Reno to expand his investigation to encompass the Lewinsky affair.(In seeking permission from Reno,the OIC neglected to mention its prior contacts with lawyers for Paula Jones,including Starr's own previous discussions with Jones's lawyers on the immunity issue that reached the Supreme Court.Had the OIC disclosed these contacts,a conflict concern might have either resulted in their request being turned down,or a new independent counsel appointed.) On January 16,the day before the President would be deposed in the Jones case, authorization for the expanded investigation came from Janet Reno.That afternoon,acting in concert with Linda Tripp who had invited Lewinsky to the food court of the Pentagon City Mall for lunch,FBI agents acting for the OIC seized Lewinsky and escorted her to room 1012 in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel,where OIC lawyers would-for the next eleven hours-press her to cooperate in their investigation by agreeing to wear a wire and secretly record her conversations with President Clinton.Despite warnings her that she could face up to 27 years in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice in fact,two years would be a far more likely punishment), Lewinsky refused.Her decision might well have saved the Clinton presidency. The next day,lawyers for Paula Jones,having been fully briefed on the details of the Lewinsky affair,threw a series of questions at the President during his deposition that left him surprised and,at times,flustered.Clinton,however,generally stuck to his script and continued to deny the existence of a sexual relationship with Lewinsky.In fact,the President went so far as to deny ever even being "alone"with Lewinsky. Back in his Oval Office on the following day,Clinton discussed the Lewinsky affair with Betty Currie in a manner that strongly suggested an attempt to influence her future statements about her boss's relationship with the young intern.He told his personal secretary,"We were never really alone,""You could see and hear everything,"and "Monica came on to me,and I never touched her,right?"Clinton would later spin the discussion as an attempt to refresh his recollection about his relationship with Lewinsky-a wildly implausible explanation,given that some of the questions he asked Currie she was in no position to answer. The American public first learned of allegations of a Clinton affair with Lewinsky on January 21,1998.The President stuck with his "deny-it-all"strategy,at one point memorably wagging his finger in a televised interview and insisting,"I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."Several of Clinton's aides (including Sidney Blumenthal,who was later deposed in the Senate trial assured by the President that his relationship with Lewinsky was non-sexual, appeared in various venues to denounce Starr's investigations as "a puritanical witch hunt"and to call into question Lewinsky's credibility. The denials from the White House continued into summer,when the President became aware of that his semen stain remained on the blue dress that Monica Lewinsky wore into the Oval Office on a February day in 1997,and that Lewinsky had signed an immunity agreement with the Office of Independent Counsel.In the meantime,Starr's office had interviewed Secret Service agents,friends of Lewinsky,examined hundreds of emails and White House telephone records, and listened to dozens of hours of taped conversations between Tripp and Lewinsky.Reno to expand his investigation to encompass the Lewinsky affair. （In seeking permission from Reno, the OIC neglected to mention its prior contacts with lawyers for Paula Jones, including Starr's own previous discussions with Jones's lawyers on the immunity issue that reached the Supreme Court. Had the OIC disclosed these contacts, a conflict concern might have either resulted in their request being turned down, or a new independent counsel appointed.） On January 16, the day before the President would be deposed in the Jones case, authorization for the expanded investigation came from Janet Reno. That afternoon, acting in concert with Linda Tripp who had invited Lewinsky to the food court of the Pentagon City Mall for lunch, FBI agents acting for the OIC seized Lewinsky and escorted her to room 1012 in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, where OIC lawyers would——for the next eleven hours——press her to cooperate in their investigation by agreeing to wear a wire and secretly record her conversations with President Clinton. Despite warnings her that she could face up to 27 years in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice （in fact, two years would be a far more likely punishment）, Lewinsky refused. Her decision might well have saved the Clinton presidency. The next day, lawyers for Paula Jones, having been fully briefed on the details of the Lewinsky affair, threw a series of questions at the President during his deposition that left him surprised and, at times, flustered. Clinton, however, generally stuck to his script and continued to deny the existence of a sexual relationship with Lewinsky. In fact, the President went so far as to deny ever even being "alone" with Lewinsky. Back in his Oval Office on the following day, Clinton discussed the Lewinsky affair with Betty Currie in a manner that strongly suggested an attempt to influence her future statements about her boss's relationship with the young intern. He told his personal secretary, "We were never really alone," "You could see and hear everything," and "Monica came on to me, and I never touched her, right?" Clinton would later spin the discussion as an attempt to refresh his recollection about his relationship with Lewinsky——a wildly implausible explanation, given that some of the questions he asked Currie she was in no position to answer. The American public first learned of allegations of a Clinton affair with Lewinsky on January 21, 1998. The President stuck with his "deny-it-all" strategy, at one point memorably wagging his finger in a televised interview and insisting, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Several of Clinton's aides（including Sidney Blumenthal, who was later deposed in the Senate trial） assured by the President that his relationship with Lewinsky was non-sexual, appeared in various venues to denounce Starr's investigations as "a puritanical witch hunt" and to call into question Lewinsky's credibility. The denials from the White House continued into summer, when the President became aware of that his semen stain remained on the blue dress that Monica Lewinsky wore into the Oval Office on a February day in 1997, and that Lewinsky had signed an immunity agreement with the Office of Independent Counsel. In the meantime, Starr's office had interviewed Secret Service agents, friends of Lewinsky, examined hundreds of emails and White House telephone records, and listened to dozens of hours of taped conversations between Tripp and Lewinsky