WASHINGTON -- Linda R. Tripp, the woman whose secret taping of Monica Lewinsky provoked the scandal that led to the impeachment of President Clinton, is finally heading back to work for the Pentagon -- although in a different office miles from the five-sided building.

Tripp is expected to begin today as a public affairs specialist for the Defense Manpower Data Center, the Pentagon's research arm in nearby Rosslyn, Va., said a defense official who requested anonymity.

The 49-year-old Columbia resident remains a political appointee and will earn $94,098, the same salary she's been receiving as a public affairs specialist for the Pentagon's Joint Civilian Orientation Conference. The conference provides tours of military bases for civilian leaders, said the official.

Since the Lewinsky scandal broke early last year, Tripp has been working out of her home, drafting a report on her job at JCOC. The defense official said Tripp would likely work in the policy and plans section and not directly with the public.

For months, Tripp's lawyers had been pressing the Pentagon to allow her to return to work, but there was no response. It was at the Pentagon where Tripp befriended Lewinsky, also a public affairs employee, and then began surreptitiously taping her account of a love affair with Clinton.

The defense official declined to say why Tripp was being shifted to another office, saying only, "This decision was made in the best interests of the individual and the organization."

Tripp is being investigated by the Maryland state prosecutor for her taping. It is illegal in Maryland to record conversations without both parties' consent.

Last month, Tripp took to the airwaves to defend her actions, appearing on NBC's "Today" show and CNN's "Larry King Live." She portrayed herself as a surrogate mother to Lewinsky and argued that she saved the young woman, claiming the affair was making Lewinsky suicidal.

"I still to this day believe it benefited Monica as well," Tripp said of the taping on NBC. "Embarrassing, yes. She's alive today. She has a future today. I would not have given you odds on that in December. I think I may have contributed to her future health, yes."

One longtime worker at the Defense Manpower Data Center said employees are taking Tripp's pending arrival in stride.

"People are like, 'Let's get over this bump and get her assimilated,' " the worker said.

Pub Date: 3/03/99