An embittered Ms Monica Lewinsky (25) returned to the federal grand jury yesterday to give further evidence which could lay a perjury trap for President Clinton.
Wearing a grey suit and a blank expression, Ms Lewinsky was interrogated for almost five hours by the independent prosecutor, Mr Kenneth Starr, about possible inconsistencies between her testimony and the President's, which could provide evidence of perjury and possibly obstruction of justice.
Mr Starr focused his interrogation of Ms Lewinsky on the precise details of the sexual encounters the former intern was engaged in with Mr Clinton and how she came to return gifts, he had given her, to his private secretary, Ms Bettie Currie, after she was subpoenad.
Mr Clinton's most serious legal problem would come if Mr Starr can prove that the President tried to hide the presents from Ms Paula Jones's lawyers. In a separate development, the independent prosecutor has collected a sample of the president's DNA, it emerged yesterday. Asked about the DNA sample, a White House spokesman said: "We are going to respect" Mr Clinton's stated desire to "reclaim" his private life.
Ms Lewinsky is said to have been upset by the President's televised address to the nation, which noted his family's pain but did not acknowledge what she or her family has been through. She also felt that his comments disparaged what she thought was an emotional as well as a sexual relationship, as a series of "sexual trysts".
"He didn't really speak to the pain everyone else has experienced in this," said one of Ms Lewinsky's friends. Prosecutors believe Ms Lewinsky may now be willing to volunteer more information than she has done previously. When her testimony is complete Mr Starr is expected to recall Ms Currie, a presidential confidant, Mr Vernon Jordan, and the White House deputy counsel, Mr Bruce Lindsey.
It also leaves open the possibility of Mr Clinton himself being subpoenad to reappear before the grand jury and explain the inconsistencies. Mr Starr would be reluctant to do this since the constitutional wrangling it would prompt would delay the publication of his long-awaited report to Congress.
AP/PA adds: Ms Lewinsky's second appearance will test Clinton's account of their relationship, including how she came to return gifts the president gave her, as well as specifics of their sexual encounters, said sources familiar with the investigation.
She said Mr Clinton fondled her breasts and other parts of her body, according to several friends of the former White House trainee. In his testimony, Mr Clinton acknowledged sexual encounters but gave few specifics.
She was expected to tell the grand jury that President Clinton was an active sexual partner during their 18-month affair, the New York Daily News reported.
Ms Lewinsky's testimony will make it clear that Mr Clinton was a willing participant, a source said.
She is said to be upset that during his nationally televised address on Monday the president did not express remorse for how the scandal has wounded Ms Lewinsky and her family.
Her evidence is significant because it could contradict Mr Clinton's statement that he gave "legally accurate" answers in the Paula Jones case when he denied having "sexual relations" and "an affair" with Ms Lewinsky based on a complicated definition of sex created by the judge.
Ms Lewinsky told friends that some of the things Mr Clinton said in private led her to believe that one day they might be together, and she believed they had a unique intellectual and emotional bond. One friend said that when Ms Lewinsky filed a sworn affidavit in January denying a sexual relationship, it was in an effort to protect the president.