Clinton To Testify
President Clinton will provide videotaped testimony in the Monica Lewinsky investigation on Aug. 17, CBS Senior White House Correspondent Scott Pelley reports.
Before the annoucement about Mr. Clinton was made, the president's lawyers went to court to try to delay his testimony until late September. But a federal judge told the attorneys to produce Mr. Clinton as soon as possible.
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"In an effort to achieve a prompt resolution to this entire matter, the president will voluntarily provide his testimony on August 17, 1998, to the office of independent counsel as he has on prior occasions," said the president's lawyer, David Kendall.
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Mr. Clinton will spend the first day of his vacation answering Starr's questions at the White House. He will be spared an appearance before the grand jury.
Click here to see video of comments by CBS News Legal Correspondent Kristin Jeannette-Meyers.
Also Wednesday, Lewinsky met with prosecutors to prepare her grand jury testimony. Sources tell CBS News the investigation centers on Lewinsky's claim that the president urged her to avoid complying with a federal subpoena.
The subpoena commanded Lewinsky to turn over gifts including, "dresses, accessories and jewelry" given to her by Mr. Clinton.
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Sources say Lewinsky claims she agreed with Mr. Clinton to turn the gifts over to Betty Currie, Mr. Clinton's secretary instead. The investigation has zeroed in on whether this constituteobstruction of justice.
Lewinsky is also telling investigators that Mr. Clinton did not tell her specifically to lie, but she says they did agree she should deny the affair in her testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit.
The previous time Mr. Clinton gave sworn testimony about Lewinsky was in the Paula Jones suit. Then, he said there was no sexual relationship, he did not remember giving her any specific gifts and he only remembered seeing her once or twice.
Ken Starr has spent six months lining up witnesses in his obstruction of justice investigation. Mr. Clinton will confront all of that in less than three weeks.
In other developments:
- CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante reports that a visibly shaken Linda Tripp came out of the courthouse and talked to reporters for the first time on Wednesday.
Tripp, who described herself as an "average American" and a "suburban mom," made a point of saying she had nothing to do with preparing the so-called "talking points," given her by Monica Lewinsky on how to shape her testimony in the Paula Jones case.
CBS Linda Tripp Mrs. Tripp, 48, moved in August 1994 from the White House to a Pentagon job, where she befriended Monica Lewinsky and recorded their telephone conversations about the president. Those tapes, which she brought to Starr, triggered the six-month-old investigation of Mr. Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky.
- CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer reports that one of the president's longtime advisors says Mr. Clinton has no choice but to stick with his story, even though he said he thought many people didn't believe it.
Schieffer also reports that several congressional Democrats are beginning to worry about the impact on the November elections if Lewinsky's story becomes public over the next few months.
Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., said his collegues were glad the president had agreed to testify.
"By constitution it is not clear the president had to testify. And he clearly could have fought it in the courts for months perhaps into next year. I think we're all very grateful he didn't," Torricelli said.
©1998 CBS Worldwide Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report