Hillary active in Bill’s defence

Clinton will become the first sitting US president in history to give sworn testimony to a criminal grand jury probing his actions. He will be questioned at the White House, with his words transmitted live to a federal court house a few blocks away.

Those close to Hillary say she is actively involved in her husband’s preparations and determined that the current uproar do not damage her husband’s presidency or drive him from office.

Starr has been investigating whether Clinton lied under oath about having sex with former White House intern MonicaLewinsky and then pressured her to lie about it.

Clinton has publicly denied a sexual relationship with “that woman”. Lewinsky has abandoned her original denial and, after receiving a promise of full immunity from prosecution, says she and the president engaged in sex acts, according to sources close to the case.

The independent counsel is expected to present the Congress with a report, possibly next month, that would serve as the basis to decide whether to open impeachment proceedings.

According to one source, only four people “know everything” about Clinton’s legal defence — the president, the first lady, and private attorneys David Kendall and Mickey Kantor, the former commerce secretary.

“That’s it, they’re the only ones who make up the inner circle on this matter,” the source said.

The exclusivity of the group is based on the fact that only they can discuss details of the case without fear of a subpoena from Starr. A wife cannot be forced to testify about her husband and hired attorneysin a case are exempt from subpoena.

The fact that Hillary has rallied around her husband, even though the allegations involve marital infidelity, comes as no surprise to those who know her.

“The role that they’ve always played with each other is that when he’s in trouble, she is his rock. She is the stabilising force. When she’s in trouble, he is her stabilising rock,” said Neel Lattimore, a former aide to the first lady.