Lewinsky To Testify Again
Independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr has recalled Monica Lewinsky for a second grand jury appearance to help outline any questions left unanswered by President Clinton's testimony regarding their sexual relationship. CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Scott Pelley and CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante report.
Lewinsky, 25, will appear before the grand jury investigating the president, three days after his dramatic televised address to the nation in which he admitted he had an "inappropriate relationship" with Lewinsky.
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However, a legal source told the Associated Press that the president did provide details of his contact with Lewinsky, including a specific sexual act which earlier she had claimed to have engaged in with Mr. Clinton.
Mr. Clinton said during his televised speech that his testimony in January denying sexual relations with Lewinsky was "legally accurate."
Presidential advisers say he was referring to a specific definition of sex that was used in the Jonest lawsuit. Jones' lawyers wrote that definition and gave it to Mr. Clinton for his deposition in January. His advisers have interpreted it as excluding the specific sex act.
Lewinsky, a former White House intern, testified Aug. 6 and, according to sources familiar with her testimony, provided an account of a sexual relationship with the president.
Mr. Clinton on Monday became the first president to testify before a grand jury carrying out a criminal investigation of his conduct.
On the day Lewinsky testified, Mr. Clinton, presiding over a televised ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, wore a gold-and-navy tie that has drawn the interest of prosecutors. A Clinton adviser familiar with his testimony, speaking on condition of anonymity Wednesday, said Starr's team told the president that Lewinsky had given him the tie, and asked Monday whether he was sending her a signal by wearing it.
The source said Mr. Clinton laughed and suggested it was possible she gave him the tie. But he said he was not trying to communicate anything to her. Mr. Clinton's allies view the anecdote, first reported by The New York Times, as a sign of how hard Starr is pressing tprove a case of obstruction of justice against the president.
But there was little chance Lewinsky could have seen Mr. Clinton's live appearance on television that day. She spent the full day in the courthouse, entering at 8:29 a.m. He began speaking from the Rose Garden at 11:06 a.m.
The president, his wife, Hillary, and their daughter, Chelsea, left Washington Tuesday for a vacation in Martha's Vineyard. Although Wednesday is the president's 52nd birthday, his press secretary, Mike McCurry, told reporters that it would be a low-key celebration.
"This is a family that's got some healing to do," McCurry said. "I don't think he's that worried about the polls right now. He's worried about the reaction of his family, first and foremost."
The family was greeted at the airport in Martha's Vineyard with a warm welcome, organized by friends who turned out in an attempt to buoy their spirits.
At the head of the line to embrace them was Vernon Jordan - the Washington lawyer often called the "first friend." Behind him was singer-songwriter Carly Simon, another Clinton family friend and supporter.
Jordan's presence could have been awkward, since he was questioned by the grand jury about efforts to find Lewinsky a job following her White House internship. However, people close to Jordan have said that he was there to be the president's friend and golf partner.
After the trio left for Massachusetts, Mrs. Clinton's spokeswoman issued a statement Tuesday saying that the first lady "believes in this marriage" and forgives her husband. The words, most likely aimed at those doubtful of Mr. Clinton's confession, instead seemed to release a torrent of bitter reactions.
Several Democrats expressed disappointment that Mr. Clinton misled the nation. Republicans, including Majority Whip Tom DeLay, also criticized his actions, demanding the president's resignation. Some members of both parties adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
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"The president should resign for the good of the country," DeLay, R-Texas, said. The president "has lied to his family, his friends, his Cabinet, the Congress, and the American people."
Democratic Rep. Paul McHale of Pennsylvania said Mr. Clinton "should resign or face impeachment." House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt said he was "very disappointed in his personal conduct."
Republican Sens. Bob Smith of New Hampshire and John Ashcroft of Missouri joined in the resignation calls, both saying the president no longer had the "moral authority" to lead.
But with Starr moving close to sending Congress a report on possible impeachable offenses, House Speaker Newt Gingrich cautioned fellow Republicans to wait for the evidence.
"I think that everyone would be best served if they waited for Judge Starr's report and found out what all the facts were," Gingrich said.
Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would handle an initial impeachment inquiry, said many questions remain unanswered and until Starr has submitted a report, "we simply should not speculate about how the House would proceed."
Despite the criticisms, President Clinton received a 71 percent job approval rating from those taking a CBS News-New York Times Poll Tuesday. The majority of those polled - 64 percent - believe the Lewinsky matter is more personal than political, while 74 percent think the investigation should be dropped.
Political advisers have asked Mr. Clinton to make some campaign-style trips instead of staying hidden for two weeks, but the president has ruled it out for now. The reason, McCurry said, was that he wanted to spend personal time with his family.
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