The following is a chronology of the key events in the scandal which has engulfed President Clinton.
June 1995 : Ms Monica Lewinsky begins work at the White House as an unpaid intern.
April 1996 : Ms Lewinsky begins working at the Pentagon, where she meets Ms Linda Tripp, who secretly taped telephone conversations in which Ms Lewinsky said she had an affair with Mr Clinton.
January 7th, 1998 : Ms Lewinsky denies a sexual relationship with Mr Clinton in an affidavit for the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.
January 12th : Ms Tripp turns over to prosecutors 20 hours of secretlytaped telephone conversations, with Ms Lewinsky reportedly talking of an affair with Mr Clinton.
January 16th : Attorney General Janet Reno secretly grants independent counsel, Mr Kenneth Starr, authority to investigate the Lewinsky relationship.
January 17th : In a six-hour deposition for the Jones case, Mr Clinton denies that he had a sexual relationship with Ms Lewinsky.
January 21st : The Lewinsky allegations are published by major news media, including the Washington Post, which reports that Mr Starr is investigating them.
January 26th : In a forceful denial, Mr Clinton says that he never had sexual relations with "that woman", Ms Lewinsky, and never told anyone to lie about it.
January 27th : Mr Clinton's secretary, Ms Betty Currie, testifies as first witness in Mr Starr's investigation of the Lewinsky affair.
March 5th : Ms Lewinsky's lawyer, Mr William Ginsburg, argues before a federal judge that Mr Starr's office had made and retracted an offer of immunity for Ms Lewinsky in return for her testimony.
April 1st : Federal Judge Susan Webber Wright dismisses Ms Jones's sexual harassment suit against Mr Clinton.
April 29th : News media disclose Federal Judge Norma Holloway Johnson's ruling that Ms Lewinsky had no agreement with Mr Starr which would give her immunity from prosecution.
May 15th : Appeals court rejects Ms Lewinsky's claim that she had an immunity deal with Mr Starr's office.
July 17th : Mr Starr's office issues subpoena for Mr Clinton's testimony.
July 17th : Three secret service agents testify before grand jury, the first time in US history such personnel have been forced to testify before a grand jury about their observations of a president's activities while guarding him.
July 23rd : Mr Clinton's top bodyguard, Mr Larry Cockell, testifies before the grand jury.
July 28th : Ms Lewinsky gets deal for broad immunity from prosecution in exchange for her full testimony, as does her mother.
July 29th : Mr Clinton agrees to testify voluntarily to grand jury on August 17th; Mr Starr's team withdraws subpoena.
July 31st : Ms Paula Jones asks appeals court in St Louis to reinstate her sexual harassment case against Mr Clinton.
August 6th : Ms Lewinsky testifies to grand jury. Sources close to the case say she testified that she had sex with Mr Clinton and they discussed keeping the affair quiet but he never explicitly told her to lie about it.
August 17th : Mr Clinton admits to grand jury that he had an improper relationship with Ms Lewinsky, then tells the US in a nationally televised speech that the relationship was wrong. He also uses the speech to attack Mr Starr.
August 28th : Facing criticism from members of his own Democratic Party who say he did not go far enough in apologising for the Lewinsky affair, Mr Clinton says in a speech he is becoming an expert on asking for forgiveness.
September 2nd : Mr Clinton is questioned about scandal during Moscow summit news conference with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, says he has already expressed sufficient regret.
September 3rd : Key Democratic ally of Mr Clinton, Sen Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, says in Senate speech that Mr Clinton's behaviour was immoral but stops short of calling for his resignation. Other Democrats join in criticism of the President.
September 4th : Mr Clinton, in Dublin, says for first time that he is sorry about his affair with Ms Lewinsky.
September 9th : Mr Starr submits report on his investigation to US House of Representatives; his spokesman says it contains "substantial and credible" evidence that could be grounds for impeachment of the President. Mr Clinton's lawyer, Mr David Kendall, says there is no basis for impeachment. House begins to consider how it will handle the report.
September 10th : Mr Clinton apologises to Senate Democrats and to his cabinet for the Lewinsky affair. House prepares to release much of the Starr report on the Internet.
September 11th : Clinton says "I have sinned" at prayer breakfast. House votes by a six-to-one margin to publish the Starr report. White House issues preemptive rebuttal statement.