The obvious implication: Lindsey knows too much. After Lindsey took a pass on a few too many questions while on the stand, Starr's prosecutors filed a motion to compel further testimony. Apparently unable to stomach that possibility, the White House has now locked arms with Starr in a legal skydive that will start soon in Judge Norma Holloway Johnson's chambers -- and probably end in the Supreme Court.
"Neither side wanted this," says TIME deputy Washington bureau chief Jef McAllister. To have a chance, the White House will have to prove that Clinton's discussions with Lindsey on Monicagate damage control were vital to official government business -- a tall legal order. And the already sagging White House morale will not be helped by a round of news stories that are eerily reminiscent of Nixon's ultimately fruitless Supreme Court battle to keep the tapes private. On Ken Starr's side, fighting the privilege -- which may soon be extended to a slew of other White House confidants -- could bring the rest of his investigation to a screeching halt.