WASHINGTON (AP) - Linda Tripp, the woman whose secret tape recordings led to President Clinton 's impeachment, was fired Friday by the Clinton administration after she refused to resign like other political appointees, her lawyer said.
``The termination of Linda Tripp is vindictive, mean-spirited and wrong,'' attorneys Stephen Kohn, David Colapinto and Michael Kohn said in a statement. ``President Clinton should not have ended his presidency on such a vengeful note.''
Word of Tripp's firing came as Clinton reached a deal to settle the remaining legal issues from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
As a political appointee, Tripp was asked in recent days by her superiors to resign her position in preparation for the change in administrations, but on the advice of her attorneys she refused to do so in a letter Thursday addressed to Clinton.
Kohn blamed Clinton for the dismissal, saying that the ultimate responsibility for firing political appointees like Tripp rests solely with the president. Tripp, a Department of Defense (news - web sites) employee, was out of the country and the Clinton administration refused to show the letter of dismissal to her lawyers. Kohn said that he was told of the termination by the Defense Department.
And, if you say it ain't so, check the current State Dept.'s spokesman. He had exactly the same job under Clinton. I suspect he resigned on Jan 19 and he was then re-hired on Jan. 20.
If you want me to say that Clinton/Bush fired Linda Tripp... then I have no problem with that.