Sex scandals ruin careers and taint images

The public seem to have been accustomed to stories about sex scandals involving high-ranking government officials and politicians. U.S. President Bill Clinton was accused of having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, in the late 1990s. As a result, the House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment against President Clinton. The scandal nearly cost him the presidency.

Photo: Sex scandals ruin careers and taint images

The Monica Lewinsky story took shape at a time when President Clinton was accused of sexual harassment by Paula Jones, his former secretary. By and large, the list of women with whom Clinton allegedly had affairs was a long one. Eventually, Clinton narrowly escaped the impeachment yet his image suffered quite a few dents.

Russian Justice Minister Valentin Kovalev had to resign about the same time following the release of a videotape featuring Kovalev having a good time in company of prostitutes in a sauna. Subsequently, the prosecutor’s office brought a legal action against the minister on charges of extortion. The sauna videotape was aired on TV. Kovalev tendered his resignation shortly after the broadcast. Eventually, he was tried, convicted and sent to jail. In fact, the videotape was not used as evidence in the trial. Kovalev is thought to have been doomed to incarceration in any case. The sex scandal just contributed to the PR campaign aimed at removing Kovalev from office.

A similar case involved the Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov in 1999. Skuratov was fired as a result. RTR, Russia ’s main state-controlled TV channel, broadcast explicit footage that featured a man described as the “person resembling Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov” having sex with two women. Skuratov lost his job though experts failed to identify the protagonist of the movie and found evidence indicating that the video material may have been edited.

Evgeny Kiselyev, a popular TV anchor, was yet another Russian public figure captured on film in the state of undress. The footage depicted Kiselyev’s sexual activity with a girl who liked like the producer of Itogi news program. The video was circulated on the Internet in 2001. The material was probably designed to defame Kiselyev prior to the onset of the Kremlin-led attacks on the media holding he was working for at the time. Eventually, the footage only boosted Kiselyev’s reputation as a dandy and womanizer.

The story of Bill and Monica has been overshadowed by a scandal involving the U.S. Congressman Mark Foley. He was accused of teenage molestation. Actually, the charges brought against the former Republican Foley are in line with the legislation he helped to push through Congress when he was cochairman of the committee that dealt with issues relating to child trafficking and exploitation. Foley is reported to have sent e-mail messages of lewd content to underage male interns working in Congress.

The case of the lustful congressman came to light after of Foley’s addressees relayed the details of the messages to another congressman. The Democrats simply could not but take the opportunity to level their harshest criticism at Foley and the Republicans ingeneral.

The formerpop icon Michael Jackson also had brushes with the law following allegations of child molestation. The charges against Jackson were based on four incidents of molestation allegedly committed by the singer toward underage visitors at his home. He was also accused of abduction and forced detainment of children at his home. The parents of the last victim, the 13-year-old boy diagnosed with cancer, filed a suit against Jackson .

The prosecution built the case on testimony taken from both the plaintiff and servants. According to witnesses, Jackson got the child drunk, showed him porno magazines and tried to abuse him.

The recent public disgrace concerning President of Israel Moshe Katsav stands out among similar scandals which tainted the image of high-ranking politicians. Moshe Katsav is alleged to have raped two women and committed indecent sexual acts involving the use of force with regard to several women. The scandal broke out shortly after Katsav advised the government’s legal adviser of attempted blackmail against him by A., a former female staff of his office. When questioned by the police, A. revealed that she had been forced by Katsav to have sex with him.

Another female staff of the presidential office later filed a similar suit against Katsav. The woman claimed that the president had raped her in his study. More complaints related to sexual harassment were made public by other four women. One of them accused Katsav of forcing her into having sex with him at a time when she worked as his secretary in the Ministry of Transport. Katsav held the post of minister of transport at the time. Another one claimed that she had been forced to a sexual relationship by Katsav when he headed the Ministry of Tourism in 1996. President Katsav strongly denies all the allegations.

One of the funniest sex scandals has recently erupted at Disneyland Resort Paris. Mickey proved to be a repressed gay as a result.

Experts at Disney were fuming over a Disneyland orgy video posted on the Internet. The smutty video featured some of the company’s famous characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale, and Snowman appearing in simulated sex scenes at Disneyland Paris resort. The two-and-a-half minute clip shows Disneyland staff dressed in costumes of Disney favorites pretending to have sex in a variety of kinky poses.

The video shows Minnie Mouse playing coy as she is grabbed from behind by Goofy and then a giant snowman. Minnie makes a desperate effort trying to break free. Then Goofy has a threesome with Chip and Dale. Meanwhile, Mickey comes out of the closet and engages in a gay romp with the snowman. Once the bout of a wild frolicking is over, the characters join the children.

Disney announced that they had already conducted an investigation and took disciplinary action against the employees responsible for making a scandalous video. The company’s Security found out that the video had been taken in a locker room for staff, an area not accessible to guests at Disneyland Resort Paris.

Argumenty i Fakty

Translated by Guerman Grachev