just to retell history, but to reconsider its meaning in light of present-day debates about sex, power, and political warfare.

Next episode preview: A look back at Clinton’s tumultuous first year, and the scandals that foreshadowed his eventual undoing.