Bill Clinton The President is only the second to be impeached by the House in U.S. history. After initially denying he'd had an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Clinton, after four hours of sworn testimony to Ken Starr's grand jury, admitted to the nation he'd had an "inappropriate" relationship with Lewinsky. But he steadfastly denied -- and continues to do so -- that he lied under oath or obstructed justice. Hillary Clinton Within hours of the allegations breaking, the First Lady stood by her husband, telling reporters, "Certainly I believe they are false--absolutely." Days later, she termed the scandal the result of right-wing conspirators. A steely veteran of Bill's controversies, Hillary early on assumed a leading role in Lewinsky damage control. Throughout a long year of scandal, the First Lady has earned points for her unflappable resilience. Robert Bennett The President's fast-talking lawyer in the (dismissed, then settled) Paula Jones sexual harassment case, Bennett is a $475-per-hour Washington superlawyer and power broker, having defended such luminaries as former House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, Reagan Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, and members of the Keating Five. Vernon E. Jordan Sixty-two-year-old Jordan is a Clinton confidante and advisor, with easy access to the President from his Washington law firm. Allegations surfaced that Jordan pressured Monica Lewinsky to deny having an affair with Clinton during depositions for the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. Jordan has repeatedly denied the charge. He did help her get a job offer (later rescinded) at Revlon in New York, and arranged an interview at the New York office of Burson-Marsteller, a prestigious public relations firm. If the Senate calls witnesses, he would be the short list. Harold Ickes Formerly Clinton's deputy chief of staff, Ickes was unceremoniously dumped from the administration at the outset of the President's second term. In Clinton's hour of need, Ickes was asked to return to help manage damage control. Mickey Kantor Longtime Clinton ally and former Commerce Secretary, Kantor returned to the White House to assist with damage control. David Kendall This buttoned-down Washington attorney, who attended Yale Law School with the President, has represented the Clintons on Whitewater matters. He and Clinton's Paula Jones attorney, Robert Bennett, have reportedly clashed over strategy. Dick Morris He went from disgrace to grace and back again. With the Lewinsky scandal rocking Washington, reports surfaced that Clinton was in regular contact again with controversial political advisor Dick Morris, who the President has frequently turned to in times of crisis. Then Morris, who left Clinton's employ in August 1996 when his tryst with a Washington prostitute went shockingly public, promptly inserted foot in mouth, hinting to KABC radio that Bill's problems were rooted in Hillary "not necessarily being into regular sex with men." The White House quickly told reporters Morris would play no role in the President's defense. Betty Currie The New York Times reported that Currie, the President's personal secretary, told investigators that Clinton and Lewinsky met alone on several occasions, and that Currie turned over several gifts which Clinton gave Lewinsky, including a dress, a brooch, and a hat pin. Lewinsky reportedly made several late night visits to the White House, purportedly to visit Currie. Currie was questioned in repeated appearences before Starr's grand jury. John Podesta Two months before Lewinsky swore in her Paula Jones affidavit that she didn't have an affair with the President, Podesta, Clinton's deputy chief of staff, approached U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson about possibly offering the former intern a job. Richardson did, but Lewinsky turned him down. James Carville Perhaps Bill Clinton's most consistent and aggressive attack dog is this Louisiana firebrand, who colorfully defends the President by attacking his critics. One typical swipe at independent counsel Kenneth Starr: "He goes down to the Potomac and listens to hymns as the cleansing water of the Potomac goes by, and we're going to wash all sodomites and fornicators out of town." One of the key architects of Clinton's 1992 victory, Carville set up the innocuously named Education and Information Project Web site to assist in scandal damage control. Bruce Lindsey Perhaps the President's closest and most trusted confidante, Lindsey was at the center of a protracted fight over whether the Arkansan could be compelled to testify before Starr's grand jury, or whether he was protected by attorney-client privilege. When the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, Lindsey headed to court. Sydney Blumenthal Journalist-turned-White House-communications specialist, Blumenthal was hauled before Starr's grand jury when the independent counsel suspected Blumenthal's damage control might be tantamount to obstruction of justice. Charles Ruff Ruff has been White House counsel since 1997 and is the chief government lawyer representing the President in the Lewinsky case. A former Watergate prosecutor, Ruff has been a partner at the Washington law firm Covington and Burling, and served as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Gregory Craig A member of the White House legal team, Craig's main task has been responding to the independent counsel's report to Congress. He worked at the State Department before signing on with the President's defense. Abbe Lowell Minority counsel for the House Judiciary committee, Lowell has a lengthy career representing clients in ethics cases. Prominent clients include former House members Dan Rostenkowski, Jim Wright and Joseph McDade. Lowell argued during House proceedings that the President's offenses were not impeachable. Joe Lockhart Lockhart is White House press secretary, a post he has held since former press secretary Mike McCurry stepped down in the fall of 1998.