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WASHINGTON (Court TV) — House prosecutors Wednesday completed the deposition of White House aide Sidney Blumenthal and now the Senate must decide if live witness testimony is necessary.

A source familiar with the deposition, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Blumenthal did not tell prosecutors anything new. Blumenthal testified last year that President Clinton lied to him when they had a conversation regarding Monica Lewinsky.

By calling Blumenthal to be deposed, the prosecutors hoped ot show that Clinton manipulated his aides by lying to them in hopes that they would pass false information on to the media.

It is alleged that Blumenthal used to press contacts to paint Lewinsky as an unstable and predatory girl. Blumenthal testified that on one occasion the president referred to Lewinsky as "the stalker."

However Blumenthal denies that he passed that name on to his contacts and his lawyers strongly resist the assertion that he is a rumor monger.

It is a possibility Blumenthal was called for a deposition by House managers because he would be a less sympathetic witness than presidential secretary Betty Currie, although Currie's testimony a key element of the obstruction case against Clinton.

Although Blumenthal was supposed to be the final witness, 28 GOP senators have written to President Clinton asking that the president appear for a similar deposition.

The 28 Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, wrote to the president asking for a voluntary appearance to answer questions which "should prove beneficial in our efforts to reconcile conflicting testimony."

Tomorrow, senators will wrestle with the issue of live witnesses and whether or not to release some or all of the witnesses testimony on transcripts or videotapes.

House managers said they would try to have Blumenthal, presidential friend Vernon Jordan and Lewinsky appear in the Senate, but admitted that with public opinion favoring a quick wrap up of the trial it may be difficult.

A spokesman for Lott said a vote on the release of depositions when the trial resumes Thursday, but added that they could remain under seal for some time

The senators are also gearing up for a partisan battle over a proposed "formal finding of wrongdoing" which would conclude Clinton gave false statements to the grand jury and impede the investigation of Paula Jones' lawyers, but would stop short of declaring perjury and obstruction of justice.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said Democrats would resist such a proposal. One way to do this would be adding an array of amendments.

"If Republicans persist in demanding live witnesses and demanding more depositions, and demanding extra legal devices like findings of fact, the more it becomes a Republican trial," Daschle told reporters.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., wrote in a New York Times op-ed piece that he opposed a finding of wrongdoing because it would "lift the burden from the shoulders of senators by offering them a way to convict the president without having to accept responsibility for removing him from office."

One senator who championed Byrd's argument was Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who wrote to colleagues that the finding of fact proposal raised "grave constitutional and policy concerns."

Harkin circulated six documents from constitutional experts which challenged the legitimacy of a such a move.

He also added that if the process moved forward Democrats may add an amendment accusing Starr of prosecutorial misconduct.

White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said the White House also objected to the proposal, but also tried to allay the fears of some senators that there would be some sort of presidential celebration of Clinton is acquitted.

"I now declare in the post-impeachment era, this is a gloat-free zone," Lockhart said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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