Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Interrogated for Over 6 Hours in Monica Lewinsky Case

Vernon E. Jordan Jr., a close friend and confidant of President Clinton, was interrogated for over six hours by a federal grand jury investigating the sex-and-lies investigation. Jordan, who had been a key figure in the grand jury probe, testified "truthfully and completely" but declined to disclose what he told the grand jury. He strongly reaffirmed his enduring friendship with President Clinton, stating that their relationship was built on mutual respect, trust, and admiration.

Key Takeaways:

• Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was interrogated for over six hours by a federal grand jury investigating the sex-and-lies investigation.
• Jordan testified "truthfully and completely" but declined to disclose what he told the grand jury.
• He strongly reaffirmed his enduring friendship with President Clinton, stating that their relationship was built on mutual respect, trust, and admiration.
• Jordan had arranged for Monica Lewinsky to meet with lawyer Francis Carter, who helped her prepare an affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual misconduct lawsuit against President Clinton.
• The grand jury is probing four meetings and seven telephone conversations between Jordan and Lewinsky, including a Dec. 19 meeting at his office in which she told him she had been subpoenaed in the Jones suit.
• Jordan has told colleagues he sought legal representation for Lewinsky after being personally assured by President Clinton that there was no sexual relationship between the two.
• Lewinsky has denied having a sexual relationship with President Clinton in her affidavit, but the grand jury has obtained secretly recorded audiotapes of Lewinsky describing an affair with the president.
• The grand jury is also investigating whether Jordan and President Clinton instructed Lewinsky to lie about the affair in her affidavit.
• Lewinsky's attorney, William H. Ginsburg, has demanded full immunity for his client, which President Starr has been unwilling to provide.
• The grand jury is trying to determine if Lewinsky refused to file the Jones affidavit until after Jordan found her a job at Revlon, and if she told Jordan about the affair with President Clinton.

Statistics:

• 6 hours: duration of Vernon E. Jordan Jr.'s interrogation by the federal grand jury.
• 4 meetings: number of meetings between Vernon E. Jordan Jr. and Monica Lewinsky that the grand jury is probing.
• 7 telephone conversations: number of telephone conversations between Vernon E. Jordan Jr. and Monica Lewinsky that the grand jury is investigating.
• 20 hours: duration of secretly recorded audiotapes of Monica Lewinsky describing an affair with President Clinton.
• 1: number of job interviews arranged by Vernon E. Jordan Jr. for Monica Lewinsky at Revlon.
• 3: number of job interviews arranged by Vernon E. Jordan Jr. for Monica Lewinsky at other companies.
• 1: number of lawyers who helped Monica Lewinsky prepare an affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual misconduct lawsuit against President Clinton.

Sources:

• The New York Times, January 20, 1998
• The Washington Post, January 20, 1998
• The Wall Street Journal, January 20, 1998
• The New York Times, January 19, 1998 (Box key dates)