Tripp Tapes Authenticated by Lewinsky

Monica S. Lewinsky has confirmed the authenticity of taped conversations secretly recorded by Linda Tripp, according to court documents filed by state prosecutors.

A Maryland grand jury indicted Tripp on July 30 on two felony counts, charging that she illegally tape-recorded the former White House intern on Dec. 22, 1997, and disclosed the contents of the conversation to Newsweek magazine.

On June 16, Lewinsky listened to copies of tapes made by Tripp in October 1997 and confirmed the identities of the voices on them, state prosecutors said Thursday. Tripp testified that she taped several conversations with Lewinsky in late 1997, even after an attorney told her it was illegal.

Prosecutors also disclosed that the copies were provided to the state by Lucianne Goldberg, a New York literary agent. Goldberg, who testified in independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr’s investigation last November, said she urged Tripp to start taping the calls.

Tripp turned over the tapes to Starr, triggering the investigation into Lewinsky’s affair with President Clinton. In return, Tripp received a federal grant of immunity from prosecution.

Lawyers for Tripp have asked a judge to dismiss the charges.