Lewinsky Lawyer Slams Key Figure in Sex Scandal
12.17 p.m. ET (1718 GMT) February 25, 1998
WASHINGTON - Monica Lewinsky's lawyer Wednesday threatened to sue former Lewinsky friend Linda Tripp for leading his client into legal jeopardy in the White House sex scandal as wrangling over the investigation intensified.
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America,'' lawyer William Ginsburg suggested that Lewinsky had been entrapped by Tripp, a co-worker and confidant who secretly tape-recorded her story of a furtive love affair with President Clinton.
"There were conversations between two girlfriends over a long period of time,'' Ginsburg said. "And I suggest to you that Linda Tripp, who was wired at the time, chose to record what she chose to record, directed the conversation.''
Tripp turned her tapes over to prosecutor Kenneth Starr, who is now investigating whether Clinton induced Lewinsky to lie under oath to lawyers for Paula Jones. Jones had filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against Clinton from when he was Arkansas governor.
"Her credibility and how those tapes came to be will be a most interesting part of this tale,'' Ginsburg said.
Asked if Lewinsky would sue Tripp when the scandal is all over, Ginsburg said, "It's certainly under consideration.''
He reiterated that Lewinsky, who could face up to three years in jail if convicted of perjury, witness tampering or obstruction of justice, stands by her sworn statement that she did not have sex with Clinton.
"Her affidavit is factual,'' the lawyer said.
Meantime, Starr continued a grand jury investigation of the sex scandal amid reports that Clinton had decided to invoke executive privilege to shield top aides from testifying about internal White House discussions on ways to handle the probe.
U.S. District Court Judge Norma Holloway Johnson met with White House lawyers and representatives of Starr's office to discuss whether any of the information held by top Clinton aides should be off-limits to the prosecutors.
Invoking executive privilege would have political repercussions because it would evoke memories of President Richard Nixon's effort to stonewall the probe of the Watergate scandal, which ultimately drove him from office in 1974.
"The White House counsel's office is trying to find a reasonable solution on this issue in ongoing discussions with the office of independent counsel,'' White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said. "Because these issues are under a court seal, we are going to honor the judge's request not to talk about this.''
Lockhart spoke with reporters aboard the presidential jet Air Force One as Clinton flew to Florida to inspect damage from a series of devastating tornadoes that struck the state earlier this week, killing more than three dozen people.
Asked about reports made public by the New York Times and National Public Radio that Clinton had in fact moved to limit the testimony of key aides, Lockhart replied: "I am not confirming. I am not denying.''
Among those summoned to the grand jury Wednesday were Timothy Keating, former staff director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, and Patsy Thomasson, a former senior official of the White House personnel office.
Both were expected to testify about Lewinsky's employment as a White House intern and low-level aide in 1995-1996, and her subsequent transfer to the Pentagon.
Sources close to the investigation said another potential witness Wednesday was Lanny Breuer, a special counsel at the White House. The New York Times reported that Breuer was one of the aides whose testimony Clinton wanted to limit.
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