VERNON E. JORDAN Jr.

Of all the characters involved in this unfolding saga, Vernon E. Jordan Jr. seems to have emerged the most unblemished.

A respected attorney and lobbyist--whose attempts to help Monica S. Lewinsky secure a new job came under close scrutiny--Jordan is expected to quietly move back into his role as President Clinton’s best friend, occasional golfing buddy and unofficial White House advisor.

Jordan, 63, is the quintessential Washington insider and power broker. He’s smart and has connections everywhere--both of which should serve him well in the scandal’s aftermath. When Clinton’s term is over, he will be gone--but Jordan will still be here, and few in Washington will want to alienate him.

He appeared five times before the grand jury, and most recently gave deposition testimony during the president’s Senate trial. He was called as a witness by House prosecutors seeking to beef up their obstruction of justice charge. He managed to skillfully deflect the major charge against the president: that he had asked Jordan to use his influence as a member of nearly a dozen corporate boards to line up a job for the former White House intern, with the inference that the job would buy her silence about their affair.

A child of segregated Atlanta and a former civil rights leader, Jordan told the House managers that of all his worldly possessions, he is proudest of his reputation.