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 Clinton Reaches Out To Congressional Leaders (9-8-98)

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 Players, timeline, documents, quick votes, quiz, archives. AllPolitics' in-depth look at the investigation into the president's relationship with Monica Lewinsky has it all.


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Sources: Lewinsky Testifies She Had A Dozen Sexual Encounters With Clinton

Lewinsky leaves the courthouse
Monica Lewinsky leaves the Prettyman Courthouse

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Aug. 6) -- Two sources familiar with Monica Lewinsky's testimony Thursday before a federal grand jury told CNN that Lewinsky said she had more than a dozen sexual encounters with the president over an 18-month period beginning in November 1995.

The president has denied under oath that he had sexual relations with the former White House intern.

The sources also said Lewinsky told grand jurors that she and Clinton discussed various ways to conceal their sexual relationship. But she denied that he ever directly asked her to lie under oath in a legal proceeding.

The sources also said Lewinsky indicated she participated in a certain kind of sex act that, in the president's mind, may have stopped short of what he considered to be sexual relations.

Dr. Bernard Lewinsky
Dr. Bernard Lewinsky, received
transactional immunity with his
daughter

More testimony by Lewinsky possible

After six months of speculation and anticipation, Lewinsky completed a full day of testimony before Independent Counsel Ken Starr's grand jury, which is investigating allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice centered around her alleged relationship with Clinton.

CNN has learned that Starr's office may bring her back for more testimony, but that no additional appearances before the grand jury have been scheduled.

Clinton will be questioned Aug. 17 at the White House. His testimony will be watched live by grand jurors via a closed- circuit television link.

Amidst a media frenzy, Lewinsky left the federal courthouse about 5:20 p.m. EDT without comment. Her spokeswoman, Judy Smith, met with reporters afterward to make a short statement on her behalf.

"Monica Lewinsky testified before the grand jury today," Smith said. "She answered each question truthfully, completely and honestly that was posed to her by the independent counsel and also questions that were posed to her by members of the grand jury. Monica and her family are relieved that this ordeal finally appears to be coming to an end."

Earlier in the day, Plato Cacheris, one of Lewinsky's attorneys, told reporters, "Monica's doing fine."

Lewinsky, 25, has agreed to answer all of Starr's questions in exchange for blanket, transactional immunity from prosecution.

As part of her immunity deal, sources told CNN that full immunity also has been extended to Lewinsky's father, Dr. Bernard Lewinsky, in addition to her mother Marcia Lewis, who received it earlier.

Wearing a dark blue suit and accompanied by her attorneys, Lewinsky was ushered in a side entrance to the courthouse shortly before 8:30 a.m. EDT. She appeared solemn but calm. Before entering, she paused for a reassuring hug from Cacheris associate Sydney Hoffmann.

Hoffmann is credited with gaining Lewinsky's confidence and putting her in the frame of mind to finally agree to an immunity deal and tell her story.

Once inside, Lewinsky was allowed to take a private elevator normally used for judges to the third floor. She then stepped almost immediately into the grand jury room, where she stayed most of the day.

Starr
Ken Starr

White House low key

The president and his aides were trying to project an aura of business as usual at the White House Thursday. A White House spokesman insisted Clinton was not dwelling on the Lewinsky testimony.

"His mood is great," said Barry Toiv, deputy White House press secretary. "We do know that he agrees with us and probably all Americans that if this means that we are coming to the end of this four-year, over $40 million investigation, then that would be a good thing."

Clinton hosted an anti-crime event in the Rose Garden. At the conclusion of his remarks, the blare of a military band drowned out reporters' shouted questions about Lewinsky.

Sources familiar with Starr's investigation said the FBI crime lab in Washington has completed preliminary tests on a dark blue cocktail dress given to prosecutors by Lewinsky. The dress is being evaluated to see if it contains any DNA evidence that could substantiate Lewinsky's claims of sexual encounters with Clinton.

The results are being kept secret by Starr. Sources have said neither Attorney General Janet Reno nor FBI Director Louis Freeh would be notified of the findings.

Investigators did not find the dress when they searched Lewinsky's Watergate home earlier this year, because she had stored the dress in her mother's New York City apartment.

Breuer
Lanny Breuer

Executive privilege claim revisited

The White House is reviving claims of executive privilege as it tries to keep administration attorneys from answering certain questions in the Lewinsky investigation.

The issue is now the subject of sealed court proceedings involving White House special counsel Lanny Breuer, according to two legal sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity.

Breuer was forced to testify earlier this week after the Supreme Court refused to intervene and stay a lower court ruling that Breuer did not enjoy an attorney-client privilege with the president, because the Lewinsky controversy does not involve Clinton's official presidential duties.

In rejecting the privilege claim, a federal appeals court suggested that some of the areas of dispute could conceivably fall under the protective cloak of executive privilege. For example, the appeals court said discussions with government lawyers about the possibility of impeachment proceedings could be protected by the executive privilege.

The administration had dropped earlier claims of executive privilege but raised them again Tuesday during Breuer's testimony, the sources said. The resulting legal battle could wind its way back through the appeals court and ultimately on to the Supreme Court, taking several weeks or more, one source said.

Separately, an administration official said Bruce Lindsey, the deputy White House counsel, could be laid up for as long as three weeks recovering from major back surgery. That would mean any additional grand jury testimony from Lindsey would likely come after the president's Aug. 17 sworn account.

Senior White House Correspondent Wolf Blitzer, White House Correspondent John King and Congressional Correspondent Bob Franken contributed to this report.
In Other News

Thursday, August 6, 1998

Sources: Lewinsky Testifies She Had A Dozen Sexual Encounters With Clinton
House Committee Cites Reno With Contempt Of Congress
House Gives Final OK To Campaign Finance Bill
M-Day At The Courthouse
House Kills Bid To Block Clinton Order On Gays

Profile: Who Is Monica Lewinsky?

Timeline
For complete Timeline

June 1995: Monica Lewinsky begins White House internship.

December 1995: Lewinsky moves into a paid position in the Office of Legislative Affairs.

April 1996: Then-deputy White House Chief of Staff Evelyn Lieberman transfers Lewinsky to the Pentagon.

Fall 1997: Linda Tripp begins taping conversations with Lewinsky, who discusses her relationship with Clinton.

December 1997: Lewinsky leaves the Pentagon. She is also subpoenaed by lawyers for Paula Jones and visits the White House shortly afterwards.

January 7, 1998: Lewinsky denies ever having a sexual relationship with Clinton in Jones case affidavit.

January 12, 1998: Tripp contacts the Independent Counsel Ken Starr to talk about Lewinsky's allegations and the tapes.

January 14, 1998: Lewinsky gives Tripp a document headed "Points to make in an affidavit," coaching Tripp on what to tell Jones' lawyers.

January 16, 1998: Starr contacts Attorney General Janet Reno to get permission to expand his probe. Tripp and Lewinsky meet again at the Ritz-Carlton. FBI agents and U.S. attorneys take Lewinsky to a hotel room, where they question her and offer her immunity.

January 17, 1998: Clinton gives his deposition in the Jones lawsuit, in which he denies having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky.

January 21, 1998: Story of alleged sexual relationship between Lewinsky and Clinton breaks in the media.

January 26, 1998: Clinton repeats his denial: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky."

January 29, 1998: Judge Susan Webber Wright orders that evidence related to Lewinsky be excluded from the Jones lawsuit.

March 16, 1998: Clinton says "nothing improper" happened when he was alone with Kathleen Willey, in response to her accusations aired in a "60 Minutes" interview. Willey testified before the grand jury earlier that week.

April 1,1998: Judge Wright dismisses the Jones lawsuit against Clinton.

April 14, 1998: Starr files a motion to compel testimony of uniformed Secret Service agents.

April 29, 1998: Federal Judge Norma Holloway Johnson rules that Lewinsky does not have an immunity agreement with Starr.

May 22, 1998: Judge Johnson rules that the Secret Service must testify before the grand jury.

June 2, 1998: The outspoken Bill Ginsburg is replaced as Lewinsky's lawyer by Jacob Stein and Plato Cacheris.

June 15, 1998: Deputy White House Counsel Bruce Lindsey files an appeal of Judge Johnson's decision to deny him attorney-client privilege.

June 30, 1998: Tripp begins to testify before the grand jury.

July 7, 1998: U.S. Court of Appeals rules that Secret Service agents must testify.

July 14, 1998: Justice Department requests a full panel appeal of the Secret Service testimony decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals. Starr subpoenas Larry Cockell, head of the president's security detail.

July 16, 1998: The U.S. Court of Appeals refuses a full panel review of the Secret Service decision.

July 17, 1998: Chief Justice William Rehnquist denies an extension of the temporary stay on Secret Service testimony. Subpoenaed Secret Service agents appear before the grand jury.

July 27, 1988: The U.S. Court of Appeals rules that attorney-client privilege does not protect Lindsey.

July 28, 1998: Lawyers for Lewinsky and Starr work out a deal for transactional immunity. The deal also covers Lewinsky's parents.

July 29, 1998: Clinton agrees to provide testimony on Aug 17. Tripp completes her testimony.

July 30, 1998: Lewinsky hands over to Starr a dress she alleges may contain physical evidence of a sexual relationship with Clinton.

Aug. 3, 1998: The Clinton Administration files an appeal before the Supreme Court over attorney-client privilege for Lindsey.

Aug. 6, 1998: Lewinsky testifies before grand jury.



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