Charges Against Tripp Are Weighed

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — A grand jury on Thursday began considering whether charges should be filed against Linda Tripp for secretly taping conversations with former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky, a court clerk said.

A Howard County Circuit Court clerk, who did not want to be identified, said grand jurors met with State Prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli.

Montanarelli is investigating whether Tripp broke state law when she taped Lewinsky, who says she had an affair with President Clinton.

In Maryland, it is illegal to tape-record a telephone conversation without the other person’s consent. However, it is legal in the District of Columbia and in Virginia, where Tripp works at the Pentagon. Tripp is a resident of Columbia, Md.