Women of Controversy: Linda Tripp

Linda Tripp (1949-2020) was an American civil servant who illegally recorded conversations with Monica Lewinsky about her affair with President Bill Clinton. She testified regarding the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and her role in exposing it before largely withdrawing from the public eye.

For Further Reading:

• Linda Tripp, Key Figure in Clinton Impeachment, Dies at 70
• Linda Tripp: A Catalyst of a Clinton Scandal Who Maintained She’d Done Right
• Linda Tripp, whose tapes exposed Clinton affair, dies at 70
• Tripp's Curious Path to the Pentagon

This month we're talking about women who found themselves at the center of controversy -- whether deserved or not.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Wamanica. This month, we're talking about women who found
themselves at the center of controversy, whether deserved or not.
In January of nineteen ninety eight, the American political world
was rocked when the news aggregator website The Drudge Report
published a shocking claim that Newsweek had a story brewing

(00:25):
about a relationship between a White House intern and the
President of the United States. It would become one of
the biggest political scandals in American history. But how did
the media learn of this secret affair? Well, it was
thanks in part to this woman. Let's talk about Linda Tripp.
Before Linda Tripp became a household name and late night fodder,

(00:46):
she was Linda Rose Caratanuto from New Jersey. Linda was
born on November twenty fourth, nineteen forty nine. When Linda
was a senior in high school, her father had an
affair and her parents divorced. After Linda graduated, she began
working as a secretary in Army intelligence in Maryland. It

(01:09):
was there that she met and married her first husband,
Bruce Tripp. Linda became a mother and a suburban housewife.
In nineteen ninety the couple divorced, and Linda moved on
to her second act in Washington, d c. Linda got
a job as a White House aide under the Bush
administration and stayed on in nineteen ninety two. When Bill
Clinton took office. In nineteen ninety four, Linda transferred to

(01:32):
the Pentagon's Office of Public Affairs. But this wouldn't be
the last time Linda's name was associated with the White House.
In nineteen ninety six, a young White House intern named
Monica Lewinsky was transferred to the Pentagon. Allegedly, her superiors
were worried about how much time she was spending with

(01:54):
the president. Despite their twenty four year age gap. Linda
and Monica formed quick bond, and it didn't take long
for Monica to confide in Linda about her affair with
Bill Clinton and her frustration with their relationship. In a
twenty eighteen documentary, Monica recalled how the President would cycle
through periods of showering her with love before ignoring her

(02:15):
for weeks. When Linda learned of the President's in fidelity,
she called a literary agent to get some advice on
what to do with the information. The agent suggested that
Linda should tape her conversations with Monica. It was legal
to record phone conversations with just one party's consent in Washington,
d c. It was not legal in Maryland, which is

(02:37):
where Linda Tripp happened to live. The president's affair with
Lewinsky was just one of many scandals in Clinton's orbit
at the time. A few years earlier, he was sued
by a former Arkansas state employee, Paula Jones, for sexual harassment.
Paula hasn't really cared.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
You know what the rest of the country thinks.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Paula has to be worried about what twelve jearors in
Little Rock, Arkansas are going to think.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
And I think she was also under investigation for real
estate investments made while he was running for governor of Arkansas.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
The report surface just as Governor Clinton celebrated his big
victory in the South Carolina primary.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Investigation, which was later known as the Whitewater investigation, had stalled.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Venture involving Governor Clinton, his wife Hillary, and the owner
of an Arkansas Savings and Loans.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
But all of these scandals would come to a head
in nineteen ninety eight. Linda Tripp gave over twenty hours
of phone recordings to the independent prosecutor handling Whitewater. The
recorded conversations ranged from chats about diets to tearful talks
and emotional tell alls about Monica's affair. On the tapes,
Linda seemed to push for information under the guise of friendship.

(03:41):
In mid January of nineteen ninety eight, rumors of Clinton's
affair broke on a news aggregator website. Just days later,
the story hit mainstream news.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewnsky.
I never told anybody to lie, not a single time.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Never.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
In December of that year, President Clinton was impeached. Monica
Lewinsky was granted immunity from legal jeopardy in the scandal. Linda, however,
did not sneak by unscathed. The media ridiculed her for
looks and her actions against Monica Lewinsky.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Interview with Linda Tripp, Miss Trip.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
She was the butt of jokes on Saturday Night Live.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
No one understands why you did what you did.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
You betrayed your friend by taping private phone conversations. I
don't want to talk about that time, and even those
who supported her role in Clinton's impeachment, did not defend her.
In nineteen ninety nine, Clinton was acquitted by the Senate,
and in two thousand and one, Linda was dismissed from
her job at the Pentagon. From that point on, she
lived a life outside of the public eye. In two

(04:53):
thousand and four, she remarried and began working at her
husband's Christmas store. She died on April eighth, twenty two.
She was seventy years old. Up until her death, she
felt she did the right thing helping a friend and
speaking out against sexual harassment.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
I know what it's like to be in the crosshairs
of the most powerful person in the world, not because
I said something untrue, but because I said something people
did not want to hear. I stood to lose everything,
and in fact I did, And yet if I had
to do it all over again, I would.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
All month, we're talking about Women of Controversy. For more information,
find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica podcast special
thanks to lose Kaplan, my favorite sister and co creator.
Talk to you tomorrow.