Lucianne Goldberg: Navigating the Nexus of Media and Politics
An academic examination of a literary agent and author whose controversial actions significantly impacted American political discourse and media ethics, particularly during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
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Introduction
A Figure of Influence
Lucianne Goldberg (née Steinberger; 1935–2022) was an American literary agent and author, recognized for her significant, albeit controversial, role in shaping modern American political narratives. She was notably identified as a "key player" in the 1998 impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, an event that profoundly impacted the political landscape.
The Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal
Goldberg's most prominent involvement in public affairs stemmed from her advice to Linda Tripp, a confidante of Monica Lewinsky. Goldberg encouraged Tripp to surreptitiously record telephone conversations with Lewinsky regarding her alleged affair with President Clinton. These approximately 20 hours of recordings subsequently became critical evidence in the investigation led by Kenneth Starr, leading to President Clinton's impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Beyond the Headlines
While the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal brought her widespread notoriety, Goldberg's career spanned decades, encompassing roles in journalism, public relations, conservative activism, and a successful tenure as a literary agent specializing in politically charged "tell-all" books. Her life reflects a complex interplay of media engagement, political maneuvering, and a distinctive approach to public disclosure.
Early Life & Career
Formative Years
Born Lucianne Steinberger on April 29, 1935, in Boston, Massachusetts, her parents were Dr. Raymond Leonard von Steinberger, a government physicist, and Lucy Jane (née Moseley), a physiotherapist. She spent her formative years in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Goldberg left high school at the age of 16 to commence her professional life. She was briefly married to William Cummings, her high school sweetheart, a union that ended in divorce after three years.
Initial Forays into Media
Goldberg's career began at The Washington Post while she was still in secondary education. Her early political aspirations led her to seek a press aide position in Lyndon Johnson's 1960 presidential campaign. Following John F. Kennedy's Democratic nomination, she secured a role with the Democratic National Committee and later on Kennedy's Inaugural Committee. Although she claimed to have worked on Kennedy's White House staff, official records do not corroborate this; she stated her work involved opposition research in the Old Executive Office Building and subsequent public relations in the National Press Building.
Public Relations & Early Controversy
In 1963, Goldberg established her own public relations firm, Lucianne Cummings & Associates. She gained national media attention in 1965 for attempting to auction a handwritten note from Jackie Kennedy to Lady Bird Johnson. The First Lady, upon learning of the auction, demanded the note's return. Goldberg complied, only to discover the following day that her income tax returns would be audited by the Internal Revenue Service. In 1966, she married Sidney Goldberg, then executive editor of the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA), adopting his surname and continuing her work with the Women's News Service, a subsidiary of United Features Syndicate.
Conservative Activism & Watergate
The Pussycat League
In 1970, Lucianne Goldberg, alongside her friend Jeannie Sakol, co-founded the "Pussycat League," an organization explicitly formed to counter the burgeoning women's liberation movement. Their collaborative efforts extended to authoring Purr Baby Purr in 1971, a publication that served as a critique of contemporary feminism.
Reporter-Spy in 1972
During the 1972 presidential campaign, Goldberg assumed the guise of a reporter for the Women's News Service, covering Democratic candidate George McGovern. However, she was, in fact, on a leave of absence from that position and was being compensated $1000 per week (equivalent to approximately $7,517 in today's currency) to gather intelligence on McGovern and his campaign entourage. She was explicitly instructed to seek "really dirty stuff," including personal habits and alleged illicit activities among campaign staff and Secret Service personnel. This clandestine role as a reporter-spy was subsequently exposed during the Watergate hearings, contributing to the broader political scandal that culminated in President Nixon's resignation.
Feminist Counter-Allegations
In June 1973, prominent feminist Betty Friedan publicly accused Goldberg, in her capacity as an organizer for the Pussycat League, of employing "Watergate-style 'dirty tricks'" to obstruct the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Friedan alleged that Goldberg toured the country disseminating misinformation, falsely asserting that women would forfeit their husbands and rights to family support if the amendment were ratified. These accusations underscored the contentious nature of Goldberg's conservative activism during a period of significant social and political change.
Literary Agent & Author
A Niche in "Tell-All" Books
Goldberg established herself as a literary agent, developing a reputation, as noted by The New York Times, for promoting "right-wing, tell-all attack books." Her clientele included celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley, who later sued Goldberg in 1983 over proceeds from foreign sales of Kelley's unauthorized biography of Elizabeth Taylor. The judge ultimately ruled in Kelley's favor for $40,000, attributing Goldberg's culpability to "sloppy bookkeeping." Goldberg also served as the U.S. agent for the memoirs of Prince Charles' former valet, a publication that was ultimately blocked in England by Queen Elizabeth II.
Clinton-Related Publications
In the early 1990s, Goldberg actively promoted several books with a critical focus on President Bill Clinton. These included a conspiracy theory book concerning the suicide of White House aide Vince Foster, as well as multiple works detailing Clinton's purported sexual infidelities, some allegedly reported by Arkansas state troopers who claimed to have procured women for him. Notably, none of these books critical of Clinton were ultimately published. She also represented former detective Mark Fuhrman, whose bestselling account of the O. J. Simpson trial, Murder in Brentwood, became a significant publication.
Published Works
Beyond her agency work, Goldberg was an author in her own right. She co-authored Friends in High Places with Sondra Robinson, published in 1979. Her first solo novel, Madame Cleo's Girls, a narrative centered on three high-priced call girls, was released in 1992, followed by People Will Talk in 1994. Goldberg also engaged in ghostwriting for various celebrities, with the romance novel Washington Wives (1987), penned under the pseudonym of Maureen Dean (wife of Watergate figure John Dean), being a notable example of her behind-the-scenes literary contributions.
The Lewinsky Scandal
The Tripp Recordings
Goldberg's acquaintance with Linda Tripp began between 1993 and 1994, during work on a book proposal concerning the death of President Bill Clinton's aide, Vince Foster. The two women developed a friendship, and in 1997, Goldberg controversially advised Tripp to secretly record Monica Lewinsky discussing her sexual relationship with President Clinton. Goldberg incorrectly informed Tripp that such recordings were legal in Maryland without the consent of all parties, when in fact, this was not the case under Maryland law.
Fueling the Investigation
Goldberg played a pivotal role in bringing the recordings to light, urging Tripp to present the 20 hours of tapes to special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, whose mandate included investigating alleged improprieties by Clinton. She also alerted lawyers involved in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton to the existence of these recordings. The tapes proved instrumental to Starr's investigation into whether Clinton committed perjury during a sworn deposition by denying his affair with Lewinsky. This ultimately led to Clinton's impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives, though he was later acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
Public Persona & Motivations
Following the public disclosure of the scandal in January 1998, Goldberg frequently engaged with the media. She asserted that the tapes unequivocally demonstrated a sexual relationship between Lewinsky and Clinton and previewed other crucial details, such as the existence of a semen-stained dress later confirmed to contain Clinton's DNA. The Washington Post characterized her as "the producer and publicist" who orchestrated the scandal's unfolding, while Goldberg herself preferred the term "facilitator." Time magazine famously encapsulated her impact, stating, "At a minimum, she is forever sealed in history as the New York City literary agent who uttered to her friend the most ruinous sentence of the Clinton presidency: 'Linda, buy a tape recorder.'" Author Jeffrey Toobin identified her as one of the seven "Key Players" in the impeachment. Goldberg articulated her motivations as a desire for a "wake-up call" regarding declining general morality and a belief that the disclosure protected Lewinsky from an obsessive infatuation with Clinton. She openly expressed animosity toward Clinton, stating she was pleased he was "getting caught 'at something'" and that "if it took this to get him, fine." Despite being described in the press as having long-standing ties to the Republican Party, she maintained she was a political independent.
Repercussions & Later Career
Media Scrutiny and Defense
In the aftermath of the Clinton-Lewinsky affair disclosures, Goldberg faced intense media scrutiny and attacks on her character and past business dealings. The Democratic National Committee promptly distributed an unflattering "information sheet" about her to reporters. Goldberg, however, remained defiant, stating, "'I have never thought of myself as a victim in all this.' 'Never. Let them take their best shot.'" Although she later admitted the intense scrutiny had worn her down. She vehemently denied allegations of being part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" aimed at undermining the Clinton presidency. When Jeffrey Toobin's 1999 book, A Vast Conspiracy, alleged she had boasted of an affair with Lyndon Johnson, and a Washington Post writer claimed to have overheard her bragging about an affair with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Goldberg threatened Toobin and Random House with a libel suit, denying both affairs and the stories.
Legal Ramifications
Goldberg was subpoenaed to testify before a Maryland grand jury considering indicting Linda Tripp for making the illegal recordings. Under Maryland law, knowledge of the recordings' illegality was a necessary element for the crime. Goldberg explained that she had provided Tripp with incorrect legal advice, asserting that secret recordings were permissible. Consequently, charges against Tripp were later dropped. In a more unusual turn, liberal filmmaker Michael Moore established a webcam, dubbed "I See Lucy Cam," focused on the windows of Goldberg's Manhattan apartment, arguing that she, who did not respect others' privacy, should not expect her own. Goldberg responded entrepreneurially by selling advertisements to be placed on her window for $1,000 per week.
Digital Presence & Radio
In her later career, Goldberg maintained a prominent presence on the conservative website Free Republic, posting under the pseudonym "Trixie." However, she, along with other conservatives like Matt Drudge, eventually departed the site, citing concerns that the webmaster allowed "Y2K, gun-nut, Jew-baiting crazies" to dominate the forum and alienate "plain-old conservatives." Following this, she founded her own website, `Lucianne.com`, which became a platform for conservative commentary. For a period, she also hosted a nationally syndicated talk radio show, featuring a Washington correspondent, further extending her reach into conservative media circles.
Personal Life
Family Life
Lucianne Goldberg was married to Sidney Goldberg, a newspaper executive with United Features Syndicate, from 1966 until his passing in 2005. The couple had two children. Their son, Joshua Goldberg (1967–2011), served as the editor of her websites and was the Republican nominee in 2009 for the New York City Council seat representing Manhattan's Upper West Side, though he lost the election to Gale Brewer, who later became Manhattan Borough President. Their second son, Jonah Goldberg (b. 1969), is a best-selling author and a well-known conservative political commentator. While Lucianne, raised Episcopalian, remained a Christian, her children were raised Jewish, following their father's faith.
Passing
Lucianne Goldberg passed away on October 26, 2022, at her home in Weehawken, New Jersey, at the age of 87. Her death was attributed to liver and kidney failure, concluding a life marked by significant public engagement and influence in American media and politics.
Cultural Depictions
On Screen
Lucianne Goldberg's prominent role in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal led to her portrayal in popular culture. She was depicted by the acclaimed actress Margo Martindale in the third season of American Crime Story, titled Impeachment. This portrayal brought her character and actions to a wider audience, reflecting her lasting impact on a pivotal moment in recent American history.
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References
References
- Gerri Hirshey, Washington Post, "Kitty Kelley: Doing It Her Way; For the Biographer, Lawsuits, Charges Of Garbology And Tussles With Sinatra", October 31, 1988.
- Lloyd Grove, with Beth Berselli, The Washington Post, "The Reliable Source", January 11, 2000, pg. C03.
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