Warning: The following report contains sexually explicit language.
PAGE 1 OF 9 NEXT
[Monica Lewinsky is sworn in.]
...
Q. Now, ordinarily, you could refuse to answer questions that would
tend to incriminate you. As I understand it, here you have entered into an
agreement with the government that provides you with immunity, in exchange
for which you will be cooperating with the government. Is that right?
A. Correct.
...
Q. Do you understand as well that because of the agreement that you
have signed if you were to lie, if you were to intentionally lie, that
would mean that the agreement that you have that gives you immunity could
be voided and you could be prosecuted? Do you understand that?
A. Mm-hmm.
...
Q. ... I also wanted to ask you a question having to do with your
mental state right now. How are you feeling?
A. Nervous.
Q. OK. I wanted also to ask you, are you taking any medication at
this time?
A. Yes, I am.
Q. What I'd like to ask you about that is simply, is that having
any effect on your ability to recall or to communicate that in some way
will hinder your ability to answer questions?
A. I don't believe so, but it affects my short-term memory just a
little bit.
...
Q. Ms. Lewinsky, when did you start working at the White House?
A. My internship began in July of 1995.
Q. And when you say "internship," could you just very briefly
describe what it is you were doing and where you were working?
Q. Sure. I was interning for Mr. (Leon) Panetta, who was chief of
staff at that time, and I worked in his correspondence office preparing his
correspondence, drafting some of the language.
Q. ... how long did you serve as an intern at the White House?
A. ... Four and a half months.
Q. And was there ever a time that you then assumed a staff position
that was not an intern position?
A. Yes.
Q. And when would that have been?
A. In November of 1995.
Q. When did you first notice the president of the United States.
A. Our first encounter, I guess a nonverbal encounter, was Aug. 9,
1995.
Q. And could you describe what that encounter was?
A. Yes. It was a departure ceremony on the South Lawn and, as he
was going by on the rope line shaking hands, we made eye contact and it was
more intense eye contact than I had experienced with him before.
Q. OK. And did you have any further such contact sort of later,
after that initial time?
A. Yes. The next day the president - I guess that staff had a
birthday party for the president on the South Lawn and the interns were
invited to that later in the day. And at that party, there was sort of a
more intense flirtation that went on at a distance.
Q. OK. Did you feel that he was flirting with you as well? Or how
would you describe the behavior that you both exhibited?
A. It was intense eye contact and when he went by the rope line to
shake hands, it was - I mean, he - he's a charismatic person and so - just
when he shook my hand and - there was an intense connection.
Q. OK. And could you sort of just summarize the early relationship
that you had with the president before any first sexual content.
A. I think it was intense flirting.
Q. OK. Did you have conversations with him?
A. Brief conversations that I think in passing - if I saw him or -
at the departure ceremony, "Have a nice trip." I introduced myself at one
point.
Q. OK. And how did you manage to run into him or even see him? ...
A. Before the relationship began, it was mainly at departure
ceremonies, I think there were a few, and then on one occasion my best
friend was in town and she was getting a tour of the West Wing and I was
waiting for her in the basement lobby and met him that way. There were
several other people there.
Q. OK. Was there ever a time that your relationship became more of
a romantic and sexual relationship?
A. Yes.
Q. And when did that occur?
A. On Nov. 15, 1995.
Q. OK. And although as I've told you, I'm not going to go into a
lot of specific dates, this is one that I wanted you to explain sort of how
it came about.
A. It was during the furlough. I was up in Mr. Panetta's West Wing
office answering phones. The president came down several times during the
day.
There was the continued flirtation and around 8:00 in the evening
or so I was in the hallway going to the restroom, passing Mr. (George)
Stephanopoulos' office, and he was in the hall and invited me into Mr.
Stephanopoulos' office and then from there invited me back into his study.
Q. OK. And what happened there?
A. We talked briefly and sort of acknowledged that there had been a
chemistry that was there before and that we were both attracted to each
other and then he asked me if he could kiss me.
Q. And what did you say?
A. Yes.
Q. And did you kiss on that occasion?
A. Yes.
Q. And where in the - you mentioned you went back to the study area.
A. Mm-hmm.
Q. Where exactly did the kiss occur?
A. Right outside his bathroom, in the hallway, inside - adjacent to
the study, to the office.
Q. OK. And how did you end that - was there anything more than a
romantic kiss on that sort of first encounter?
A. No.
Q. OK. Did you have any later encounter with him on that same date?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. OK. Could you describe how that occurred?
A. The president came down to Mr. Panetta's office, I think it
might have been around 10 p.m., and told me that if I wanted to meet him
back in Mr. Stephanopoulos' office in five minutes, that that would be
fine. And I agreed. And I met him back there. We went back to his office
again, in the back study area.
Q. OK. And what happened in the back study area?
A. We talked and we were more physically intimate.
Q. OK. And on that occasion, did you perform oral sex on the president?
A. Yes.
Q. With respect to physical intimacy, other than oral sex, was
there other physical intimacy performed?
A. Yes. Everything up until oral sex.
Q. OK. And just for the grand jury ... I'll just read it. ... It
states "Definition of Sexual Relations." For the purpose of the grand jury
session, a person engages in "sexual relations" when the person knowingly
engages or causes contact with the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner
thigh, or buttocks of any person with an intent to arouse or gratify the
sexual desire of any person. Contact means intentional touching, either
directly or through clothing. Ms. Lewinsky, do you understand that
definition?
A. Yes, I do.
Q. OK. Did you have any further sexual encounters with him after
that first time on the 15th?
A. Yes.
Q. When was the next time?
A. On the 17th of November.
Q. And could you explain how that contact occurred?
A. We were again working late because it was during the furlough
and Jennifer Palmieri and I, who was Mr. Panetta's assistant, had ordered
pizza ... somebody accidentally knocked pizza on my jacket, so I went to go
use the restroom to wash it off and as I was coming out of the restroom,
the president was standing in Ms. Currie's doorway and said, "You can come
out this way."
So we went back into his back study area, actually, I think, in the
bathroom or in the hallway right near the bathroom, and we were intimate.
Q. ... Did the relationship with the president develop into or also
have a non-sexual component to it?
A. Yes, it did. ... We enjoyed talking to each other and being with
each other. We were very affectionate.
Q. Were there times that you visited him in the Oval Office where
there was no sexual contact at all?
A. Yes.
Q. Did the relationship after the events you've described of Nov.15
and 17, did it continue also to have a sexual component?
A. Yes it did. ...
Q. OK. Did you ever have sexual intercourse with the president?
A. No.
Q. Was there ever a time when your genitals actually touched each
other?
A. Grazed each other, yes. ...
Q. OK. And could you explain why you didn't have sexual intercourse
with him?
A. He didn't want to. The president said that he - that at his age,
that there was too much of a consequence in doing that and that when I got
to be his age I would understand. But I wasn't happy with that. ...
Q. ... can you estimate approximately how many times since the
beginning of your relationship with him that you've spoken to him on the
phone?
A. Over 50, probably. ...
Q. And (do) you remember about how many times he left messages?
A. I think about four. ... They're pretty innocuous. Sometimes - or
one time, it was, you know, "Sorry I missed you." One time, it was just
"Hello." And then one time he called really late at night when I was not
home and it was whispered kind of loudly, you know, "Come on. It's me."
Something like that. It was always nice to hear his voice.
Q. ... Did he ever tell you how he felt about leaving messages on your home
machine?
A. ... I believe it was the beginning of 1996, at some point, he
just remarked that he didn't like to do that, he just - I think felt it was
a little unsafe.
Q. OK. Did he ever call you at night?
A. ... Yes. He's a night owl, so it would be customary for him to
call sometimes 2 in the morning, 2:30 in the morning. ...
Q. OK. What sort of things did you discuss with him generally of a
non-sexual nature? ...
A. ... Just how we were doing. A lot of discussions about my job,
when I was trying to come back to the White House and then once I decided
to move to New York. We told jokes. We talked about everything under the
sun.
Q. OK. Was there ever a time that you began to engage in phone sex? ...
A. Mm-hmm. Yes. ... In the beginning of 1996.
Q. OK. Did he participate in that?
A. Yes.
Q. OK. And about how many times did you have phone sex with him, if
you know?
A. Oh maybe 10, 15. ...
PAGE 1 OF 9 NEXT
