Sadly in this crucial moment of choice, he opted for the latter. I believe the allegations are completely untrue. Frankly, the president misled me too, so I came here and misled you on occasion. And that was grievously wrong of him. This is a euphemism for denial, which is a defense mechanism that disavows thoughts that cause anxiety.
Denial is a lie to oneself.
We rationalize away the fear. Bill Clinton is a genius at denial. We believe the evidence presents an ironclad case that he lied, by plan and repetitiously, while under oath in a civil suit and before a grand jury. But the lies were those of a sneak, not those of a person plotting to topple or betray the Government. Ultimately Bill Clinton stopped telling a full-blown lie not because he wanted, or even because we wanted him to, but because he had to.