Have you ever wondered about Linda Tripp’s net worth? Linda Tripp was an American Civil Servant, who was best known for revealing the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998, one of the biggest presidential scandals in American history. Tripp is estimated to have an estimated net worth of $1 million at the time of her death in April 2020 of pancreatic cancer.
In this article, we’ll discuss her career, as well as what we can learn from her.
Table of Contents
Early Life
Tripp was born as Linda Rose Carotenuto into a middle-class family in Jersey City, New Jersey on November 24, 1949. Her father was a high school teacher, and her mother was a homemaker, who was from Germany. World War II brought her parents together.
Tripp attended Hanover Park High School and graduated from there in 1968. In the same year, her parents divorced mainly due to her father having an affair with a fellow teacher. From her womanizing father, Tripp took the divorce very hard and became fixated on marital sanctity.
Career
After graduation, Tripp enrolled in a secretarial school. She married Bruce Tripp (very first boyfriend) in 1971, who was an Army training officer. In 1987, Tripp worked as a secretary in Army Intelligence based in Fort Meade, Maryland with her husband. Tripp began to work in Washington, D.C. after they separated in 1990.
From 1990 to 1994, Tripp worked as a White House adviser for President Bush and later for Clinton. From 1994 to 2001, he worked at the Pentagon’s Office of Public Affairs.
Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky Scandal
It was in the Pentagon office, where Tripp met Monica Lewinsky, a young intern. The pair managed to build up quite a close rapport and a friendship. Tripp was 24 years older than Monica so Monica saw her like an older sister that she would really confide in.
Their friendship went on for approximately a year and a half. Once you see someone every day for that long, you begin to get to know them, and most probably, you begin to trust them. At some point between the two women’s acquaintanceship, Monica confided in Tripp regarding her affair with President Bill Clinton.
In 1998, Tripp taped conversations between herself and Lewinsky in which Lewinsky detailed her sexual relationship with Clinton. Tripp then turned the tapes over to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, who was investigating Clinton for possible impeachment. The tapes were released to the public and played a key role in Clinton’s impeachment trial.
Tripp did not regret her actions. In other words, she claimed that she did this in a nutshell for the sake of ‘moral America’. Due to the controversy that she got herself involved in, Tripp was unfortunately fired from the Pentagon in 2001, at the end day of Clinton’s administration.
Tripp classed this as unfair dismissal. She then sued the US Department of Defense and the US Department of Justice for releasing her privacy to the media. Finally, she received $595,000 from the federal government as a settlement.
The scandal was made into the television series Impeachment: American Crime Story in 2021.
After the Scandal
Tripp had largely stayed out of the public eye since leaving her job at the Pentagon in 2001.
However, she did make headlines in 2014 when she sold her tell-all memoir, “A Scandalous Life,” which detailed her years working in the White House and her friendship with Monica Lewinsky, the former intern with whom Clinton had an affair.
In the book, Tripp claimed that Clinton had lied under oath about his relationship with Lewinsky and said she felt obligated to come forward with the information she had gathered about the scandal.
“I decided that the truth needed to be told,” she wrote. “I could not in good conscience remain silent.”
Tripp also made headlines in 2017 when she was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after an altercation with her neighbor. The charges were later dropped.
For the most part, though, Tripp has kept a low profile in recent years. Tripp died on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at her home in Middleburg, Virginia. Her news might not be heard by the public as it was the time when the COVID-19 began to spread.
However, her legacy as a key figure in the Clinton impeachment scandal will likely ensure that her name is remembered for years to come.
Linda Tripp’s Net Worth
Tripp is estimated to have an estimated net worth of $1 million at her death in 2020. Tripp’s main earnings have come from her working at The Pentagon and in The White House for years. Also, from the settlement of $595,000.
What Can We Learn From Linda Tripp
Do What You Think Is Right
Although Tripp releasing the tapes caused her to ultimately lose her job at the Pentagon and also caused a lot of people to question her true motives and intentions. However, Tripp has done various interviews with the likes of CNN where she has stood firm on her decisions and has been adamant that this was done purely for moral purposes.
Tripp may have been questioned by the media and the public, but she did what she thought was right.
Tripp was branded a traitor by the Clinton camp and her life was turned upside down. She received death threats, and had to move several times, and change her name. But she has never wavered in her belief that she did the right thing.
“I would do it again,” she said in a previous interview.
What we can learn is even though everyone might question your morals and motives behind your actions in work or business. We should always do what we think is right – regardless of the consequences. Meanwhile, it’s never too late to stand up for our beliefs. At the age of 70, Tripp is still fighting for what she believes in. We could all take a leaf out of her book.
Final Thought
Tripp has been both praised and vilified for her role in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. Some see her as a hero who exposed Clinton’s misconduct, while others view her as a traitor who betrayed a friend. Regardless of how you feel about her, there’s no denying that Tripp is a complex and fascinating woman with a story that continues to intrigue us.
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