U.S.

Tripp Fires Her Lawyer

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 10, 1998 / 2:03 PM EDT / CBS

A central figure in the Monica Lewinsky investigation, Linda Tripp, is firing one of her lawyers, saying he has been speaking to the news media against her wishes.

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In another Lewinsky case development, a federal judge has told the independent prosecutor he must show "a compelling need" before he can obtain bookstore records that could reveal whether Lewinsky gave books to President Clinton, according to one of the stores whose records were subpoenaed.

Independent counsel Kenneth Starr has accused the president of having an affair with Lewinsky, a former White House intern, lying about it and encouraging her to cover it up.

Tripp, the Pentagon employee whose secret tape recordings triggered the Lewinsky probe, said Thursday that "any information provided by" attorney James Moody "to the media since Feb. 4, 1998, was not authorized and is wholly disavowed."

Reached by telephone today, Moody said that it's been "an honor and a privilege to work with Linda and if she needs my help in the future I will be there for her."

Moody said Tripp wants to maintain a "low profile" regarding contact with the media and "I do agree with that."

Tripp, who lives in Columbia, Md., is waiting to be called as a grand jury witness in the criminal investigation of Starr's allegations against Clinton. Lewinsky reportedly confided to Tripp that she had a sexual relationship with Clinton and that she had been encouraged to cover it up. Tripp taped the conversations.

Still representing Tripp is Anthony Zacagnini of Baltimore. Tripp could face legal problems in Maryland because it is illegal to tape phone calls in the state without the consent of both parties.

In a statement issued Thursday, Kramerbooks said Chief U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson, who is supervising Starr's grand jury inquiry, refused to quash the three bookstore subpoenas, but acknowledged that the matter raised serious First Amendment issues.

Subpoenas were issued to three Washington booksellers: Kramerbooks, afterwords (sic) and an outlet of the Barnes & Noble chain.

In a six-page ruling, issued Monday but not given to bookstores until Thursday, Judge Holloway ordered Starr to submit a secret filing to demonstrate compelling need. Frequently used in constitutional-rights cases, says CBS News legal correspondent Andrew Cohen, the compelling need standard means that Starr will have to show why it is important to restrict the constitutional rights of Lewinsky and the booksellers.

Pam Bethel, an attorney for Kramerbooks and afterwords had argued that he right to read "is exactly what the founding fathers had in mind when the Bill of Rights was written."

She said the bookstore already has suffered from a one-day boycott and many letters from patrons concerned that records of their book purchases might be divulged.