English/Nat

A Hollywood television producer spent 90 minutes in front of the grand jury investigating President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

He's one of the Clintons' oldest and closest friends and says he's "always believed the president was telling the truth."

He'll stay over to help Clinton prepare for his own grand jury testimony on Monday.

More comings and goings were under the media spotlight in Washington D-C on Tuesday.

As usual, Kenneth Starr was one of the first players to appear - he had no comment as he headed off for another busy day with the grand jury.

Seen arriving: one of President Clinton's Hollywood buddies, his personal attorney and the Deputy White House counsel.

Presidential friend and T-V producer Harry Thomason may have been asked if Clinton told him anything about the former White House intern.

Clinton's lawyers, meanwhile, are preparing for his testimony on Monday.

A Clinton confidant says one option being considered would have him repeat his denials of sex with Lewinsky.

But, he would refuse to answer specifics about their relationship.

Legal experts say prosecutors could not force Clinton to provide such details since he agreed to testify and Starr withdrew his subpoena.

How the story will unfold is the subject of intense speculation.

Constitutional scholar, practitioner, columnist, and former associate deputy U-S attorney general, Bruce Fein weighed in at the National Press Club.

Do Clinton's alleged misdeeds amount to an impeachable offence?

Fein went on the record with a solid affirmative.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"This investigation is not about marital infidelity it's about constitutional infidelity. A president, unlike others in public life, does set the national standard for honesty, decency, integrity in public life. That is a given fact and when the founding fathers explained that the dispositive question in impeachment was the harm to society they were suggesting -- in my judgement accurately - that the president is held to a higher standard because of his influence on society."

SUPER CAPTION: Bruce Fein

Impeachment of the president is serious democratic business according to Fein.

And there are reasons Congress may not want to deal with impeachment.

But Fein says Congress would have no choice if congressional hearings put the players in front of microphones-- on national T-V.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"I do think that once the witnesses-- and I think this would happen if the inquiry began-- started to appear on television, and you can see as we saw in Watergate the counterparts of the Deans, Haldeman, and Ehrlichmans and Mitchells-- their names would be Lewinsky and Linda Tripp and Kathleen Wiley and maybe even the president himself, then that will so pivotally affect public opinion that Congress would be responsive. And I think that's how this should unfold."

SUPER CAPTION: Bruce Fein

Meanwhile the White House is setting aside minute-by-minute security logs, appointment records, phone messages, diary entries.

President Clinton and a trio of attorneys are expected to spend the weekend poring over volumes and staging mock interrogations as they meticulously prepare for Monday's high-stakes face-off with prosecutor Kenneth Starr.

Washington D-C, U-S-A, August 11, 1998

1. Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr departing from his home

2. Harry Thomason, presidential friend and T-V director, as he arrives to appear before the grand jury

3. UPSOUND: (English) Harry Thomason

4. Arrival of Clinton's personal attorney David Kendall

5. Arrival of Deputy White House counsel Cheryl Mills

6. Wideshot of national Press Club

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bruce Fein

8. Cutaway

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bruce Fein

10. Cutaway