The Battalion fiMPCJS Thursday»July® Public information President Clinton will provide videotaped testimony concerning his ties to Lewinsky WASHINGTON (AP) — Amidst a maelstorm of le gal maneuvering. President Clinton agreed Wednesday to break six months' silence and provide videotaped tes timony regarding his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The session under oath with Whitewater prose cutors was set for Aug. 17 — with the president's attorneys present. Senior aides said Clinton is prepared to stick by his denial of any sexual relations with Lewinsky. If so, his testimony could conflict with Lewinsky's. Le gal sources, insisting on anonymi ty, say she told prosecutors this week they had sexual relations and discussed ways of concealing it. Among a drumbeat of devel opments, these sources provid ed new details of Lewinsky's potential testimony. The sources said Lewinsky is prepared to explain why she re turned gifts from Clinton to the White House last December, fur thering prosecutors' investigation tt We’re now in the closing throes of this. It’s in everybody’s interest to get this over with.” — Orrin Hatch Senate Judiciary Chair of obstruction of justice. In addition, Lewinsky was said to have provided a dress to prosecutors as some sort of evidence. Reports of such a garment, frequently denied and ridiculed by her attorney, circulated last January when Lewinsky first came under investigation. Senate Judiciary Chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said independent counsel Kenneth Starr apparently is ex amining Clinton for three possible crimes — perjury, causing someone else to commit perjury, and ob struction of justice. "We're now in the closing throes of this," Hatch said. "... It's in everybody's interest to get this over with." Clinton's arrangement with Starr averted an un precedented presidential appearance under subpoena before a federal grand jury where witnesses appear with out counsel. Starr agreed to withdraw the subpoena to accommodate Clinton, and the president will delay his Martha's Vineyard vacation to testify. His testimony, un der oath, will be made available to the grand jury. At the U.S. courthouse, Linda Tripp, the woman whose secret tape recordings of Lewinsky prompted the investigation, spoke publicly for the first time, present ing herself as a common citizeh and lashing out at her critics from the White House to Hollywood. "I have been vilified for having taken the path of truth," Tripp, visibly shaking, said after wrapping up eight days of grand jury testimony. "I have been maligned by people who have chosen not to tell the truth and who loiow they are not telling the truth," she said. Tripp, who worked inside the Clinton White House and now works for the Pentagon, said that between 1993 and 1997 she learned of "actions by high government officials that may have been against the law" and became fearful. "The things I witnessed concerning several different subjects made me increasingly fearful that this informa tion was dangerous, very dangerous to possess," she said explaining why she approached prosecutors in Jan uary with 20 hours of telephone tapes she secretly made of her conversations with Lewinsky. Press Secretary Mike McCurry was asked whether the president would prefer to testify before or after Lewinsky, replying only, "You'd have to ask his attorney that. I don't know." Meanwhile, a potential conflict between Tripp and Lewinsky's account emerged. Sources familiar with Lewinsky's account say she is prepared to testify that she authored the so-called talk ing points she handed Tripp on Jan. 14 that suggested possible testimony in the Jones lawsuit. Lewinsky has told prosecu tors, the sources said, that no one from the White House assisted the effort and the document was mostly a compilation of things she had previously discussed with Tripp. But Tripp on Wednesday adamantly denied any role in the talking points. "I have testified to the fact that 1 had nothing, let me repeat, nothing to do with preparing the so-called talking points. Allegations to the effect that contributed to or assisted in any way with the creation of the talking points are as illogical and as they are patently false," Tripp said. Legal sources told The Associated Press on Wednes day that Lewinsky has offered prosecutors testimony explaining why she returned gifts from Clinton. Lewinsky's testimony could be pertinent "to an issue of obstruction of justice," one source said, declining to be more specific. The sources familiar with Lewinsky' account said the former intern will explain why the gifts were re turned to presidential secretary Betty Currie shortly af ter Lewinsky was subpoenaed last December to testify in the Jones' case. The sources stopped short of saying if Lewinsky would directly implicate Clinton in some way. But the one source said Lewinsky's testimony would make clear that only Clinton, Lewinsky and Currie knew about the gifts and before they "somehow got back to the White House, somebody had to say something." The announcement of the deal for Clinton's testimo ny unfolded in theatrical fashion as the president's pri vate attorney, David Kendall, emerged from the White House to provide first word. "In an effort to achieve a prompt resolution of this en tire matter, the president will voluntarily provide his tes timony on Aug. 17, 1998 to the Office of Independent Counsel, as he has on prior occasions," Kendall said. On Capitol Hill, anticipation grew that a possible im peachment report may soon be sent by Starr. "This is not a discussion about sexual propensities or sexual peccadilloes," Hatch said. "Obstruction is a very serious thing." Noting that Starr's investigation already has cost $40 million. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior De mocrat on Hatch's committee, was blunt: "Wrap this sucker up." John Collins '97 invites you to... SMITH FIREARMS/ WICKSON CREEK GUN RANGE 409-589-1093 Located 4.1 Miles East of Hwy 6 on Hwy 21 MON - FRI 3 - Dark SAT & SUN 10 a.m.-Dark Rifle & Pistol Range Skeet Practice ELECTRIC SKEET MACHINE CONCEALED HANDGUN CLASSES FIREARMS / AMMO SALES Schulman Theatres College Park 6 www.schulman-theatres.com Bcs online www.lockon.com 2080 E. 29th St., Bryan 775-2463 BOX OFFICE OPENS AT 12:30 Now Showing - Today’s Times Only SAVING PRIVATE RYAN EH (R) 1:15 4:45 8:10 THE NEGOTIATOR IXI