What's in the Box?

WASHINGTON: Watch out -- it's going online. The first portions of the Starr report are set to hit the Internet Friday afternoon, congressional leaders say. And although the contents are still a mystery, we now know -- in loving detail -- its physical boundaries. The 18-box set, thoughtfully rendered in duplicate for both parties in the House, contains the following: a 25-page introduction by Starr, a 280-page narrative of the Lewinsky affair, a 140-page summary of possible impeachment charges, and six three-ring binders containing more than 2,000 pages of documentary evidence. But wait! That's not all. Order now and you also get a videotape of President Clinton's August 17 deposition and the entire Tripp tapes, absolutely free.

We also know that Starr obtained permission from a three-judge panel to dump this voluminous material on Congress as long ago as July 2 -- meaning Starr was confident that he had evidence for impeachment before he had even questioned the main players, Lewinsky and Clinton. We know that the independent counsel -- while urging that the House treat the supporting material as confidential -- has placed no restrictions on the report's release; in theory, every last page could end up on the Net. Judiciary Committee chair Henry Hyde has promised "no witch hunt."

What we don't know is the nature of the beast. Starr still refuses to reveal the charges -- and since his office is the only place that could be leaking right now, the case stayed relatively watertight overnight. Of the national papers, only USA Today weighed in, with a source close to the investigation claiming that the report contains two counts of perjury (both in the Paula Jones case and before the grand jury) and one of obstruction of justice. Given the the report's ferocious size, it had better be worth it.