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Lewinsky-Tripp tapes released
Updated November 17, 1998
12:00 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Court TV)— The House Judiciary Committee released tapes of Monica Lewinksy talking to Linda Tripp about her affair and dealings with the president Tuesday, just two days before Independent Counsel Ken Starr is scheduled to testify in support of impeachment before that same committee.
Lewinsky comes through on the Tripp tapes by turns earnest, girlish and matter-of-fact about her relationship with the "Creep," their name for the president.
Lewinsky also admits to falling in love with Bill Clinton and tearfully tries to get Tripp to protect him. The tapes reflect Lewinsky's efforts to have Tripp give testimony that would be helpful to Clinton in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit.
Tripp befriended Lewinsky when they both worked at the Pentagon, and the tapes led to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation of Clinton for possible obstruction of justice and perjury, plus the current House impeachment inquiry.
Transcripts of the conversations secretly recorded by Tripp were released by Congress earlier this fall. A spokeswoman for Rep. John Conyers, Jr. the leading Democratic member of the House's Judiciary Committee, said the tapes were not released until Tuesday because redaction took "a very long time."
White House Counsel Spokesman Jim Kennedy called the timing of the release "curious."
While there is no new content in the 37 tapes totalling 22 hours which were released, the nuances of voice and inflection that only the tapes can provide are added to the mix.
The irony of some quotes rings through on the tapes. Tripp says on a Dec. 22 recording that she won't lie, to Paula Jones' attorneys, that is.
"Someone told them something," says Lewinsky, referring to a tip the Jones camp received about her affair with the president. Tripp, of course, was that "someone."
"Look, we already know you're going to lie," says Tripp to Lewinksy. "We also know that I want out of this big time," adds Tripp.
"If I am forced to answer questions and answer truthfully, it's going to be the opposite of what you say," Tripp says. "So therefore, that's a conflict right there."
"It doesn't have to be a conflict" a desperate Lewinsky on the verge of tears replies. Lewinsky says she would lie to protect the people she loves, including her family, and the president.
Tripp insists that, if asked to, she will have to confirm that Lewinsky told her that she was in love with the president and having an affair with him. But Tripp goes on to assure Lewinsky of her desire not to testify.
"I will do everything I can not to be in that position," says Tripp.
Other conversations revolve around who might be taping whom.
At one point, Tripp says Clinton should count his blessings that Lewinsky has not gone public with their White House trysts and late-night phone calls.
"He has no clue how ... lucky he is," Tripp says. "I mean, how did he know ... that you weren't taping his wacko conversation with you at 4 in the morning?"
In the first tape recording that Tripp made, she and Lewinsky discussed what constituted sex. Lewinsky was adamant that oral sex did not qualify.
Tripp referred to "the big creep" and Lewinsky responded, "I never even came close to sleeping with him. ... We didn't have sex. ... We fooled around. ... Having sex is having intercourse."
Clinton, who denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky, said his answers in the Jan. 17 deposition in the Jones case were ``legally accurate,'' and not perjury.
The president's position is that oral sex was not covered by the definition used in the deposition.
A Maryland grand jury is considering whether Tripp broke state wiretapping law by taping Lewinsky without Lewinsky's knowledge.
--The Associated Press contributed to this report
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