Breathless media wait for Clinton's moment of truth
By Gerard Baker in Washington
Bill Clinton was yesterday battling to find a legal and political path through the most serious crisis of his presidency in the final hours before today's historic US grand jury testimony in the Monica Lewinsky investigation.
As news organisations reported that Mr Clinton was now ready to tell the grand jury that he did have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, Mr Clinton's top lawyer cautioned the public against believing what he termed "groundless speculation" about today's eagerly anticipated event.
"The truth is the truth. Period. And that's how the president will testify," said David Kendall in a written statement from the White House. Other presidential advisers echoed those remarks but said it was uncertain what Mr Clinton would say until right up to the moment his testimony begins this afternoon.
But Mr Kendall's remarks did not directly contradict the numerous reports over the weekend, sourced to presidential advisers, that Mr Clinton would admit to some form of "inappropriate relationship" with Ms Lewinsky, the former White House trainee at the centre of the allegations.
The aim of such an admission would be to allow Mr Clinton to acknowledge to the public that a number of sexual encounters took place but without owning up to perjury in an earlier case when he denied under oath that he had sexual relations with Ms Lewinsky.
Whatever he says in today's closed-circuit television testimony, relayed from the White House to the grand jury, the president is under intense pressure from advisers to make a national television appearance, perhaps as early as this evening, to explain his actions.
The legal difficulty is only one aspect of Mr Clinton's problems, however. In addition to his sworn testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, he has also publicly, and emphatically, denied any sexual relations with Ms Lewinsky.
"I think he . . . hasto say to the American people that he did have improper relations, that he regrets that he did not address this issue earlier and that he apologises. But he's got to say it in avery clear, direct, and unequivocal manner," Leon Panetta, Mr Clinton's former chief of staff, told NBC News.
Members of Congress from both main political parties said they thought an open acknowledgement by Mr Clinton that he had previously misled the American people would probably enable him to avoid impeachment proceedings.
"If he does that and then really asks the American people to forgive him or at least work with him, I think the polling shows that the American people probably are willing to allow him to finish his term and wait to replace him until the year 2000," said Orrin Hatch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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