Vernon E. Jordan Jr. making his way to federal court on March 3 (Reuters)

This is an archive of Washington Post news and feature stories from March 1998 about the accusations against President Clinton. Links to coverage from other months are on the News Archive page.

From Tuesday, March 31

Clinton Accuses Jones of 'Sabotage'
President Clinton complained in a court filing Monday that the Paula Jones legal team violated a court order and unfairly tarnished him.

Analysis: A New Legal Low?
Legal experts say the conduct of both sides in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton has crossed over the line of appropriate conduct.

Court to Hear Foster Notes Argument
The Supreme Court will decide whether a lawyer for the late White House aide Vincent W. Foster Jr. must relinquish his notes to Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth W. Starr.

From Monday, March 30

Obscure Panel in Impeachment Light
The names of the members on the obscure House Judiciary Committee are likely to become household words if the panel is called upon to begin the impeachment of President Clinton.

Style Showcase:

In Jones Case, Some Are Out on Allege
News organizations differed this weekend on how to treat a spectacular and uncorroborated allegation contained in a larger filing by Paula Jones's lawyers.

Clinton Told Jones Team He Had No Willey Notes
Two months before he released a stack of letters from Kathleen E. Willey to undermine her allegation of an unwelcome sexual advance, President Clinton denied that he had any such correspondence when asked in the Paula Jones case, according to court documents filed by Jones's lawyers.

Online Extra:

Clinton's Reponse to Request for Documents Related to Willey
An excerpt from President Clinton's Jan. 15 reponses to a series of document requests from the Paula Jones legal team. It was released by the Jones legal team on March 28 as evidence of a White House cover up.

GOP's DeLay Criticizes Clinton
House Majority Whip Tom DeLay declared Friday that President Clinton "seems to have no shame, no integrity, no dignity," speaking of the sex and perjury controversy surrounding the president.

Clinton Woes Trip 3 Female Incumbents
Highlighed by the allegations against President Clinton, the issue of sexual harassment could work against three female senators who face tough reelection campaigns.

From Friday, March 27

Clinton Aides Return to Grand Jury
White House aides Marsha Scott and Nancy Hernreich made return appearances Thursday to the grand jury investigating the Monica S. Lewinsky matter, and despite hours of testimony behind closed doors their lawyers expect them to be recalled for more next week.

From Thursday, March 26

Starr Seeks Jones Team's Records on Other Women
Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr subpoenaed records assembled by Paula Jones's lawyers about four other women they tried to question in her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton.

Impeachment Skirmishes Begin on Hill
House Republicans and Democrats are warring over how the House should respond to any information independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr reports to Congress in his probe of the Monica S. Lewinsky matter.

From 'The Reliable Source':

Ken Starr's Reading List
Ken Starr has hit another raw nerve, this time by peeking under covers of a different nature.

Online Extra:

Congressional Sex Scandals in History
As the House prepares for a possible investigation of President Clinton, washingtonpost.com political analyst Ken Rudin looks back at how Congress has dealt with charges of sexual misconduct by its own members.

From Wednesday, March 25

On African Tour, Clinton Finds No Escape
The uproar about President Clinton's decision to invoke privilege in the Monica S. Lewinsky matter caught up with him in a photo session with Uganda's president. Clinton sidestepped the issue.

From 'The Reliable Source':

Leaving No Tome Unturned
Kenneth Starr has ordered Kramerbooks & Afterwords to turn over records of Lewinsky's purchases at the Dupont Circle bookstore.

From LEGI-SLATE:

Impeachment Veterans Mull Lessons of Watergate
Former House Judiciary committee members who heard the evidence against Nixon warn that there will be no easy answers should independent counsel Kenneth Starr turn his evidence against Clinton over to the House.

From Tuesday, March 24

Executive Privilege Claim Covers Talks Between First Lady, Aide
President Clinton's claim of executive privilege in the Monica S. Lewinsky probe is intended in part to prevent prosecutors from asking about talks aide Sidney Blumenthal had with Hillary Rodham Clinton, sources said.

From Monday, March 23

Lott Assails Executive Privilege Claim
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said President Clinton's decision to invoke executive privilege will damage the president's credibility.

Style Showcase:

Bennett Ticked Off at '60 Minutes'
Robert Bennett contends that neither he nor the president "got a fair shake" on "60 Minutes."

At Gridiron, Pulling Only Certain Punches
"So how was your week?" began President Clinton at the annual Gridiron Club dinner.

From Sunday, March 22

The Story So Far: In Lewinsky Matter, Views Shift Rapidly
There is now a pattern that has become predictable, as the Lewinsky controversy enters its ninth week. When allegations first appear, they are stark and clear, often menacing to President Clinton. But the more that is known, the more time passes, the less clear their meaning.

From Outlook:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson: What Those Polls Are Telling Us
President Clinton's continuing popularity in the aftermath of Kathleen Willey's TV interview indicates the public is drawing a clear distinction between his personal life and presidential actions.

Francine Prose: Why Weigh Moral Against Political?
What do we care about a few Bosnian deaths, our nation's poor, our children's education, or welfare mothers' fates when we have the question of President Clinton's sexual behavior to consider?

From Saturday, March 21

Clinton's Attorney Denounces 'Smear'
Clinton attorney Robert S. Bennett counterattacked, accusing Paula Jones's attorneys of mounting a "smear campaign" and asking a federal judge to throw out testimony about Clinton's alleged sexual escapades.

Executive Privilege Invoked for Two Aides
President Clinton has invoked executive privilege in an effort to keep two of his top aides from having to testify fully in the investigation of the Monica Lewinsky matter, sources said.

Online Extras:

Excerpt from Willey Cross-Examination
The portion of Kathleen E. Willey's deposition released on March 20 by Clinton lawyer Robert S. Bennett. In it, Willey said Clinton neither threatened her nor offered her favors for sex.

Motion to Strike Testimony
Full text of a motion filed by President Clinton's lawyers asking that all testimony about Clinton's alleged sexual escapades with other women be thrown out of the Jones lawsuit.

Brief in Support of Summary Judgement
Full text of the reply in support of the motion for summary judgment filed by President Clinton's lawyers. It argues that the Jones legal filings, with their "immaterial, scurrilous exhibits," are "nothing more than a smoke screen."

From Friday, March 20

Jones's Past Private Life Targeted
President Clinton's legal defense team plans to introduce in court sealed evidence about Paula Jones's past sex life to rebut her claim that her alleged encounter with Clinton in a Little Rock hotel suite in 1991 left her with long-term emotional trauma.

Republicans Wary of Plan for Starr Panel
House Republicans reacted with wariness and skepticism to a leadership plan to name a "special committee" to examine evidence assembled by independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr.

Judge Johnson: Strict With Public Officials and About Her Privacy
In her nearly 18 years on the bench, Judge Norma Holloway Johnson has presided over some high-profile cases that may offer clues about how she would view the allegations against President Clinton.

Style Showcase:

A Dead-On Impression of American Politics
For anyone who spent 1992 on the presidential campaign trail, or who has been swept up in the web of what happened between the president and Monica Lewinsky, "Primary Colors" is a surreal experience, shifting constantly between art and life. Essay by Post political writer Dan Balz

From Thursday, March 19

House Members Would Examine Starr's Evidence
House Republican leaders have agreed to send a small group of House members to examine evidence assembled by the independent counsel to determine if there is any basis for the committee to consider impeachment charges against President Clinton, officials said.

Analysis: Discrepancies Emerging in Both Sides of Willey Story
A chasm of difference separates the accounts that President Clinton and Kathleen E. Willey give of their November 1993 meeting.

Public Shrugs at Willey's Account
Public reaction, measured by overnight polls, showed little change in attitudes toward the president after Kathleen E. Willey told a national television audience she was harassed.

Style Showcase:

The Art of Publishing Sensations
Michael Viner, the publisher who Kathleen Willey unsuccessfully tried to interest in a book deal, is not stranger to sensational tales.

Online Extra:

Affidavit of Julie Hiatt Steele
Feb. 13 affidavit released on March 18 in which Julie Hiatt Steele, a friend of Kathleen E. Willey's, says Willey asked her to lie to a Newsweek reporter about an alleged sexual advance by President Clinton that she had never heard about before.

From Wednesday, March 18

Publisher: Willey Tried to Sell Memoir
Right around the time Kathleen E. Willey testified under oath that she once had been kissed and groped by President Clinton, her lawyer was seeking a book deal for his client's autobiography, a publisher said.

Analysis: White House Brandishes Facts on Willey
The Kathleen E. Willey episode gives a glimpse of how the White House uses information. When facts are damaging, they are kept secret. When they are helpful, the White House becomes a advocate of disclosure.

Friend of Lewinsky Brought From Japan
A college friend of Monica S. Lewinsky was flown in from Japan and testified all day before the grand jury investigating President Clinton's ties to the former White House aide.

Style Showcase:

So, Monica. How 'Bout Them Wizards?
You're at a glitzy party, you turn around and – whoa! – Monica Lewinsky is standing right there. What to say? Here are some tips.

From Tuesday, March 17

President Rebuts Harassment Claim
President Clinton said he was "mystified and disappointed" by former aide Kathleen E. Willey's nationally televised accusation that he forced himself on her when she approached him for a job.

Willey Emerges as Latest Scandal Sensation
Everyone from the White House to her friends labored to bolster or undermine Kathleen E. Willey's tale of being sexually accosted by the president near the Oval Office.

Account Weakens Women's Support for Clinton
Kathleen E. Willey's detailed allegation of a sexual encounter with the president has fractured his support among his key constituency.

Tripp Friend Says Arrest Followed Prank
A friend of Linda Tripp's who was with her when she was arrested on a grand larceny charge in 1969 said that the arrest was the result of a "spoof" gone wrong.

From Monday, March 16

Willey Tells of Clinton Advance
Kathleen E. Willey broke her public silence in an interview broadcast Sunday night and accused President Clinton of lying under oath when he denied making a sexual advance to her four years ago.

Style Showcase:

Media Notes: And Now for Something Completely Different
Don't like the way you were portrayed yesterday? Just say something different today. The press, which needs fresh headlines for each passing cycle, generally tags along for the ride.

Week Eight: The President Endures an Embarrassing Week
If the institution of the presidency could blush, it would have this week. Grand jury testimony and court documents alike detailed allegations that President Clinton had a string of affairs and tried to cover them up.

Willey's Career Path Had a Sharp Upturn
Kathleen E. Willey, who went from volunteer to White House worker traveling at public expense, is the only person known to have testified that President Clinton touched her sexually inside the White House.

Radio Show Dropped Due to Paula Jones Link
One of the nation's largest Christian broadcasting networks is canceling a public service program sponsored by the Rutherford Institute because the Charlottesville-based law center is representing Paula Jones.

Clinton, Jones Teams Differ on the Law
Court papers filed by lawyers for President Clinton and Paula Jones show that the two sides have widely different views about what legal standards apply to Jones's claim that Clinton sexually harassed her.

From Outlook:

Robert G. Kaiser: About Our Sources and Methods
The Post strives to share with readers the sources of its information, but that is not always possible, the paper's managing editor writes. He explains why.

Reader Reaction to The Post's Coverage
In e-mail to the ombudsman, readers sound off on The Post's "flagrant" use of anonymous sources in its coverage of the allegations against President Clinton.

Style Showcase:

Who Is Linda Tripp and Why Did She Do What She Did?
If the president falls, it will largely be Linda Tripp's doing. Tripp coolly trapped Monica Lewinsky into describing, on tape, what she had denied under oath: a sexual affair with the president.

Tony Kornheiser: The End of Monica as We Know It
By popular demand, The Post's satirical columnist swears off Monica Lewinsky, saying he'd rather be hit by an asteroid than write another column about her.

From Saturday, March 14

Jones Filing Details Sex Allegations
Much of the once-secret evidence in the Paula Jones lawsuit exploded into public view as her lawyers filed documents that accuse President Clinton of a pattern of sexual indiscretions and an elaborate cover-up.

Analysis: Two Probes on a Collision Course
The Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit triggered independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's latest investigation. The two investigations, though they started from far-off points, are now on a legal collision course.

Defense Department Probes Report of Linda Tripp Arrest
The Department of Defense is investigating a report that employee Linda R. Tripp, a central figure in the Monica Lewinsky saga, failed to disclose a 1969 arrest on her department security-clearance forms.

Online Extra:

Newly Released Legal Documents
Includes declarations and depositions from President Clinton, Kathleen Willey, Dolly Kyle Browning, Gennifer G. Flowers, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky.

Jones Papers to Detail Hunt for Alleged Affairs
Investigators for Paula Jones's legal team have spent five months tracking down shadows from Bill Clinton's past, trying to match women's names and accounts to rumors that have dogged him since his Arkansas days.

New All-Purpose Strategy: Jab at GOP Lawmakers
If GOP lawmakers begin to step up their criticism of the president in the Monica S. Lewinsky controversy, White House aides say they are ready with a response: They will attack the Republicans as shirkers.

Style Showcase:

Long Day on the Lewinsky Stakeout
Freelance cameraman Tom Mote works 15-hour days, seldom sees his wife, and works outside in recently freezing temperatures. What's it really like in the media stakeout line?

From Wednesday, March 11

Ex-White House Aide Seems to Be Cooperating With Starr
Kathleen E. Willey, who has alleged a sexual encounter with President Clinton, testified before a grand jury amid signs that she is working with prosecutors probing whether a Democrat urged her to change her story.

Style Showcase:

A Columnist's Court of Opinion
Thanks to White House scandal, Stuart Taylor Jr. has burst into prominence as a lawyer, commentator and all-around wise man.

Online Extra:

The Post's Baker on 'Levey Live'
Transcript of an online conversation with Washington Post staff writer Peter Baker, who covers the White House.

Lott Backs Away From Comment on Starr
Under fire from some Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) played down his suggestion that Kenneth Starr quickly wrap up his probe of President Clinton and sought to blame Clinton for any delays.

Style Showcase:

Journalist Apologizes for 'Troopergate' Story
David Brock, the conservative reporter who conducted the first major excavation of President Clinton's personal life, now says he dug the dirt for ideological reasons. And he said he believes his sources exaggerated the details.

President's Secretary Returns to Grand Jury
The stakes will be higher this week when presidential secretary Betty Currie returns to the grand jury. Now prosecutors have President Clinton's testimony that she initiated efforts to help Monica S. Lewinsky.

GOP Leaders Disagree on Starr's Direction
It would be fruitless to censure President Clinton if there's not enough evidence to impeach him, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Sunday, contradicting Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's comments last week.

Style Showcase:

Jim McDougal's Way With Words
Say what you will about James McDougal, he was no shrinking violet. Like the charmer he was, he also talked a good game, and some of the things he had to say in an April 1996 interview are still memorable.

From The Post Magazine:
Mike McCurry, Spin Master
Press secretary Mike McCurry has done wonders defending President Clinton in the media's sex scandal coverage, yet he has never asked his boss which – if any – of the allegations is true.

From Outlook:
Ronald Liebman: Starr's Wrong Turn
Graydon John Forrer: I Stood Between Monica and Bill


Style Showcase:

Tony Kornheiser: Another Pizza My Heart
The Post's satirical columnist wonders what was on the pizza Monica Lewinsky brought to President Clinton in the Oval Office.

From Friday, March 6

Starr, Ginsburg Face Off in Hearing
Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr and William Ginsburg, Monica S. Lewinsky's attorney, faced off in a closed hearing on an immunity deal for Lewinsky. Ginsburg has said Starr offered immunity, then reneged.

Analysis: Deposition Raised Career-Old Questions
Allegations of adultery have so persistently dogged President Clinton that he has had to confront it in settings ranging from campaign stops to meetings with aides to a high school reunion.

Clinton: Deposition Leak Is 'Illegal'
President Clinton denounced the leak to The Washington Post that led to a detailed account of his sealed deposition in the Paula Jones case.

Lawyers, Writer Dispute Collapse of Tripp Book
Linda Tripp's attorneys and the ghostwriter for her book proposal about the Clinton White House are feuding over why Tripp dropped the project.

From Thursday, March 5

In Deposition, Clinton Denied Initiating Lewinsky Aid
President Clinton said that Monica S. Lewinsky gave him personal gifts and visited his office, according to an account of his deposition in the Paula Jones case. But he denied leading efforts to find Lewinsky a job.

Lewinsky's First Attorney Seeks to Have Subpoena Quashed
Attorneys for Monica S. Lewinsky's first lawyer, Francis D. Carter, argued that independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr should be stopped from requiring Carter "to be a witness against his client."

From Wednesday, March 4

After Testifying, Jordan Reaffirms Friendship
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. emerged from secret testimony before a grand jury and gave the signal the White House was anxiously awaiting – a staunch reaffirmation of his fidelity to his longtime friend, President Clinton.

Style Showcase:

Stifling the Scribes
Just as President Nixon's Watergate experience ended Oval Office taping, the Clinton administration's intrigues may spell death for the White House diary.

From Tuesday, March 3

Testimony May Test Jordan's Loyalty
For the first time since allegations surfaced of an affair between President Clinton and a White House intern, one of the main players in the drama will tell his story to a grand jury. What will Vernon E. Jordan Jr. say?

Civil Perjury 's Tough Consequences
As allegations of civil perjury fly in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, one thing has become clear: Although the public seldom hears of people being prosecuted for the offense, the penalty can be stiff.

From Monday, March 2

Starr Is Urged to Curtail Inquiry
A top White House official Sunday urged independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr to end his Whitewater investigation.

A Core Collection of Clinton Enemies
Ever since President Clinton's first foray in public office, he has been dogged by a group of hard-core detractors who become more energized with every scandal.

Style Showcase:

The Roots of Ken Starr's Morality Plays
Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr's strong air of moral rectitude is the legacy of a childhood as a conservative minister's son.

Lenzner: Private Eye or Public Enemy?
Terry Lenzner, the private investigator who testified last week before independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's grand jury, is a man of enormous extremes and contradictions.

In Lewinsky Saga, a Cast of Dozens
Not much has happened lately with America's most famous former intern. But the press craves a new installment each day beyond the latest sighting of William Ginsburg.

From Sunday, March 1

President Hides Rage Over Starr
President Clinton privately seethes that independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr is "a very bad guy" and "dangerous," associates said.

The Story So Far: Tables Turn on Starr
Last week, there were again more questions than answers in Kenneth W. Starr's investigation of the Clinton White House. But this time the questions were aimed directly at the independent counsel's office.

GOP Leaders Criticize Clinton
After weeks of wary silence, leading Republicans decried the "national embarrassment" of sex and perjury allegations against President Clinton.

From Outlook:

Television commentator Paul Duke and historians Allida Black and Gil Troy review past presidential peccadilloes:
Tales From the White House Coat Closet
For FDR, an Enduring Relationship
With Ike, Rumors Were Steamier Than Facts


Style Showcase:

All Aboard!
Satirist Tony Kornheiser jumps on the Lewinsky Bandwagon.