Lewinsky to Provide Evidence to Starr

Prosecutors have summoned Monica S. Lewinsky to provide them with fingerprints, samples of hair and a recording of her voice--and the former White House intern will comply, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

According to people familiar with the investigation, Lewinsky is scheduled to provide the new evidence this morning to representatives of independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr at the federal building in West Los Angeles. Lewinsky for the last several weeks has been visiting her father, an oncologist who lives in Brentwood.

Coming nearly 19 weeks after investigators first sought to question Lewinsky about the nature of her dealings with President Clinton, the developments suggest that Starr--buoyed by three recent court rulings in his office’s favor--is pursuing at least one of two options. He could prosecute Lewinsky, possibly for perjury or obstructing justice, or he could grant her immunity and elicit her testimony before a federal grand jury here that has been reviewing evidence in the matter.

Lewinsky “is appearing pursuant to a court order,” said her spokeswoman, Judy Smith. “She is very anxious to tell her side of the story.”

Her fingerprints, hair samples and voice recording could be used by prosecutors to authenticate evidence already in their possession.

For instance, the new materials could help verify the legitimacy of tapes of conversations between, ostensibly, Lewinsky, 24, and her former friend and co-worker, Linda Tripp. Similarly, prosecutors would want to determine whether Lewinsky’s fingerprints are on the “talking points” that they believe Lewinsky delivered to Tripp.

The talking points appeared to encourage Tripp to give false or misleading testimony in connection with a sexual-harassment lawsuit being pressed against Clinton by a former Arkansas government employee, Paula Corbin Jones.

Lewinsky has made conflicting statements about her personal relationship with the president. In a sworn affidavit she signed on Jan. 7, as lawyers for Jones were seeking to question her, Lewinsky denied that she had any sexual contact with Clinton. However, in her taped conversations with Tripp and in comments to other associates, Lewinsky has said she had engaged in oral sex with the president.

When she and her lawyers first sought a deal with Starr’s office to give her full immunity in exchange for her grand jury testimony, Lewinsky signaled that she was prepared to say that she had engaged in oral sex with Clinton.

Clearly, Starr’s position has been strengthened by the court rulings. The most recent decision, rendered Friday by a federal judge, effectively compels three Secret Service officials to testify before the grand jury. The officials had asserted a novel “protective function” privilege to avoid answering certain questions.

Clinton administration lawyers have not announced whether they will appeal that decision.

In related developments Tuesday, John Hilley, one of Lewinsky’s former supervisors at the White House, testified before the grand jury. He was followed by Elizabeth Bailey, a Pentagon liaison to the White House for the secretary of Defense’s office. Bailey was familiar with Lewinsky’s April 1996 transfer to a public-affairs position at the Pentagon.

Times staff writers David Rosenzweig in Los Angeles and Dennis Freeman in Washington contributed to this story.