The Independent Counsel, Mr Ken Starr, has refused a request by the White House for an advance copy of his report on whether President Clinton may have committed impeachable crimes.
The report, expected to be more than 300 pages, may be sent to the House of Representatives later this week or next week. In it, Mr Starr will try to show that there is "credible information" that Mr Clinton has committed "high crimes or misdemeanours" which warrant impeachment.
Meanwhile in another setback for the beleaguered President, the Attorney General, Ms Janet Reno, is about to launch an investigation into whether he or his staff broke the law when fund raising for the 1996 election. After 90 days Ms Reno will decide whether to close the case or appoint an independent counsel to take over the investigation.
The President's private lawyer, Mr David Kendall, had written to Mr Starr requesting an advance copy of his report, saying that "elemental fairness dictates that we be allowed to respond to any `report' you send to the House simultaneously with its transmission." He asked for a week to submit a written reply.
Last night Mr Starr rejected this request telling Mr Kendall that he was "mistaken" in his views on his right to review any future report. Mr Starr did not even confirm the existence of the report.
The Republican majority leader in the Senate, Senator Trent Lott, said yesterday that the Starr report is expected some time in the next two weeks. "We don't know for sure," he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Senator Lott also hinted that Mr Kendall might be trying to stall the Starr report getting to Congress. "I wouldn't be surprised if they go to court to try and block it," he said.
Meanwhile President Clinton has started a busy week of meetings and travel to push his education and health policies. He is clearly anxious to show the country that it is back to business as usual after his two-week vacation and trips to Russia and Ireland.
But the return of Congress after its summer break will mean further criticisms from legislators of his TV address on August 17th admitting to an affair with Ms Monica Lewinsky and denying it over seven months.
A new bi-partisan poll shows that Mr Clinton's personal problems have pushed "moral and religious issues" to the top of the voters' agenda. They rank with crime and drugs as the main problems facing the nation. This makes life difficult for Democrats who want the issues to be health reform and education and not Mr Clinton's sex life.
