Death of American Virtue - Ken Gormley [260]
A final time, Jim Fisher sought to pin the president to the wall, asking point-blank: “At any time have you and Monica Lewinsky ever been alone together in any room in the White House?” Again, the president avoided, evaded, and denied.
Suddenly, the questioning veered into a direction that was totally unexpected. It was at this moment, according to those in the room, that President Clinton momentarily lost his balance and faltered like a man losing his grip on a climbing wall, before regaining his footing and hoisting his way back up the dangerous incline.
Jim Fisher looked directly at the president and asked, “Well, have you ever given any gifts to Monica Lewinsky?”
There was an inordinately long pause. One witness would later reveal that the president’s face turned an unhealthy shade of crimson. He began: “I don’t recall …” After taking a good minute to scratch his head and think—a painfully obvious measure designed to buy time—the president asked his inquisitor with boyish impishness, “Do you know what they were?”
FISHER: A hat pin?
CLINTON: I don’t, I don’t remember. But I certainly, I could have.
FISHER: A book about Walt Whitman?
Wes Holmes, who was taking notes and watching the president carefully as he answered these questions, was surprised at Clinton’s facial reactions: “He typically has fairly light skin.… But it’s extremely expressive; it’s almost like a mood ring. I mean, you can just see his emotions going through different stages, which I hadn’t expected. I mean, somebody who’s as brilliant as he is, I would have thought that he could have played poker with his emotions better than that.”
Not only did Clinton seem “a bit surprised” by the detailed nature of Fisher’s questions, but he also seemed to be searching for a lifeline. He turned and looked at Bob Bennett, one of the few clues that there might be problems roiling under the surface of this otherwise smooth deposition.
CLINTON: I give—let me just say, I give people a lot of gifts, and when people are around I give a lot of things I have at the White House away, so I could have given her a gift, but I don’t remember a specific gift.
FISHER: Do you remember giving her a gold brooch?
CLINTON: No.
FISHER: Do you remember giving her an item that had been purchased from The Black Dog store at Martha’s Vineyard?
At this point, a light seemed to go off in Clinton’s head: There was a mole—somebody had fed specific, incriminating information to these Dallas lawyers! The look on his face now revealed anger.
CLINTON: I do remember that, because when I went on vacation, Betty [Currie] … asked me if I was going to bring some stuff back from The Black Dog, and she said Monica loved, liked that stuff and would like to have a piece of it… and I gave Betty a couple of the pieces, and she gave I think something to Monica and something to some of the other girls who worked in the office.
Those seated around the conference table were totally surprised that Fisher had landed such a solid blow relating to Jane Doe No. 6, a person about whom they knew nothing. Although there seemed to be little or no connection between this young intern and the allegations of sexual harassment being lodged by Paula Jones, the name of this game (as in an ugly divorce or custody case) was to bloody the opponent with any weapon available.
FISHER: Has Monica Lewinsky ever given you any gifts?
CLINTON: Once or twice. I think she’s given me a book or two.
The president attempted to neutralize his answer by suggesting that many well-wishers gave him gifts; he had piles of them in the White House.
FISHER: Did she [Lewinsky] give you a tie?
CLINTON: Yes, she has given me a tie before. I believe that’s right. Now, as I said, let me remind you,