Poll: Bill Clinton most forgivable ‘liar’

Former President Bill Clinton is the “liar” the public is most able to forgive nearly two decades after his affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky, according to a new poll.

{mosads}According to a CBS-Vanity Fair poll, 43 percent of people said they are most able to forgive Clinton among a list of other famous people who have lied to the public.

The survey asks “which liar are you most able to forgive,” listing Clinton along with cyclist Lance Armstrong, former President Richard Nixon and Bernie Madoff, who defrauded his investment clients out of billions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme.

Madoff, who is serving 150 years in prison, ranked lowest, with 3 percent who said he is most forgivable. Twelve percent chose Nixon, while 22 percent chose Armstrong, who admitted to using performance-enhancement drugs during his career.

Another 11 percent picked none of the four public figures.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has recently said Clinton was given a pass by the media on the issue and has used it in an attempt to undercut Democrats’ accusations of a Republican “war on women.”

Paul said it should not be a factor in judging Hillary Clinton’s potential presidential bid but added that it is sometimes hard to separate the two Clintons.

“And I think really the media seems to have given President Clinton a pass on this. He took advantage of a girl that was 20 years old and an intern in his office. There is no excuse for that, and it is predatory behavior,” Paul said in reaction to a question about similar comments his wife made in a recent interview.

The poll surveyed 1,016 people and has a 3 percentage point margin of error.