Dick Morris Testifies As Grand Jury Goes Back To Work
Lewinsky will be recalled Thursday
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WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Aug. 18) -- Work at the Monica Lewinsky grand jury was business as usual Tuesday, as former Clinton political adviser Dick Morris spent about three hours before the panel testifying about five phone conversations with President Bill Clinton in the days after the scandal broke.
Meanwhile, Independent Counsel Ken Starr's office has decided to recall former White House intern Monica Lewinsky for a second day of testimony. She will appear again before the grand jury at 9:30 a.m. EDT Thursday.
Lewinsky, 25, has testified she had sexual relations with the president over an 18-month period. Clinton also admitted to this during historic, closed-door testimony Monday, sources have said.
Morris, speaking to reporters after his testimony, said in those calls Clinton assured him the allegations he had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky were not true.
Morris said he advised Clinton to explain "to the American people what actually did happen, not just what didn't happen, and that I felt that they were very forgiving and that I felt that they would be happy to put this behind them and move on."
Morris was booted from the Clinton campaign in 1996 after admitting he had an extramarital affair with a prostitute.
Starr's grand jury is investigating charges that the president lied about the relationship, and asked Lewinsky to do the same, in their depositions in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit.
Sources familiar with the Lewinsky investigation say Starr and his staff will now have to "make an assessment" before deciding whether to require Clinton to return for testimony.
In his groundbreaking testimony before the grand jury, Clinton refused to answer certain detailed questions from Starr about the relationship with Lewinsky, leaving open the possibility Starr could subpoena Clinton to force more answers. The president's attorneys consider that possibility remote.
That decision is one of several that will be made in the next few days, the sources say, as the independent counsel races to complete his report to Congress on the investigation and transmit it by early September.
Starr's office is also considering whether to call Bruce Lindsey, the president's close confidant and deputy White House counsel, to testify is also under debate by Starr's office. Lindsey's appearance is one of those caught up in the attorney-client privilege fight. He is still recuperating from back surgery.
While plans for the grand jury in the next few days are still being determined, one source said next week could be key to wrapping up the inquiry.
CNN's Bob Franken contributed to this report.
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