Ellicott City - A pretrial hearing to determine whether Ms Linda Tripp can be tried for alleged violations of Maryland's wiretap law entered a fourth day yesterday amid an atmosphere electrified by the arrival of Ms Monica Lewinsky, who is expected to testify against her former friend.
Ms Tripp is charged with taping a conversation with M s Lewinsky on December 22nd, 1997, and sharing its contents with Newsweek magazine, and could face up to five years in prison and have to pay $10,000 in fines on each count, if convicted.
Before the former White House secretary can be brought to trial, however, state prosecutors must prove that their case against Ms Tripp was not derived either directly or indirectly from the Starr investigation.