Tripp Back Before Jury

Linda Tripp returned to Washington Thursday for a fourth day of testimony before the federal grand jury investigating the relationship between the President and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Tripp secretly taped 20 hours of phone conversations with Lewinsky from her Maryland home. In the tapes, Ledwinsky reportedly talks about her relationship with the President.

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. Maryland state prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli announced Tuesday he has opened a grand jury probe of whether Tripp violated Maryland law with her taping of phone conversations.

In a TV interview, attorney Anthony Zaccagnini said Montanarelli "advised us" that Democratic members of the Legislature were contacting the prosecutor and "requesting that Linda be investigated and prosecuted."

"That's absolutely untrue," replied Gavin Patashnick, a spokesman for Montanarelli.

Patashnick refused to characterize discussions between the Tripp lawyers and the state prosecutor, except to deny Zaccagnini's account.

"We haven't had a direct order from the Democratic Party or the Legislature or the governor or the president to do this investigation," said Patashnick.

"We have looked through the files and there were no phone calls, no correspondence from any politician urging us to bring this investigation," said Patashnick.

Forty-nine Democrats in the General Assembly wrote a local prosecutor early this year asking for an investigation of Tripp for possible violation of a Maryland wiretapping law. The local prosecutor handed off the matter to Montanarelli.

Earlier this year, officials in the Clinton administration were questioned by prosecutors about encouraging Maryland residents to make calls to state party officials to press for an investigation of Tripp's tape recordings. A spokesman for the President's drug policy director, Bob Weiner, was one person called before Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's grand jury in January for such questioning.

Tripp could face could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 if found guilty of the state's wiretap law. Under the statute, tape recording a conversation without a person's knowledge is a felony.

All of this shas left Tripp wth hefty legal bills and she is asking for help in paying mounting legal bills. So far, business has been slow

Joe Murtha, one of Mrs. Tripp's attorneys, says her fund "hasn't generated a whole lot of funds" since it was established in April. He blames the slow response on a lack of publicity, not his client's low standing in public opinion polls.

"We just haven't been really active in requesting assistance," Murtha said.

The defense fund for Tripp, who earns $88,000 a year in the Pentagon's public affairs office, was launched by her brother-in-law, Christopher Capossela, this spring with an energetic plea on her Web site.

His statement there characterizes Tripp as a courageous, hard-working mom who was thrust into a high-stakes legal battle simply because she told the truth.

Overnight, Tripp posted a new message thanking people for letters of support "during this very difficult time for my family and me." In addition to making contributions, viewers can order an "I believe Linda Tripp" bumper sticker "while supplies last."

Murtha said that because the defense account is a blind trust, he does not have specifics on the amount raised or from whom. He said Capossela was not available for comment.