Starr Doubles His Inquiry Pace, Uses 2 Grand Juries

In a “highly unusual” move, independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr began bringing Secret Service and other witnesses before two different grand juries meeting simultaneously on Thursday.

That witnesses were being ushered before separate grand juries, both meeting on the third floor of the federal courthouse here, was the strongest indication yet that Starr is dramatically picking up the pace of his six-month investigation of President Clinton’s relationship with former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky.

Larry Cockell, who until last week headed Clinton’s plainclothes Secret Service detail, testified Thursday, as did four uniformed Secret Service officers.

A surprise witness was Harold M. Ickes, the president’s former deputy chief of staff and now an informal political advisor to Clinton, who testified for 25 minutes in his second appearance. Ickes declined to tell reporters what he was asked, but it is believed that prosecutors sought to question him about allegations that he had urged release earlier this year of adverse information about Linda Tripp that Pentagon security officials had in their files.

Tripp, who secretly recorded more than 20 hours of phone conversations with Lewinsky, had been expected to testify a seventh time Thursday, but her testimony was rescheduled for a later time, perhaps next week.

Cockell, 47, who was reassigned from his White House protective duties last week at his own request, appeared before one of the grand juries for an hour, according to his attorney, John Kotelly.

“They have excused him,” Kotelly said. “We believe all of his obligations under his subpoena have been satisfied.”

Kotelly declined to reveal what Cockell had been asked or testified to, or to characterize his account in any way. Kotelly previously had said Cockell had little useful information to impart that would help Starr determine if Clinton and Lewinsky had lied in sworn statements that they never had a sexual relationship.

Cockell answered all questions fully without dodging any of them, Kotelly said. His testimony and that of other Secret Service personnel was ordered last week by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who rejected administration appeals that such officers should be excused from testifying about the conduct of a president they were responsible for protecting. White House lawyers said Starr presumably wanted to ask Cockell about any conversation he might have overheard between Clinton and his personal attorney after the president’s sworn deposition in the Paula Corbin Jones sexual harassment lawsuit in January.

It was in that deposition that Clinton denied having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky, who turned 25 Thursday.

Asked if completing his grand jury testimony in 60 minutes was an indication that Cockell had little useful information to give, Kotelly replied: “I believe an hour was an appropriate amount of time for the questions he was asked.”

Kotelly said it was “highly unusual” for Starr to be using twin grand juries for the same investigation “in the same jurisdiction.” He added that “the independent counsel obviously wants to expedite his investigation.”

One of the grand juries was the panel that has been gathering evidence for Starr’s investigation; the other was a sitting panel that Starr “borrowed” for the occasion.

With completion of Cockell’s testimony and that of four more uniformed Secret Service officers, who presumably were asked about Lewinsky’s roughly three dozen visits to the White House after she was transferred to the Pentagon in April 1996, Starr seems to be reaching a point where he soon will subpoena Lewinsky or the president to testify, if his legal advisors decide a presidential subpoena would be helpful or valid.

Since Starr has been unwilling or unable to obtain Lewinsky’s testimony with a grant of immunity from prosecution, he also may decide to indict her for alleged perjury, or for alleged obstruction of justice growing out of Tripp’s testimony that Lewinsky asked her to lie in an affidavit given to Jones’ lawyers.

With nine Secret Service witnesses having testified to date, it is unknown how many more, if any, Starr intends to call. But if Secret Service personnel are having little to say about what went on behind closed doors in the White House, that would deprive Starr of one of his few possible ways of developing corroborating evidence against the president or Lewinsky.

Kotelly said Cockell “very much wants to get back to leading a normal life” but that any decision on reinstating him to Clinton’s protective detail “would be up to his superiors in the government.”