WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Keith Olbermann, a liberal television host whose MSNBC show focused in 1998 on President Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, once apologized to Clinton for his coverage, according to documents released on Friday.
Olbermann sought the president's forgiveness for "whatever part I may have played in perpetuating this ceaseless coverage," according to a White House email describing his apology.
The email was included in a new batch of previously unreleased Clinton administration documents that was made public by the Clinton Presidential Library.
"I'll be heading back to my previous career in sports as quickly as possible," added the commentator, whose career has shifted several times between political television and sportscasting jobs.
In response, a White House aide suggested at the time that Clinton should send Olbermann the standard thank-you note for public correspondence.
Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives over the affair in 1998, but was acquitted by the Senate.
(Reporting by Gabriel Debenedetti and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Frances Kerry)