-Caveat Lector- [Here's the full interview. There's more meat here than I first] realized "DO YOU BELIEVE FOSTER COMMITTED SUICIDE? "I will never know. "BUT THEY FOUND A SUICIDE NOTE? "No, that was a to-do list having nothing to do with his death. "YOU COMPLAINED TO SEVERAL HIGHER-UPS ABOUT THE IRREGULARITIES YOU SAW. "Yes, I shared my deep concern with Bruce Lindsey. And Bruce, with a smile that never reached his eyes, said, "Talk like that is going to get you destroyed." I was far more stunned by his expression than what he said. I considered that my first threat." - - - Linda Tripp The George Interview By Nancy Collins December/January 2001 "I'd Do It All Over Again" To most Americans she seems like the worst best friend in the world. The 47-year-old civil servant who in 1994 turned the tables--and a tape recorder--on a 22-year-old intern named Monica Lewinsky, starting a chain of events that led to the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton. While most players in the sordid saga have cashed in on their notoriety or at least defended their actions, Linda Tipp has done neither--except in court. Ironically, Tripp was the only one in the whole mess to be indicted (for violating Maryland's wiretappng laws--a case smacking of partisan politics that was eventually dropped). The daughter of a science-teacher father and stay-at-home mother from Morristown, New Jersey, Tripp enjoyed an impressive rise in government. She began in 1991 as an apolitical support staffer in the Bush White House; when the Clintons arrived in 1993, she stayed on, only to blow the lid off one of the most outrageous scandals in the history of Washington. Now 51, Tripp is finally telling her version of the events others have told so differently--events that diminished the American presidency and altered the 2000 presidential election. HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP THIS CRAZY ELECTION? Messya most fitting end to the Clinton era. YOU HAD A BIG PART IN HOW IT PLAYED OUT. YOUR INFORMATION LED TO CLINTONıS IMPEACHMENT, FORCING AL GORE TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM CLINTON, A VERY EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGNER. DO YOU FEEL VINDICATED? I donıt see it that way. It was a vindication of principle. The country needed to recapture our national soul. Whether or not youıre a Clinton fan or supported the impeachment, we all felt a little uneasy with the disposable values of the Clinton administration. I was the reluctant messenger who brought forward evidence of criminal wrongdoing. If that caused people to reflect upon the value they place on integrity, honor, and decency, all the better. But I take no credit for that. YET YOU WERE BLAMED FOR IMPEACHING THE PRESIDENT. I didnıt impeach the president. He impeached himself. NEVERTHELESS, YOU ARE SEEN AS THE VILLAIN IN THIS STORYA THEN 47-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO MANIPULATED HER 22-YEAR-OLD FRIEND, POSSIBLY TO GET MATERIAL FOR A BOOK. To those who say I documented [a legal term for ³taped²] Monica for a book, well, where is that book? Iıve never taken a nickelnothing. This was the story of the century; no one could get access, so the money flying around was ridiculous. But I chose not to participate because I am not the story. I turned down millionseven though I drive a nine-year-old car and live in a rented house. Itıs debilitating to owe hundreds of thousands in legal bills, because, unlike Ms. Lewinsky, I am on my own. WHY ARE YOU FINALLY TALKING NOWAND FOR FREE? I waited until after the election, hoping people would be less inclined to think my motivation political. If you act on principle, you have to have the guts to stick with it. If history is to be recorded properly, we need a broader perspective. If I remain silent, they win. IN A SENSE, THEY DID WIN. CLINTON STAYED IN OFFICE, AND NOW HILLARYıS ON THE HILL. WERE YOU SURPRISED SHE WON? I donıt know a candidate Mrs. Clinton wouldnıt bulldoze. She will use every resource available or unavailable in her quest for power. I saw it in the White House, and now the country will see it. I am completely mesmerized by the Clintonsı ability to get elected. Itıs like mind control, mass inoculation. Everyone gets vaccinated early on, becoming immune to their repeated scandals. It gets easier to say, ³So what? Itıs just the right-wing fringe.² OF WHICH MANY FEEL YOUıRE A PART. What makes Ken Starr magically a part of the right wing? Because James Carville says he is? Iıve never been anything except a registered independent, still am. Though now Iım resoundingly Republican in my value system, I have no buddies in the right wing. IS ³HATE² TOO STRONG A WORD FOR YOUR FEELINGS TOWARD THE CLINTONS? I donıt hate them, though Iım at a loss to convey how much Hillary frightens me. The presidentıs not that Machiavellian. Heıs flawed, has this extraordinary sense of entitlement, will do whatever necessary to get his way. But Hillary is in a league of her own. After meeting Mrs. Clinton the first time, I said to a couple of people close to the president, ³Sheıs truly remarkable.² And their response was, ³Eight years for him, eight years for her. Thatıs the plan.² HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THEIR RELATIONSHIP? Hillary is the authority figure to Clintonıs recalcitrant childa chastised schoolboy looking back at her. When he behaves, he has the upper hand; if he misbehaves, she does. DID HILLARY KNOW ABOUT MONICA ALL ALONG? Iıd sooner believe in the Easter bunny than believe that Hillary missed that one. Monica was not a revelation to her. Thatıs why Monica was moved to the Pentagon after six months in the White House. WHEN YOU SAW HILLARY ON TV BLAMING THE ³VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY,² WHAT DID YOU THINK? That she hit it out of the ballparkwith her patriotic gold brooch in the shape of an eagle nestled on her shoulder. [Laughs] She not only covered up, but ensured the finger pointed anywhere but where it needed to go. As only she can. I stood in front of my TV saying, ³Bravo.² HOW DID MONICA FEEL ABOUT HILLARY? She was insanely jealous, because Hillary occupied the position of power. She often said, as she stood waiting for the Clintonsı motorcade to pass, that she resented not being the one in the car with him. AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MONICA? I donıt hate her either, though Iım more than displeased at her behavior, her choices. WHAT ABOUT THE PRESIDENTıS CHOICES? I always saw this as the abuse of a child. And I do mean child, albeit a sexually provocative one. Monica is far more worldly than Iıll ever beand not necessarily in a good sense. People have drawn the faulty conclusion that the president and Monicaıs ³affair² was consensual sex between two adults. It was the farthest thing from it. Thong or no thong, this was a child who was in love with a rock star, serviced a rock star, believed every lie he told her, and kept coming back to get hit over the head again. But youıve said the scandal wasnıt about sex. It wasnıt. The Clintons wanted it to be, because everybody lies about sex. They used it to deflect the public from the real issues: recklessness, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, perjury, and subornation of perjury. How Monica came to climax on the phone with the president is almost beside the point. [Laughs] WHOıS GOTTEN AWAY WITH THE MOST IN THIS STORY? I hold Betty Currie, Clintonıs secretary, in as much contempt as I do the president. Monica had to go through her to see or speak to the president. Without Bettyıs complicity, Monica would have had to go on to something else. Betty was a facilitator. At the very least, she had an obligation to tell the truth. AND SHE DIDNıT? Betty succumbed to that fatal Clinton brain lapse, the Clinton dogma³anything at all costs.² HOW DO YOU KNOW CURRIE DIDNıT TELL THE FULL TRUTH WHEN SHE TESTIFIED? Because Monica had taken her out for a drink one night in July ı97 and told her the truth. BUT THAT HEARTBREAKING IMAGE OF BETTY, HEAD DOWN, WALKING THROUGH THE MEDIA CRUSH TO TESTIFY BEFORE THE GRAND JURY She was given the choice, as we all were, to not have to face the horde of media. She could have been driven right up to the door by security. Instead, she chose to walk through the pressing crowd looking vulnerable. It was a priceless image: the poor civil servant merely doing her job, being subjected to this by the evil Ken Starr. It was all orchestrated by the White House. WHAT ABOUT YOUR ROLE? I did nothing more than bring forward evidence, just as Monica did nothing more than indulge in that age-old practice of being a mistress. We are both peripheral to the story, as is the sex. Whatıs important is that a president of the United States was willing to fix a court case [brought against him by Paula Jones for sexual harassment] and bastardize his questionable value system to save his own ass at the expense of others. WHY WERE PEOPLE WERE SO WILLING TO FORGIVE EVERYBODY ELSE BUT YOU? Someone said: ³If she looked like Goldie Hawn, this never would have happened.² [Laughs] Poor Goldie. She would never want my name used in the same sentence. If I had been less hulking, more approachable, perhaps people wouldnıt have drawn conclusions about me based on negative information from the other side. They might have tried to listen. I think I generate a truly visceral reaction in people, which hurts more than I can tell you. But Iıve also believed that if people listened, took the walk, theyıd get it. Page 2 of 6 Linda Tripp The George Interview Continued from page 1 SO, LETıS TAKE THE WALKSTARTING WITH YOUR PARENTS, WHO MET IN GERMANY AFTER WORLD WAR II WHEN YOUR FATHER WAS IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS. My mother was an 18-year-old girl in Frankfurt whose home had been bombed out; they lived in bunkers. [Tears up] She is an incredible human being, a role model, a rock for me my entire life. Sheıs been very proud of me throughout this ordeal. AND YOUR FATHER? Frankly, I was in fear of him. He was the enforcer, a man of strong character, a believer in ³spare the rod, spoil the child.² I could never win his approval, much as I would try. His love was conditional based on my behavior, which was not always stellar. I loved the social aspect of school, but was learning disabled when it came to numbers. I threw up before every math test. WERE YOU REBELLIOUS? I was pretty much beaten down. My friends used to say they had never heard the term ³house arrest² until they met me. [Laughs] Still, I must have been a handfulstuff like reading with a flashlight in my bed after lights outwhich I consistently did, knowing if I got caught, Iıd get the strap. YOUR FATHER BEAT YOU? In the ı50s, corporal punishment was far more acceptable. It was nothing a child could deflect. But Iım not casting myself as a victim. DID YOUR MOTHER INTERVENE? Valiantly, but there was a pecking order in our house. Her job was to cook, clean, keep the five white shirts starched, ironed, and in the closet; his was to run the household, which he did with an iron fist. DID HE EVER HIT HER? No, but when I was 18, he left her for another woman, a teacher and co-worker. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN TOUGH. My mother was crushed; I immediately thought it was my fault. I said, ³Iıll do anything if you stay, give up my room if you want it.² But he left that day. From then on, I decided to have no more contact with him. AND YOU DIDNıT FOR 30 YEARS. UNTIL 1998. The White House perpetrated a smear campaign, and my father was the only person who had contemporaneous knowledge about the event. It was a very difficult phone call to make, but he was gracious, asking, ³How can I help?² I said, ³Please tell me your recollection.² I handed the phone to my lawyer, and he did. WHAT WAS THE EVENT? When I was 18, a bunch of us went across the New York state line to Greenwood Lake to drink watered-down beer and ended up in a drunken stupor. One boy, unbeknownst to me, put a bunch of stolen stuffa manıs ring, a watchinto my bag. The police came, found it, arrested me. I was traumatized. But it was a defining moment, giving me a healthy terror of law enforcement. I realized you should never get in a position where you cannot disprove a negative. As it turned out, the boy who had driven the car that night, now a law enforcement officer, came forward to explain what really happened. WHAT BECAME OF YOUR MOTHER? She got her college degree and married Dr. Robert Beckwith, a constitutional scholar. He showed my sister and I what a father can be, giving me confidence that I could succeed. I always thought I wouldnıt amount to anything, because my father said I wouldnıt. WHEN YOU WERE 21, YOU MARRIED BRUCE TRIPP, A MILITARY MAN, HAD TWO KIDS, AND LIVED ALL OVER THE WORLD. I loved it. As an army wife, you find that patriotism isnıt a word; itıs a state of mind, a love of country. It sounds corny, but these people donıt talk about itthey live it. AND YET, 20 YEARS LATER, YOUR MARRIAGE ENDED. Bruce is a good man and father, but we had no business being married. I didnıt even get a lawyer in the divorce because I knew he would be fair, and he was. The night before I testified to the grand jury, Bruce surprised me by calling. [Tears up] He said that I was an honest person, and he was proud of me, which helped. I didnıt expect him to go out of his way to be kind. He wasnıt thrilled about the situation the family was in. AFTER THE DIVORCE, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO? Focus on a career for the first time in my life. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE WHITE HOUSE? POLITICS? No, Iım ashamed to say the first time I ever voted was 1992. But Iıd wanted to work at the White House ever since I was eight years old and read Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington.. The day I interviewed, I sat in the Executive Office Building, at a window overlooking the White House, with a marine guard at the door. It was like a movie backdrop. I thought, History happens here every minute. I couldnıt believe they were even considering me for a job. LITTLE DID YOU KNOW YOUıD BE WRITING YOUR OWN CHAPTER OF WHITE HOUSE HISTORY. HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET MONICA LEWINSKY? I was moved from the Clinton White House to the Pentagon in August 1994. Monica arrived there in April 1996 with a plum job that included international travel with the secretary of defense. None of us could figure out why the gal who had held the position, a seasoned professional, had been replaced by this young girl. DID COLLEAGUES SUSPECT SHE HAD CONNECTIONS? Definitely. We referred to her as ³someoneıs pet rock.² We just didnıt know whose. I thought maybe an assistant to the president. Never in my wildest dreams WAS SHE UNQUALIFIED? On every level. She didnıt want to be there, which she made clear, saying, ³I donıt know why they put me here. My job is largely transcription, and I donıt even know how to type.² WHAT BROUGHT YOU TWO TOGETHER? I had big blowups of Clinton for a PR project propped up against my wall, and she asked for one, announcing that she had worked at the White House. When I said I had worked there, too, it was a bond that never went away. She told me her stories; I knew the players. WAS SHE OPENLY INFATUATED WITH THE PRESIDENT? Oh, yeah. CNN was always on, tracking his movements; Monica, from her open cubicle, would squeal things like, ³Doesnıt he look cute today?² or ³I gave him that tie.² SHE ALSO TRACKED HIM, EVEN SHOWING UP AT HIS FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY PARTY IN NEW YORK CITY. In that case, she paid $250 for a ticket with no guarantee of access, which I thought excessive for an intern. But she bought new clothes, went to New York, not explaining until much later her special access. WHICH WAS? Her physical contact with the president. Standing in a crowded rope line, she put her hand on his penis. When she told me that months later, Iıd heard everything, so it didnıt surprise me. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. 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