Morris’ Talk About Clintons’ Sex Lives Stuns White House

Dick Morris, the sometime advisor to President Clinton who resigned from the president’s 1996 election campaign in a sex scandal, stunned the White House on Tuesday by speculating publicly about the Clintons’ sex lives.

“None of what I am about to say is necessarily a fact,” Morris said on Los Angeles radio station KABC-AM Tuesday morning. “I don’t know it, and I’m not even--not being cute about it, I really don’t know, but let’s assume, OK, that his sexual relationship with Hillary is not all it’s supposed to be. Let’s assume that some of the allegations that Hillary sometimes--not necessarily being into regular sex with men--might be true. Let’s assume that this is a guy who’s been sexually active for a long time, and then got it that as president he’d have to not--have to shut himself down. You would then expect a variety of things which would be quasi-sexual in nature, but which would fall short of it.

“And phone sex might be one of them, fantasies might be one of them, a close emotional relationship with a young person might be one of them. Those all could be real things without actually committing adultery.”

Morris was responding to questions about allegations that the president had an affair with a then-22-year-old intern and sought to conceal it from investigators.

His comments touched off consternation in the White House.

“I don’t know what to think about it,” spokesman Joe Lockhart said. “All I can say is: Mr. Morris speaks from his own voice. He’s not connected in any way to anything we’re doing.”

Earlier this week, officials said Morris had been offering advice to Clinton on how to overcome the current controversy--and that Clinton welcomed the help.