IV. April 1996: Ms. Lewinsky's Transfer to the Pentagon
With White House and Secret Service employees remarking on Ms. Lewinsky's
frequent presence in the West Wing, a deputy chief of staff ordered Ms.
Lewinsky transferred from the White House to the Pentagon. On April 7 --
Easter Sunday -- Ms. Lewinsky told the President of her dismissal. He
promised to bring her back after the election, and they had a sexual
encounter. 
A. Earlier Observations of Ms. Lewinsky in the West Wing 
Ms. Lewinsky's visits to the Oval Office area had not gone unnoticed.
Officer Fox testified that "it was pretty commonly known that she did
frequent the West Wing on the weekends."(276) Another Secret Service
uniformed officer, William Ludtke III, once saw her exit from the pantry
near the Oval Office; she seemed startled and possibly embarrassed to be
spotted.(277) Officer John Muskett testified that "if the President was
known to be coming into the Diplomatic Reception Room, a lot of times [Ms.
Lewinsky] just happened to be walking down the corridor, you know, maybe
just to see the President."(278) Ms. Lewinsky acknowledged that she tried
to position herself to see the President.(279) 
Although they could not date them precisely, Secret Service officers and
agents testified about several occasions when Ms. Lewinsky and the
President were alone in the Oval Office. William C. Bordley, a former
member of the Presidential Protective Detail, testified that in late 1995
or early 1996, he stopped Ms. Lewinsky outside the Oval Office because she
did not have her pass.(280) The President opened the Oval Office door,
indicated to Agent Bordley that Ms. Lewinsky's presence was all right, and
ushered Ms. Lewinsky into the Oval Office.(281) Agent Bordley saw Ms.
Lewinsky leave about half an hour later.(282) 
Another former member of the Presidential Protective Detail, Robert C.
Ferguson, testified that one Saturday in winter, the President told him
that he was expecting "some staffers."(283) A short time later, Ms.
Lewinsky arrived and said that "[t]he President needs me."(284) Agent
Ferguson announced Ms. Lewinsky and admitted her to the Oval Office.(285)
About 10 or 15 minutes later, Agent Ferguson rotated to a post on the
Colonnade outside the Oval Office.(286) He glanced through the window into
the Oval Office and saw the President and Ms. Lewinsky go through the door
leading toward the private study.(287) 
Deeming her frequent visits to the Oval Office area a "nuisance," one
Secret Service Officer complained to Evelyn Lieberman, the Deputy Chief of
Staff for Operations.(288) Ms. Lieberman was already aware of Ms. Lewinsky.
In December 1995, according to Ms. Lewinsky, Ms. Lieberman chided her for
being in the West Wing and told her that interns are not permitted around
the Oval Office. Ms. Lewinsky (who had begun her Office of Legislative
Affairs job) told Ms. Lieberman that she was not an intern anymore. After
expressing surprise that Ms. Lewinsky had been hired, Ms. Lieberman said
she must have Ms. Lewinsky confused with someone else.(289) Ms. Lieberman
confirmed that she reprimanded Ms. Lewinsky, whom she considered "what we
used to call a 'clutch' . . . always someplace she shouldn't be."(290) 
In Ms. Lewinsky's view, some White House staff members seemed to think that
she was to blame for the President's evident interest in her: 
[P]eople were wary of his weaknesses, maybe, and . . . they didn't want to
look at him and think that he could be responsible for anything, so it had
to all be my fault . . . I was stalking him or I was making advances
towards him.(292) 

B. Decision to Transfer Ms. Lewinsky 
Ms. Lieberman testified that, because Ms. Lewinsky was so persistent in her
efforts to be near the President, "I decided to get rid of her."(293) First
she consulted Chief of Staff Panetta. According to Mr. Panetta, Ms.
Lieberman told him about a woman on the staff who was "spending too much
time around the West Wing." Because of "the appearance that it was
creating," Ms. Lieberman proposed to move her out of the White House. Mr.
Panetta -- who testified that he valued Ms. Lieberman's role as "a tough
disciplinarian" and "trusted her judgment" -- replied, "Fine."(294)
Although Ms. Lieberman said she could not recall having heard any rumors
linking the President and Ms. Lewinsky, she acknowledged that "the
President was vulnerable to these kind of rumors . . . yes, yes, that was
one of the reasons" for moving Ms. Lewinsky out of the White House.(295)
Later, in September 1997, Marcia Lewis (Ms. Lewinsky's mother) complained
about her daughter's dismissal to Ms. Lieberman, whom she met at a Voice of
America ceremony. Ms. Lieberman, according to Ms. Lewis, responded by
"saying something about Monica being cursed because she's beautiful." Ms.
Lewis gathered from the remark that Ms. Lieberman, as part of her effort to
protect the President, "would want to have pretty women moved out."(296) 
Most people understood that the principal reason for Ms. Lewinsky's
transfer was her habit of hanging around the Oval Office and the West
Wing.(297) In a memo in October 1996, John Hilley, Assistant to the
President and Director of Legislative Affairs, reported that Ms. Lewinsky
had been "got[ten] rid of" in part "because of 'extracurricular
activities'" (a phrase, he maintained in the grand jury, that meant only
that Ms. Lewinsky was often absent from her work station).(298) 
White House officials arranged for Ms. Lewinsky to get another job in the
Administration.(299) "Our direction is to make sure she has a job in an
Agency," Patsy Thomasson wrote in an email message on April 9, 1996.(300)
Ms. Thomasson's office (Presidential Personnel) sent Ms. Lewinsky's resume
to Charles Duncan, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and White
House Liaison, and asked him to find a Pentagon opening for her.(301) Mr.
Duncan was told that, though Ms. Lewinsky had performed her duties capably,
she was being dismissed for hanging around the Oval Office too much.(302)
According to Mr. Duncan -- who had received as many as 40 job referrals per
day from the White House -- the White House had never given such an
explanation for a transfer.(303) 


Continue