In those first few days, Ginsburg saw his role as as much family friend as lawyer. The lawyer regarded himself, in essence, as Bernie Lewinsky’s proxy, and as Monica began to tell him the story of her relationship, Ginsburg grew furious at the president. Ginsburg had known Monica as a child, and he still thought of her that way. It revolted him that Clinton, in his view, had taken advantage of her. Still, in the matter of a few days, Starr’s prosecutors managed to redirect Ginsburg’s fury away from their chief target, the president, and toward the Office of Independent Counsel.For their part, in those last few days before Lewinsky’s name became public, Monica and her mother, Marcia Lewis, lived in a kind of suspended animation at their apartment in the Watergate complex. Their place was already in desolate shape. Marcia had more or less moved to New York, to live with her fiancé, a wealthy former broadcasting executive named Peter Straus. And Monica was well along in her packing for her own move to the city, where she would be starting her job with Revlon.
