Linda Tripp became a pivotal figure in American politics during the late 1990s, primarily due to her role in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
Her life, actions, and the subsequent effects on her career and reputation have been the subject of much discussion and analysis.
In this article, we delve into the life of Linda Tripp, exploring her journey from a relatively unknown government employee to a central figure in one of the most scandalous political events in United States history.
We examine her career, personal life, and the controversial decisions that led to her being both criticized and praised.
Moreover, we provide an in-depth analysis of Linda Tripp’s net worth, assessing how her involvement in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal impacted her financial status and how she managed her assets throughout the turbulence that followed.
Join us as we uncover the financial facets of a woman who played an unforgettable role in the annals of political history.
How much is the net worth of Linda Tripp?
Linda Tripp’s net worth is estimated at $40 million. She was an American civil servant who played a prominent role in the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal of 1998.
In 2004, Tripp founded a holiday store called The Christmas Sleigh, in Middleburg, Virginia, along with her husband, Dieter Rausch. John Goodman portrayed Tripp in the series Saturday Live Sketches.
Sarah Paulson portrayed Tripp in the series on the TV titled Impeachment: American Crime Story, which premiered on FX on September 7, 2021.
Linda Tripp Net Worth Quick Summary
| Name | Linda Rose Carotenuto |
| Popular Name | Linda Tripp |
| Birth Date | November 24, 1949 |
| Birth Place | Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Death Date | April 8, 2020 |
| Schooling | Hanover Park High School |
| Career Roles | Civil Servant, Small Business owner |
| Famous for | Role in unearthing Clinton – Lewinsky scandal |
| Net Worth during her death in 2020 | $40 million |
| Facebook Account | https://www.facebook.com/linda.tripp.96 |
| Twitter Account | https://twitter.com/hashtag/lindatripp |
Linda Tripp Net Worth
Linda Tripp net worth around the time of her death in 2020 was estimated at $40 million. Majority of her earnings were from her services at the White House and Pentagon.
Along with her second husband Dieter Raush, Linda also owned a holiday store named after the Christmas Sleigh and themed on German Winter.
Early Life and Career Outline of Linda Tripp
Tripp was born on November 24, 1949 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her father Albert Carotenuto was a High School teacher in Mathematics and Science.
He was married to a German lady Inge, who he came across as an American soldier while stationed in Germany. This couple divorced when Carotenuto’s affair with a fellow teacher surfaced in 1968.
In 1968, Linda passed out from Hanover Park High School in East Hanover, New Jersey and became the secretary in Army Intelligence at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Tripp married Bruce Tripp, a military officer in 1971 and had a son and daughter with him. Her first marriage lasted until the couple divorced in 1990.
Linda was employed in the White House under George H. W. Bush administration. Her job continued even under Bill Clinton, when he became the president in 1993.
As per the advice of the senior White House aides, Tripp was transferred to the office of the Public Affairs at Pentagon and this transfer put her on a salary rise of $20,000.
At the Pentagon, Linda had developed a strong bond with Monica Lewinsky, a fellow worker. After they had been friends for nearly one and a half years, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal attained its final stage.
Linda’s recordings of the telephone conversations between Clinton and Lewinsky stood as the prime evidence in proving the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal later leading to Clinton’s impeachment.
On January 19, 2001, Linda was removed from her job in the Pentagon at the end of Clinton’s administration. Linda made a claim that her removal from the job was based on vindictive grounds.
However, the administration said as per the general procedures, political appointees like Linda are asked to submit their resignation when the tenure of the administration ends.
If the subject refuses to do so before the new administration takes over, they would be fired.
Linda sued the US Department of Justice and the U|S Department of Defense for releasing information from her employment file and security file to the media, which she claimed was a violation of 1974 Privacy Act.
In a settlement finalized with the federal government on November 3, 2003, Linda was awarded a one-time payment of over $595,000.
The other terms of the settlement were a retroactive promotion, a retroactive pay on par with the highest salary drawn between 1998 and 2000, pension and a clearance to work on any job role with the federal government. She too got her rights to stay part of any class action against the government protected.
In 2004, Tripp married Dieter Rausch. They lived in Middleburg, Virginia and together started a holiday store named the Christmas Sleigh themed on German winter.
On December 1, 2003, Linda made an appearance on Larry King Live with Larry King. During the program, Linda said she was living with breast cancer.
While Tripp was successfully invading the privacy lawsuit against the federal government, she claimed that she faced severe financial damage due to the attorney fees and the loss of her government career.
She too stated that the leaking of her employment history by the Clinton’s administration was not legal. Also, she avoided prosecution for wiretapping the personal conversations between Clinton and Lewinsky by getting immunity in return to her testimony.
While responding to a statement made by Clarence Thomas in 1991, Tripp said that she was a victim of ‘a real high-tech lynching’.
Role in Clinton – Lewinsky scandal impeachment
During her tenure at the pentagon’s Public Affairs Office, Tripp befriended Monica Lewinsky, a fellow employee. According to Linda, once Lewinsky had revealed about her sexual relationship with Clinton.
Under the advice of Lucianne Goldberg, who was a literary agent, Linda started recording the telephone conversations with Lewinsky and also documented the details pertaining to Lewinsky’s relationship with the President.
In January 1998, Linda produced the tapes to Kenneth Starr, an Independent Counsel in exchange for the award of protection from possible prosecution.
Tripp revealed to Kenneth Starr that she was aware of the Lewinsky – Clinton relationship and that Lewinsky had denied her relationship and had given a false affidavit to the federal court in Arkansas in the lawsuit, Clinton v. Jones.
She too had stated that she was actually asked to commit a crime for concealment of evidence in the Jones civil rights case.
Tripp had also revealed to Start about a navy blue dress owned by Lewinsky that contained Clinton’s semen. Lewinsky had earlier shown the dress to Linda stating her intention to get it dry cleaned. Tripp had convinced her not to have the stains removed.
Supported by Tripp’s tapes, Starr had got approval from the special court overseeing the investigation into the Lewinsky – Clinton relationship. Incidents of perjury were tracked and Lewinsky was investigated for perjury. Perjury was also suborned in the Pula Jones lawsuit against Clinton.
During the developments, Clinton and Lewinsky had to answer the questions by a grand jury. As her final statement during the conclusion of the interrogation, Lewinsky said to the jurors, “I hate Linda Tripp”.
Tripp was a Maryland resident of Hickory Ridge in Columbia, when she made the secretive recordings of Lewinsky’s conversations.
Therefore, around 49 Democrats in the Maryland Legislature submitted a written request to the state prosecutor demanding the prosecution of Linda under Maryland’s wiretap law.
The state court had said that the independent counsel had entered into an immunity agreement with Tripp, Lewinsky and some others and hence a major part of the evidence that was intended to use for the prosecution was not admissible.
During the pre-trial hearing, the prosecution invited Lewinsky as a witness while checking if the testimony she gave against Tripp was not tainted by the independent counsel’s investigation.
Nevertheless, the state court of Maryland opined that Lewinsky’s testimony against Tripp was not to be admitted as Lewinsky had earlier “admitted that she lied under oath in a federal proceeding and has stated that lying has been a part of her life”.
Therefore, all the charges against Tripp were dismissed on May 6, 2000 and the prosecution decided it would not move with the case’s trial
Linda Tripp’s Real Estate
Linda Tripp owned a home in Maryland from which she recorded the conversations with Monica Lewinsky in 1997 pertaining to her relationship with Clinton. The property sold for $523,000.
This property is a 4 bedroom house with 2.5 baths, spanning over 2,317 square feet. The highlights of this house include wooden flooring, built-in fireplace at the family room, a living room, and a gourmet kitchen.
The release of the tapes in 1999 by Linda nearly brought down the presidency of Clinton. The property had also changed hands in 2011 before being listed for sale in 2021.
