When Monica Lewinsky worked in the White House, she had nicknames. One was Elvira, after TV's vampy Mistress of the Dark--a snickering reference to Lewinsky's long and big black hair, her fondness for tight, chest-hugging outfits and her coquettish demeanor. Another sobriquet was the Stalker, inspired by her steadfast rush toward the presidential helicopter whenever its whirr announced a landing. She was a child of Beverly Hills privilege--and the product of a bitterly broken home. She delighted in soap operas and glitter; yet she gravitated toward the political hotbed of Washington. She is now the face, the name for scandal, her image frozen in public first impression with that wide smile, in that less-than-flattering photograph. But as her lawyer said last week, she is also a young woman "devastated, concerned, upset and fearful" as she confronts some of the country's most powerful people, including the President of the U.S.
Monica Samille Lewinsky arrived in Washington in 1995 at the age of 21, fresh out of college, with no background in politics but with a prized Washington asset: connections. Her mother Marcia Lewis, an author and socialite, lives at the Watergate (not far from the Doles, Lewis liked to tell associates); more important, Monica's mother knew Walter Kaye, a retired New York City insurance magnate and generous contributor to the Democratic Party. Kaye recommended Monica for a summer internship at the White House, a job she probably would not otherwise have landed. Monica "was excited about it," says a close college friend. "She enjoys hobnobbing." Especially with the famous and powerful. It was a trait that ran in the family. Says an associate of Lewis: "[She] likes the glitterati and the big names, and if young Monica got starry-eyed, it just kind of fits."
Lewinsky started out in the office of the President's then chief of staff, Leon Panetta. In carrying out the duties of internship, she was attentive verging on ingratiating. She reportedly had a habit of bringing coffee to staff members who had not asked for any. "She was more interested in schmoozing with staffers than with other interns," says a former intern who worked with Lewinsky in the fall of 1995. She was particularly taken with the President. Aides last week described her as starstruck. "She was drawn to the power of the White House and knowing the President," says the former intern. When Lewinsky took a staff position in the White House's Office of Legislative Affairs in December 1995, she couldn't hide her ambivalence. "She was like, 'yeah, yeah'--she wasn't that excited," says the co-worker. "When she said that, it struck me as kind of odd, because most people would die for that position." The job would move her out of the busy Old Executive Office Building and into the comparatively quiet East Wing, and farther from Clinton.