Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has apologised for an “off the cuff remark” about being an “intern” in Washington in the wake of the Bill Clinton scandal at an event for aspiring politicians in the US city.
The Fine Gael leader made the quip as he remarked that he was an intern in Washington in the year 2000, which was when Mr Clinton was in power. The former US President was embroiled in a sex scandal in 1998 with Monica Lewinsky, a 22-year-old White House intern.
Mr Varadkar graduated from the Washington in Ireland Program in 2000, a scheme for “promising leaders” who go through “personal development, policy debate and community service”.
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The Taoiseach attended a ceremony for the 2023 WIP Class in Washington on yesterday afternoon. During his speech he said that he was an intern at a time when “some parents would have had cause for concern about what would happen to interns in Washington”.
A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach told the Irish Mirror: “He made an ill-judged off the cuff remark which he regrets. He apologises for any offence caused to anyone concerned.”
Mr Varadkar made the comments just hours after meeting Mr Clinton’s wife Hillary at another event.
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