In another setback for President Clinton, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has refused to protect White House lawyers from testifying to the grand jury about advice they may have given over handling the Ms Monica Lewinsky investigation.
The White House had asked Chief Justice William Rehnquist for a stay of execution on the subpoenas served on White House lawyers by the Independent Counsel, Mr Kenneth Starr. The White House had claimed that the lawyers are covered by attorney-client privilege and can refuse to testify.
A federal appeals court had rejected this argument last week but the White House appealed the finding to the full US Supreme Court which cannot hear the case until it resumes sitting next October.
The White House had also asked the Chief Justice for a stay of execution on subpoenas so that the lawyers cannot be made to testify until the Supreme Court rules.
Immediately following the Chief Justice's refusal to grant a stay, Mr Lanny Brueur, seen as a key legal figure in President Clinton's damage control team, arrived at the federal courthouse to give his testimony to the grand jury.
A White House spokesman, Mr Barry Toiv, said: "There's some disappointment here about that decision. This is a very important principle that we will continue to pursue."
Mr Beueur will be followed at some stage by other White House lawyers including Mr Bruce Lindsey, also a close friend and political aide to the President, who has been debriefing other members of the White House on their testimony to Mr Starr. Mr Lindsey, who is recovering from a back operation, had already refused to answer certain questions before the grand jury and had pleaded attorney-client privilege.
Now he will have to answer these questions or plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating himself.
Meanwhile, there is increasing ferment in Washington as the results are awaited of FBI laboratory tests on a dress of Ms Lewinsky which she has claimed has genetic evidence of her relationship with Mr Clinton.
The results will be sent directly to Mr Starr's office and it is not clear if they will be also given to the director of the FBI, Mr Louis Freeh, or the Attorney General, Ms Janet Reno.
If genetic material is found, there would have to be further tests to extract DNA traces which could then be compared to saliva, blood or hair samples from President Clinton if he is willing to furnish them. Lawyers say that he could be subpoenaed for such samples if he refuses to give them voluntarily.
The President conferred with his personal lawyer, Mr David Kendall, yesterday about his testimony on August 17th. He is reported to have blocked out time for each day until then to prepare for his testimony.
Speculation that the President may be prepared to retract his denial of a sexual relationship with Ms Lewinsky when he testified last January - the so-called "mea culpa" scenario - were played down by White House advisers yesterday. Mr Toiv has said that the President has already told the truth and will continue to do so.
Ms Lewinsky is spending time with Mr Starr's lawyers preparing for her own testimony which could come later this week.
Agencies add:
The latest polls suggest that, whatever legal difficulties Mr Clinton may find himself in if he confesses to lying under oath, Americans already believe he is guilty and are prepared to forgive him. A Time/CNN poll shows that 60 per cent believe that he did have an affair with Ms Lewinsky and 61 per cent say that if he admits it Mr Starr should end his investigation. 9973555
Clinton, Gore subjects of FBI probe into campaign finance: Freeh
An FBI investigation into 1996 campaign contributions is looking at the roles played by President Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore, the FBI director, Mr Louis Freeh, has said.
Mr Freeh told a congressional committee that the FBI campaign finance probe inquiry was examining senior government officials who would be subject to the independent counsel legislation.
Asked by Representative Dan Burton, the chairman of the House Governmental Reform and Oversight Committee, if those officials included the president and vice-president, Mr Freeh responded: "Yes, sir."
The independent counsel legislation, created after the former president, Richard Nixon, blocked attempts to investigate his administration for wrongdoing, allows for investigations into conflict of interest issues at the highest echelons of US government.