How was Clinton&#39;s lie under oath about the Lewinsky affair relevant to the subsequent perjury charge?
<p>My reading indicates that Clinton's outright denial about having the said affair constituted perjury, which is why he was impeached by the House. But it's not illegal to engage in sexual intercourse, so what makes the perjury charge valid?</p>

<p>Willfully telling an untruth or making a misrepresentation under oath is perjury; the reason you do so or the substance of it is irrelevant.</p>

<p>It is the act of perjury itself that is an offense and led to the impeachment.</p>

united-states perjury