10 Years Ago Today. At the White House. A Day of Intrigue.

C. December 6: The Northwest Gate Incident
1. Initial Visit and Rejection
On the morning of Saturday, December 6, Ms. Lewinsky went to the White House to deliver the letter and gifts to the President. The gifts included a sterling silver antique cigar holder, a tie, a mug, a "Hugs and Kisses" box, and an antique book about Theodore Roosevelt.(731) Ms. Lewinsky planned to leave the parcel with Ms. Currie, who had told Ms. Lewinsky that the President would be busy with his lawyers and unable to see her.(732)
Ms. Lewinsky arrived at the White House at approximately 10:00 a.m. She told the Secret Service uniformed officers at the Northwest Gate that she had gifts to drop off for the President, but that Ms. Currie did not know she was coming.(733) Ms. Lewinsky and the officers made several calls in an attempt to locate Ms. Currie.(734) The officers eventually invited Ms. Lewinsky inside the guard booth.(735) When Ms. Currie learned that Ms. Lewinsky was at the Northwest Gate, she sent word that the President "already had a guest in the [O]val," so the officers should have Ms. Lewinsky wait there for about 40 minutes.(736)
While Ms. Lewinsky was waiting, one officer mentioned that Eleanor Mondale was in the White House.(737) Ms. Lewinsky correctly surmised that the President was meeting with Ms. Mondale, rather than his lawyers, and she was "livid."(738) She stormed away, called and berated Ms. Currie from a pay phone, and then returned to her Watergate apartment.(740)
Hands shaking and almost crying, Ms. Currie informed several Secret Service officers that the President was "irate" that someone had disclosed to Ms. Lewinsky whom he was meeting with.(741) Ms. Currie told Sergeant Keith Williams, a supervisory uniformed Secret Service Officer, that if he "didn't find out what was going on, someone could be fired."(742) She also told Captain Jeffrey Purdie, the Secret Service watch commander for the uniformed division at the time, that the President was "so upset he wants somebody fired over this."(743)
. Ms. Lewinsky Returns to the White House
From her apartment, Ms. Lewinsky reached the President on the phone.(745) According to Ms. Lewinsky, the President was angry that she had "made a stink" and said that "it was none of my business . . . what he was doing."(746)
Then, to Ms. Lewinsky's surprise, the President invited her to visit him.(747) She testified that "none of the other times that we had really fought on the phone did it end up resulting in a visit that day."(748) WAVES records reflect that Ms. Lewinsky was cleared to enter the White House at 12:52 p.m. and exited at 1:36 p.m.(749)
During their meeting, Ms. Lewinsky told the President that Mr. Jordan had done nothing to help her find a job.(750) The President responded, "Oh, I'll talk to him. I'll get on it."(751)
Ms. Lewinsky testified that, overall, she had a "really nice" and "affectionate" visit with the President.(752) In an email to a friend a few days later, she wrote that, although "things have been crazy with the creep, . . . I did have a wonderful visit with him on Saturday. When he doesn't put his walls up, it is always heavenly."(753)