Monica Lewinsky has confirmed the authenticity of tape recordings of two conversations secretly recorded by Linda R. Tripp, state prosecutors said in court documents filed yesterday.

The Columbia resident was indicted by a Howard County grand jury last month on charges that she illegally taped Lewinsky on Dec. 22, 1997, and then had her attorney illegally disclose the contents to Newsweek magazine.

The significance of Lewinsky's confirmation remains unclear because she listened to copies of tapes of conversations that took place in October 1997. Those copies were provided to prosecutors by Tripp confidante Lucianne Goldberg. Lewinsky, apparently at the prosecutors' request, listened to them June 16 and confirmed the identity of the voices on them.

State prosecutors disclosed that Lewinsky listened to tapes as a response to demands by Tripp's attorneys for information about how they built their case.

Tripp's attorneys are challenging the indictment, arguing in part that prosecutors relied on immunized testimony she gave to independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr as part of his investigation of President Clinton.

State Prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli will provide Tripp's attorneys with transcripts of the grand jury proceedings leading to her indictment but wants to prevent their disclosure to others.

Pub Date: 8/27/99