D. President's Day (February 19) Break-up

According to Ms. Lewinsky, the President terminated their relationship (only temporarily, as it happened), on Monday, February 19, 1996 -- President's Day. The President was in the Oval Office from 11 a.m. to 2:01 p.m. that day.⁽²⁴²⁾ He had no telephone calls between 12:19 and 12:42 p.m.⁽²⁴³⁾ Records do not reflect Ms. Lewinsky's presence at the White House.

In Ms. Lewinsky's recollection, the President telephoned her at her Watergate apartment that day. From the tone of his voice, she could tell something was wrong. She asked to come see him, but he said he did not know how long he would be there.⁽²⁴⁴⁾ Ms. Lewinsky went to the White House, then walked to the Oval Office sometime between noon and 2 p.m. (the only time she ever went to the Oval Office uninvited).⁽²⁴⁵⁾ Ms. Lewinsky recalled that she was admitted by a tall, slender, Hispanic plainclothes agent on duty near the door.⁽²⁴⁶⁾

The President told her that he no longer felt right about their intimate relationship, and he had to put a stop to it.⁽²⁴⁷⁾ Ms. Lewinsky was welcome to continue coming to visit him, but only as a friend. He hugged her but would not kiss her.⁽²⁴⁸⁾ At one point during their conversation, the President had a call from a sugar grower in Florida whose name, according to Ms. Lewinsky, was something like "Fanuli." In Ms. Lewinsky's recollection, the President may have taken or returned the call just as she was leaving.⁽²⁴⁹⁾

Ms. Lewinsky's account is corroborated in two respects. First, Nelson U. Garabito, a plainclothes Secret Service agent, testified that, on a weekend or holiday while Ms. Lewinsky worked at the White House (most likely in the early spring of 1996), Ms. Lewinsky appeared in the area of the Oval Office carrying a folder and said, "I have these papers for the President."⁽²⁵⁰⁾ After knocking, Agent Garabito opened the Oval Office door, told the President he had a visitor, ushered Ms. Lewinsky in, and closed the door behind her.⁽²⁵¹⁾ When Agent Garabito's shift ended a few minutes later, Ms. Lewinsky was still in the Oval Office.⁽²⁵²⁾

Second, concerning Ms. Lewinsky's recollection of a call from a sugar grower named "Fanuli," the President talked with Alfonso Fanjul of Palm Beach, Florida, from 12:42 to 1:04 p.m.⁽²⁵³⁾ Mr. Fanjul had telephoned a few minutes earlier, at 12:24 p.m.⁽²⁵⁴⁾ The Fanjuls are prominent sugar growers in Florida.⁽²⁵⁵⁾

E. Continuing Contacts

After the break-up on February 19, 1996, according to Ms. Lewinsky, "there continued to sort of be this flirtation . . . when we'd see each other."⁽²⁵⁶⁾ After passing Ms. Lewinsky in a hallway one night in late February or March, the President telephoned her at home and said he was disappointed that, because she had already left the White House for the evening, they could not get together. Ms. Lewinsky testified that the call "sort of implied to me that he was interested in starting up again."⁽²⁵⁷⁾ On March 10, 1996, Ms. Lewinsky took a visiting friend, Natalie Ungvari, to the White House. They bumped into the President, who said to Ms. Ungvari when Ms. Lewinsky introduced them: "You must be her friend from California."⁽²⁵⁸⁾ Ms. Ungvari was "shocked" that the President knew where she was from.⁽²⁵⁹⁾

Ms. Lewinsky testified that on Friday, March 29, 1996, she was walking down a hallway when she passed the President, who was wearing the first necktie she had given him. She asked where he had gotten the tie, and he replied: "Some girl with style gave it to me."⁽²⁶⁰⁾ Later, he telephoned her at her desk and asked if she would like to see a movie. His plan was that she would position herself in the hallway by the White House Theater at a certain time, and he would invite her to join him and a group of guests as they entered. Ms. Lewinsky responded that she did not want people to think she was lurking around the West Wing uninvited.⁽²⁶¹⁾ She asked if they could arrange a rendezvous over the weekend instead, and he said he would try.⁽²⁶²⁾ Records confirm that the President spent the evening of March 29 in the White House Theater.⁽²⁶³⁾ Mrs. Clinton was in Athens, Greece.⁽²⁶⁴⁾

F. March 31 Sexual Encounter

On Sunday, March 31, 1996, according to Ms. Lewinsky, she and the President resumed their sexual contact.⁽²⁶⁵⁾ Ms. Lewinsky was at the White House from 10:21 a.m. to 4:27 p.m. on that day.⁽²⁶⁶⁾ The President was in the Oval Office from 3:00 to 5:46 p.m.⁽²⁶⁷⁾ His only call while in the Oval Office was from 3:06 to 3:07 p.m.⁽²⁶⁸⁾ Mrs. Clinton was in Ireland.⁽²⁶⁹⁾

According to Ms. Lewinsky, the President telephoned her at her desk and suggested that she come to the Oval Office on the pretext of delivering papers to him.⁽²⁷⁰⁾ She went to the Oval Office and was admitted by a plainclothes Secret Service agent.⁽²⁷¹⁾ In her folder was a gift for the President, a Hugo Boss necktie.⁽²⁷²⁾

In the hallway by the study, the President and Ms. Lewinsky kissed. On this occasion, according to Ms. Lewinsky, "he focused on me pretty exclusively," kissing her bare breasts and fondling her genitals.⁽²⁷³⁾ At one point, the President inserted a cigar into Ms. Lewinsky's vagina, then put the cigar in his mouth and said: "It tastes good."⁽²⁷⁴⁾ After they were finished, Ms. Lewinsky left the Oval Office and walked through the Rose Garden.⁽²⁷⁵⁾

A. Earlier Observations of Ms. Lewinsky in the West Wing

Ms. Lewinsky's visits to the Oval Office area had not gone unnoticed. Officer Fox testified that "it was pretty commonly known that she did frequent the West Wing on the weekends."⁽²⁷⁶⁾ Another Secret Service uniformed officer, William Ludtke III, once saw her exit from the pantry near the Oval Office; she seemed startled and possibly embarrassed to be spotted.⁽²⁷⁷⁾ Officer John Muskett testified that "if the President was known to be coming into the Diplomatic Reception Room, a lot of times [Ms. Lewinsky] just happened to be walking down the corridor, you know, maybe just to see the President."⁽²⁷⁸⁾ Ms. Lewinsky acknowledged that she tried to position herself to see the President.⁽²⁷⁹⁾

Although they could not date them precisely, Secret Service officers and agents testified about several occasions when Ms. Lewinsky and the President were alone in the Oval Office. William C. Bordley, a former member of the Presidential Protective Detail, testified that in late 1995 or early 1996, he stopped Ms. Lewinsky outside the Oval Office because she did not have her pass.⁽²⁸⁰⁾ The President opened the Oval Office door, indicated to Agent Bordley that Ms. Lewinsky's presence was all right, and ushered Ms. Lewinsky into the Oval Office.