One of Linda Tripp’s lawyers said Thursday that the Maryland state prosecutor admitted being contacted by Democratic legislators urging a case be brought against Tripp for secretly tape-recording former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The prosecutor’s office denied the lawyer’s statement. Tripp returned to Washington Thursday for a fourth day of testimony before the federal grand jury investigating an alleged presidential affair and cover-up involving Lewinsky. Maryland state prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli announced Tuesday he has opened a grand jury probe of whether Tripp violated Maryland law by taping Lewinsky. Appearing on NBC’s “Today,” 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.
