Today's charges stem from Mr. Secord's testimony as the lead-off witness before the Iran-contra investigating committees in May 1987.

"If they could do it all over again," said Christopher Bebel, a former federal prosecutor, "the prosecutors would be inclined to call a different lead-off witness."

Senator Nye was the chief spokesperson for the isolationist cause and the lead-off witness.

The lead-off witnesses will be top Republican lawmakers, and the list tentatively includes Mr. Gingrich.

"I would much rather be the lead-off witness inside the Capitol in a real hearing," he said.

The committee co-chairs were lead-off witnesses in Senate and House patent reform hearings in the spring of 2005 and again in 2007.

Mr. Sheik, seemed a surprisingly weak choice as the prosecution's lead-off witness.

Mayor Koch, who proposed the new law last year after spurning previous bills, was the lead-off witness.

The group was particularly interested in watching him cross-examine the Government's lead-off witness, Roger Wilson, one of Mr. Clark's former clients.

But today Mrs. McKinney was on the witness stand as the lead-off witness for the defense.