Meantime, Mr. Lindsey made a new appearance before the grand jury, raising again the possibility that he might refuse to answer questions, citing the confidentiality of certain communications between a president and his top aides. With Judge Johnson occupied by the separate hearing, prosecutors were expected to avoid putting any questions to Mr. Lindsey that might require a ruling by her on their confidentiality under the doctrine known as executive privilege. The status of negotiations between Mr. Clinton's lawyers and prosecutors over possible testimony by the president himself remained unclear Thursday. Meanwhile, amid indications that Mr. Starr may be nearing the end of his investigation, an attorney for Ms. Lewinsky, William Ginsburg, said that he could not ''even guess'' when his client might appear before the grand jury. Mr. Ginsburg has asked Judge Johnson to enforce what he says was a written agreement with Mr. Starr's office to grant Ms. Lewinsky full immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony.
Prosecutors say no such agreement was reached.
Negotiations over immunity have dragged on for weeks. Mr. Ginsburg said that Ms. Lewinsky had grown depressed at times, feeling isolated in her apartment in the Watergate apartment complex. I always feel I have the ability to win because I have the facts and the law on my side. Ms. Tripp, the former White House aide who taped conversations with Ms. Lewinsky, has been working from her Maryland home since the scandal erupted Jan. 21. She was given new duties this week because of the distractions around the affair, a Pentagon spokesman said.