Even Mr. Gore's opponent, George W. Bush, didn't like the timing. The move comes a year and a half after Mr. Clinton was impeached by the House and then acquitted by the Senate in February 1999, allowing him to serve out the remainder of his term. The seating of the new grand jury follows through on Mr. Ray's promise to weigh whether the president should be indicted after he steps down from office next January. Keith Ausbrook, senior counsel to Mr. Ray, declined comment about any grand jury activity, which is kept secret by law. The e-mail probe focuses on whether the White House concealed thousands of electronic messages sought by investigators.
Presidential aides deny wrongdoing.
Mr. Ray's office recently closed the books on two other Clinton-era controversies the White House gathering of secret FBI files on Republicans and the firings of White House travel office employees. The prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges in either case. An expert cautioned that empaneling a new grand jury is no guarantee that Mr. Ray will seek an indictment. Mr. Ray, however, has made no secret he intends to weigh whether Mr. Clinton should be indicted. The country went through the matter of impeachment.