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Grand jury convened without Lewinsky testimony
Mrs. Clinton says attack 'mean-spirited'
January 27, 1998
Clinton and Lewinsky at a 1996 DNC fund-raiser
Web posted at: 11:28 a.m. EST (1628 GMT)Latest developments:
- Mrs. Clinton says attack 'mean-spirited'
- No immunity deal yet
- Report: Private Clinton-Lewinsky meeting last month
- Report: Lewinsky 'valentine' for Clinton
- Dallas paper retracts Clinton-Lewinsky story
- Related stories and sites
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal grand jury convened Tuesday to consider whether President Clinton and his confidant Vernon Jordan, a Washington lawyer, urged Monica Lewinsky to lie about an alleged sexual relationship with the president. But Lewinsky's scheduled appearance before the panel has been put off while her lawyer and independent counsel Kenneth Starr work on a possible immunity deal.
A lawyer for Lewinsky -- a 24-year-old former White House intern and former Pentagon employee who no longer works for the government -- gave Starr a summary, or proffer, on Monday of what she would tell a federal grand jury in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
After eight hours of discussions with Lewinsky, her lawyer, William Ginsburg, told reporters Monday the ball was now in Starr's court, saying, "He has indicated he will consider our complete proffer and he will then call us back and tell us what he wants to do."
He and Starr both declined to comment on the substance of the proffer or when a decision could be made. Presumably, Lewinsky would be granted immunity in exchange for backing away from her earlier sworn denial of a sexual relationship with the president.
Mrs. Clinton says attack 'mean-spirited'
In an interview on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday, first lady Hillary Clinton blamed the sex scandal surrounding her husband on a mean-spirited right-wing political agenda that has dogged them for years, saying, "we've been accused of everything, including murder."
She described the allegations as "an effort to undo the results of two elections" and said when all the facts are known "some folks are going to have a lot to answer for."
"The best thing to do in these cases is to be patient, take a deep breath and the truth will come out," she said. "I'm just willing to wait patiently until the truth comes out."
No immunity deal yet
Sources tell CNN there's no immunity deal yet, but say the two sides are making progress and are getting close.
Starr has issued subpoenas to a number of key figures in the case, including Jordan, Betty Currie, the president's personal secretary, former deputy chief of staff Evelyn Lieberman, who arranged for the intern's transfer to the Pentagon, and several former White House interns who worked with Lewinsky.
Hillary and Bill Clinton on Monday at the White House His office also has issued a subpoena for a wide range of White House documents linked to the allegations.
Report: Private Clinton-Lewinsky meeting last month
Tuesday's New York Times reported that Lewinsky had met privately with Clinton in the White House late last month, even though administration officials had ordered that her access be restricted. A White House spokesman declined to comment.
According to both a former White House official and an associate of Lewinsky, the meeting occurred two weeks after Lewinsky was served a subpoena ordering her to provide information in Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit, the Times said.
Report: Lewinsky 'valentine' for Clinton
The Washington Post on Tuesday reproduced a personal ad allegedly placed in the paper last Valentine's Day by Lewinsky and intended for President Clinton.
The paper said the February 14 Valentine's Day ad, quoting "Romeo and Juliet" and signed "M," was placed by Lewinsky, according to a series of secret tapes that former White House employee Linda Tripp made of conversations she had with Lewinsky.
Dallas paper retracts Clinton-Lewinsky story
The Dallas Morning News retracted an online article shortly after it was published late Monday, in which an unidentified source told the paper a Secret Service agent was prepared totestify he saw Clinton and Lewinsky in a compromising situation.
The paper said in a statement posted on its online edition that the report was pulled because "the source for the story, a longtime Washington lawyer familiar with the case, later said the information provided for that report was inaccurate."
The convening of the grand jury on Tuesday comes the day after Clinton denied with force and anger the allegations of a sexual relationship.
Clinton denied allegations again Monday at a White House appearance "I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again. I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky," he said at the White House on Monday, wagging his finger for emphasis.
"I never told anybody to lie, not a single time -- never. These allegations are false and I need to go back to work for the American people," the president said before returning to work on his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday.
Correspondents Bob Franken and John King contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Allpolitics: Lewinsky Has Spoken
- Allpolitics: White House crisis spawns media feeding frenzy
- Allpolitics: First Lady Ignores Scandal During Visit to N.Y. School
- Allpolitics: Business As Usual At White House, Officials Say
- Allpolitics: Lewinsky Allegations Overshadow State Of The Union
- Allpolitics: Hatch Sees Resignation Probable Should Charges be Proven
- Allpolitics: White House Scandal At A Glance
- Allpolitics: Starr Said To Be Using Tested Tactic Against Ex-intern
- Allpolitics: Allegations Of Previous Affair, Forgery Haunt Lewinsky
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