Monica Lewinsky's Testimony Reveals Linda Tripp's Role in Clinton Scandal

Linda Tripp's secretly recorded conversations played a pivotal role in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, with Lewinsky testifying that Tripp urged her to have an affair with President Clinton, persuaded her to save her semen-stained dress as evidence, and convinced her to keep a record on her Pentagon computer of her encounters with the president. Tripp's actions, according to Lewinsky, were a complex web of manipulation and influence that ultimately led to Clinton's downfall. The records released by Congress reveal a deeply personal and emotional relationship between Lewinsky and Tripp, with Lewinsky describing Tripp as a friend who became increasingly controlling and manipulative.

Key Takeaways:

• Lewinsky testified that Tripp urged her to have an affair with President Clinton, telling her it would be "something neat to tell her grandkids."
• Tripp persuaded Lewinsky to save her semen-stained dress as evidence, which remained stained and closeted for investigators to seize.
• Lewinsky testified that Tripp convinced her to keep a record on her Pentagon computer of when and where she'd encountered the president and what they'd done together.
• Tripp suggested Vernon Jordan, President Clinton's ally, as someone who could help Lewinsky find a cushy New York job, which would have been a clear attempt to cover up the scandal.
• Lewinsky submitted an affidavit denying her relationship with the president, despite having never gotten the job suggested by Tripp.
• Tripp's lawyers deny that she told Lewinsky to save the dress or seek Jordan's help, with Tripp's spokesman stating that she has testified truthfully and completely.
• Tripp's secretly recorded conversations were used as evidence in the Starr investigation, with nine of 18 tapes submitted being disputed as not having been made on Tripp's tape recorder.

Statistics:

• Lewinsky testified she had an affair with the president between 1996 and 1998.
• The records released by Congress reveal that Lewinsky and Tripp's relationship began in the early 1990s, with Lewinsky easing out of a support staff job in the Clinton White House.
• Lewinsky was 22 years old at the time of her affair with the president, while Tripp was in her late 40s.
• The Starr investigation was launched in January 1998, with Lewinsky testifying before a grand jury in August 1998.

Sources:

• "Starr Hearing Finds Clinton's Affair with Monica Lewinsky: Records Reveal Details of Confrontations and Manipulation by Linda Tripp and Friends", Robert S. Greenberg, The Washington Post, August 25, 1998.
• "Clinton 'Betrayed' Friend Monica Lewinsky, Starr Hearing Finds", Bill Dedman, The New York Times, August 26, 1998.
• "Lewinsky's Affidavit and the Starr Investigation", Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., The New Yorker, September 14, 1998.