WASHINGTON, APRIL 11: The investigation into President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky is still open and independent counsel Robert Ray may seek an indictment after Clinton leaves office, The Washington Post said Tuesday. "It is an open investigation," Ray said in an interview with the daily. "There is a principle to be vindicated. that no person is above the law, even the President of the United States. That is what we have been charged with doing," said Ray. Clinton's private attorney David Kendall declined to comment on the report, the daily said. The charges Ray could bring against Clinton include perjury, obstruction of Justice, making false statements and committing those crimes while under oath, the daily said. Clinton was cleared of those charges in an impeachment trial in the Senate in 1998. They stemmed from an improper relationship he had with Lewinsky when she was a White House intern. Since replacing his predecessor Kenneth Starr about a year ago, Ray has hired six new lawyers and an investigator, and plans to spend 3.5 million dollars over the next six months - in addition to the 3.1 million spent in the past six months, the daily said. In the interview, Ray said the new officials he hired were replacing people who departed his team, which the daily said consists of 44 people, 10 fewer than a year ago. Ray had earlier said he would make a decision on whether to indict Clinton after the November presidential elections, but has postponed that moment until after Clinton leaves office (January 20) to avoid lengthy constitutional challenges over indicting a sitting President, the daily said. "By waiting, I am being prompt," said Ray, who is required by law to act in a speedy manner.
