Starr Is Accused of Coercing Lewinsky

The attorney for Monica S. Lewinsky accused independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr on Saturday of using strong-arm tactics to pressure the former White House clerk to “say things that we can’t say” in accusing President Clinton of misconduct.

William Ginsburg, who has been representing Lewinsky in negotiations with Starr’s office, said the prosecutor has tried to coerce her to testify by intimidating her family and selectively leaking information designed to make her think he has other witnesses and therefore might not need her cooperation as much.

“It’s all pressure, all an orchestrated campaign to get my client to do more than she can or will do,” Ginsburg said in a telephone interview. “We were not asked to lie, but obviously by implication . . . ,” Ginsburg added, and then paused. “We’ve given them a proffer. They gave us immunity. Then they reneged. What do you think they want? They want us to say things that we can’t say. This is an orchestrated campaign.”

Starr, met by reporters Saturday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, declined to discuss the collapsed talks with Ginsburg. “There may be litigation,” he said.

The angry words from Ginsburg suggested that chances are dwindling that Lewinsky will voluntarily cooperate in Starr’s investigation into whether Clinton committed perjury by denying an affair with her in the Paula Corbin Jones sexual-harassment lawsuit and whether the president obstructed justice by encouraging Lewinsky to lie. Lewinsky’s lawyer and Starr are arguing over whether Ginsburg can enforce what he said was an immunity deal previously offered by Starr’s office.

Ginsburg, who was in Los Angeles on Saturday, also said he had arranged time on Wednesday for Starr’s staff to interview Lewinsky, who has been staying in Brentwood with her father.

Starr promised on Saturday to “take appropriate action” if he finds anyone on his staff leaking stories damaging to Clinton. But Ginsburg demanded a Justice Department investigation.

In an escalating war of press releases, Ginsburg accused Starr of “clearly attempting to evade and avoid the responsibility for his office’s unethical, unlawful and abusive acts.”

He also called Starr’s promise to police his own staff self-serving. He said the public would have more confidence in Starr’s investigation of Clinton and Lewinsky if he turned the matter of news leaks over to the Justice Department.

Clinton’s attorney, David E. Kendall, was behind closed doors in his Washington office, preparing to take Starr to court as early as Monday. Kendall will ask that Starr’s office be found in contempt and punished for allegedly passing to reporters secret--and, he says, sometimes false--information from secret grand jury proceedings.

“We’ll look into those charges,” said Starr. “We try to carry on this investigation in the most professional way. Charges have been made . . . let’s find out the facts.”