WASHINGTON (AP) — Becoming the first president ever to face a criminal grand jury, President Clinton today will finally disclose his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
After seven months of standing by his blunt denial of a sexual relationship with the former White House intern, the president was prepared to acknowledge an “inappropriate relationship” with Ms. Lewinsky, signaling some form of sexual conduct between them, advisers said.
As Clinton and his advisers sought a way to limit the depiction of his relationship with Ms. Lewinsky to one that was “improper” or “inappropriate,” it was learned that prosecutor Kenneth Starr had amassed evidence of roughly 75 telephone conversations between the president and Ms. Lewinsky. Many of the phone conversations were initiated by Clinton, according to people familiar with the probe, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.
Starr spent part of the day at his offices several blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. Starr and several prosecutors were due at the White House at 1 p.m. today to begin several hours of questioning. The extraordinary proceedings were set to be video-transmitted to the 23 grand jurors at the federal courthouse.
It was unclear whether the president would have a statement of any kind after his testimony.