WASHINGTON: The Ken-and-Monica game of truth or dare got a lot rougher for both parties
yesterday with
Judge Norma Holloway Johnson's decision to deny Lewinsky
immunity. Although Lewinsky's attorneys have vowed to appeal, legal experts
believe she has no grounds until she's actually appeared before
Starr's grand jury and been found in contempt. "That would mean she may
have to sit in jail pending the appeal," says TIME correspondent Viveca
Novak.
Starr's options, too, all carry a risk:
He could indict Lewinsky for perjury in the Paula Jones case. "He
wouldn't get much public sympathy," says Novak, "and legal experts believe
a D.C. jury won't be impressed."
He could subpoena Lewinsky, granting her limited immunity. "The
danger there is that, if she testifies, her testimony is not what he
expected; that it's of no use to him. He might feel he has enough evidence
to press a perjury case at that point."
He could resume immunity negotiations with Lewinsky's lawyers, in which
they 'proffer' Starr a peek at their client's testimony. "There Starr runs
the risk of the whole thing falling apart amid criticism that he's
pressuring Monica to say what he wants to hear," says Novak.
The bottom line, says Novak, is that "Starr needs Monica's testimony.
After all, she's the linchpin of his entire case."