In the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Hillary Clinton claimed that her husband was addicted to sex because he was abused by his mother, a journalist said.
The then First Lady allegedly made the claims during a 1999 interview with Lucinda Franks, but the Pulitzer prize-winner declined to use them for the article she was working on.
The revelation is one of a series of sensational claims made in a series of new books being published in anticipation that Clinton will make a presidential run in 2016.
The latest revelations have been included in Franks' memoir, which includes remarks allegedly made by Hillary Clinton during their interview, the Daily News has reported.
In her book, Timeless: Love, Morgenthau And Me, Franks claims that Clinton blamed her mother-in-law Virginia Kelley for damaging her son.
Clinton claimed that Kelley, who died in 1994, hurt her son “in ways you wouldn't believe” and, while not giving details about the alleged abuse, claimed it had been responsible for her husband's affair.
“When a mother does what she does, it affects you forever,” Clinton allegedly told Franks, 68.
The claims were not included in the article Franks was writing for a magazine called Talk. Franks has said she wanted to publish the interview in its entirety at the time but didn't because of the media storm over the Lewinsky affair.
The Daily News says it has seen a version of the memoir that discussed a fraught relationship between the President's mother and grandmother.
In the 1999 interview, Clinton described her husband's affair as a “sin of weakness”, and said she remained devoted to him despite “enormous pain, enormous anger” over his infidelities.
She added that the affair had come at a time of upheaval for the President, who was coming to terms with the loss of his mother.
Frank alluded to a difficult upbringing for the President, according to Philly.com, and quoted Clinton as saying: “He was so young when he was scarred by abuse. There was a terrible conflict between his mother and grandmother.”
Mrs Clinton reportedly added: “He can’t even take it [the abuse] out and look at it.
“There was terrible conflict between his mother and grandmother. A psychologist once told me that for a boy, being in the middle of a conflict between two women is the worst possible situation.
“There is always a desire to please each one.”
Further details about Frank's interview with Clinton are included in her book, due to be released next month.
* In another book about the Clintons, due to be published soon, tapes of Bill’s phone sex with Lewinsky posed a threat to national security.
The tapes also allegedly resulted in a not-so-subtle attempt by the Prime Minister of Israel to try to “convince” the President to secure the release of an American spying for the Israelis.
The book, Clinton, Inc.: The Audacious Rebuilding of a Political Machine by Weekly Standard editor Daniel Halper, has been described as “scrupulously researched” and “juicy”.
Halper reports evidence that not only the Israelis but also the British and Russians had “scooped up” the microwaves off the top of the White House and taped Clinton's phone sex conversations with Monica – and perhaps other women.
That bombshell and scores of others - some amusing, some alarming - are part of hundreds of pages of allegations compiled by a team of lawyers and investigators working for Lewinsky and viewed exclusively by Halper.
* Halper and Franks are not the only ones writing about the Clintons, in anticipation of Hillary making a bid for the White House.
A sensational book by journalist Edward Klein examines the taut relationship between the Obamas and Clintons, claiming the tension could threaten all Democrat chances in 2016.
Despite their much-vaunted public truce, Klein claims in Blood Feud that Bill Clinton despises President Obama and that Michelle refers to Hillary behind closed doors as the “Hildebeest”.
The animosity between the Democratic Party's two power couples has reached such intensity that Klein says the president is willing to renege on his promise to endorse Hillary for 2016 and has teased the Clintons with suggestions that Michelle would be a strong candidate for the Oval Office. - Daily Mail