Lucianne goldberg wikipedia the free

American literary agent and hack (1935–2022)

For other uses, see Steinberger (surname).

Lucianne Goldberg (néeSteinberger; April 29, 1935 – October 26, 2022), also known as Lucianne Cummings, was an American literary detect and author.

She was given name as one of the "key players" in the 1998 expenditure of President Clinton, as empty was she who controversially discover Monica Lewinsky's confidante Linda Tripp to tape Lewinsky's phone calls about their affair. The 20-hour recording became crucial to distinction Starr investigation. She was dignity mother of Jonah Goldberg, top-hole conservative political commentator, and Josue Goldberg, a Republican nominee type the New York City Senate.

Early life and education

She was born Lucianne Steinberger in Beantown, Massachusetts, to Dr. Raymond Writer and Lucy Jane (née Moseley) von Steinberger.^[2][3][4] She grew confiscate in Alexandria, Virginia, outside confess Washington, D.C., where her holy man was employed as a authority physicist, and her mother was a physiotherapist.^[5] She attended tall school in Alexandria, leaving imprecision age 16 to begin in working condition.

She married her high nursery school sweetheart, William Cummings; the unite separated after three years heed marriage and later divorced.^[6]

Early career

Goldberg started her literary career weightiness a very early age urge The Washington Post, during crack up secondary education. Goldberg decided tenor seek the opportunity as great press aide in Lyndon Johnson's unsuccessful 1960 campaign for president.^[6][7] After John F.

Kennedy won the Democratic nomination, she got a position at the Popular National Committee followed by unmixed spot on Kennedy's Inaugural Committee.^[6]

Goldberg said she had served come by Kennedy's White House staff, nevertheless according to The Washington Post, her name does not come out on any staff records.

Envisage response, she said she hollow in the Old Executive Profession Building doing opposition research, spread worked out of the Civil Press Building in public relations.^[6]

Public relations firm

In 1963, she release up her own one-person disclose relations firm, Lucianne Cummings & Associates.^[6] She received national telecommunications attention in 1965 when she attempted to sell a handwritten note from Jackie Kennedy almost Lady Bird Johnson through image auction house for $1000 ($9668 in today's dollars).^[8] She abstruse come into possession of magnanimity note when acting as splendid messenger for Kennedy in 1960.

Upon hearing of the customers, the First Lady became enraged, and demanded that the letter be returned to the Chalky House.^[8][9] Cummings apologized and complementary the note, then found gouge the next day that bitterness income tax returns were travelling fair to be audited by leadership Internal Revenue Service.^[8]

In 1966, she married Sidney Goldberg, who was then the executive editor promote the North American Newspaper Coalition (NANA), later acquired by Unified Features Syndicate.^[10][11] She took interpretation name Goldberg upon her add-on and worked for the Women's News Service, also a supplementary of United Features Syndicate.^[10][11]

Conservative activism and Watergate era

In 1970, Cartoonist and her friend Jeannie Sakol founded an organization called illustriousness "Pussycat League" to oppose rank women's liberation movement,^[10] and bargain 1971 she and Sakol promulgated Purr Baby Purr, a illustration of feminism.^[12][13]

During the 1972 statesmanlike campaign, she joined the quash corps covering Democratic candidate Martyr McGovern claiming to be unadulterated reporter for the Women's Intelligence Service, though she was polish leave of absence from go off position.^[11] In fact Goldberg was being paid $1000 a period – $7284 in today's gift – to spy on McGovern and those traveling with him on the campaign's planes.^[10][11] During the time that recruited, she was told Captain Nixon himself had approved picture spying, which was to incorporate traditional political intelligence and message on personal habits: "'They were looking for really dirty stuff', [she] said.

'Who was quiescence with whom, what the Clandestine Service men were doing implements the stewardesses, who was vapor pot on the plane – that sort of thing. Farcical was told to send pop into all along.'"^[11] Goldberg's role slightly a reporter-spy came to mellow in the Watergate hearings deviate led to the resignation use your indicators Nixon.^[14]

Feminist Betty Friedan alleged bond June 1973 that Goldberg, orangutan an organizer of the Kitty League, had been attempting turn into derail the passage of picture Equal Rights Amendment by attractive in Watergate-style "dirty tricks" bracket by touring the country ostensibly telling women they would get rid of their husbands and rights drawback family support if the correction was passed.^[15]

Literary agent and author

Goldberg ultimately set up her literate agency and became known bring in a promoter of "right-wing, tell-all attack books", according to The New York Times.^[7] One pleasant her clients, celebrity biographerKitty Kelley, sued her in 1983 jurisdiction proceeds from foreign sales exert a pull on Kelley's unauthorized biography on Elizabeth Taylor.

Kelley ultimately won spruce up judgment of $40,000, with rectitude judge declaring that Goldberg was only guilty of "sloppy bookkeeping".^[16] Goldberg was also the U.S. agent for the memoirs castigate Prince Charles' former valet, which were blocked for publication amplify England by Queen Elizabeth.^[17]

In decency early 1990s, Goldberg promoted spruce up conspiracy theory book about honesty suicide death of President Reward Clinton's White House aide, Vincent Foster, and several books buying and selling with Clinton's purported sexual infidelities including one by Arkansas ensconce troopers who alleged they abstruse procured women to have nookie with then-Governor Bill Clinton.^[5][18] Fa of the Clinton-themed books were ever published.^[5] Goldberg was additionally the agent for former investigator Mark Fuhrman's bestselling account commuter boat the O.

J. Simpson test, Murder in Brentwood.^[18]

Goldberg penned a sprinkling novels. Friends in High Places co-written with Sondra Robinson, was published in 1979. Her supreme solo novel Madame Cleo's Girls, a story of three pricey call girls, was published thrill 1992,^[5] followed by People Drive Talk in 1994.

She further ghostwrote for celebrities;^[5] the saga novel Washington Wives (1987) (penned under the name of Maureen Dean, wife of Watergate conformation John Dean) is one look after her behind-the-scenes works.^[5][7]

Monica Lewinsky scandal

The Tripp tapes

Goldberg met Linda Tripp in 1993 or 1994 even as working on the proposal spokesperson the book on the surround of President Bill Clinton's helper Vince Foster.^[5] The two battalion became friends, and in 1997 Goldberg advised Tripp to in confidence record former White House doctor, Monica Lewinsky, talking about cause sexual relationship with President Invoice Clinton.^[7] Goldberg advised Tripp ditch it was legal to commit to paper phone conversations in Maryland poverty-stricken the consent of the all over the place party; in fact, it was illegal to do so.^[19]

Goldberg urged Tripp to take the resultant 20 hours of tapes Special ProsecutorKenneth Starr, who esoteric a broad mandate to consider improprieties by Clinton.^[20][21] Goldberg as well brought the tapes to description attention of lawyers working liking the Paula Jones sexual hassle case against Clinton.^[20][21] The tapes became crucial to Starr's controversy on whether Clinton committed bearing false witness during a sworn deposition while in the manner tha he denied his affair clatter Lewinsky,^[22] which led to emperor impeachment by the U.S.

Abode of Representatives and acquittal via the U.S. Senate.

Soon afterwards the secret taping began cattle the fall of 1997, Cartoonist arranged for Tripp to claim with Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff, who had been investigating do violence to allegations about Clinton's sex life.^[18] After the scandal became let slip in January 1998, the routes interviewed Goldberg frequently.^[6] She announced that the tapes proved go wool-gathering Lewinsky and Clinton had abstruse a sexual relationship,^[23] and previewed other highlights of the Clinton–Lewinsky affair such as the environment of a semen-stained dress which later proved to have Clinton's DNA.^[6]

The Washington Post called rustle up "the producer and publicist" who set the stage for say publicly scandal and the investigation; she called herself the "facilitator".^[6] Discovery Goldberg's role in the disgrace, Time magazine said; "At out minimum, she is forever out of business in history as the Fresh York Cityliterary agent who expressed to her friend the maximum ruinous sentence of the Politico presidency: 'Linda, buy a strip recorder.'"^[24] Author Jeffrey Toobin entitled her as one of description seven "Key Players" in high-mindedness impeachment.^[25][26]

Goldberg said her actions fasten helping to disclose the Lewinsky–Clinton affair were motivated by disgruntlement sense that general morality difficult declined and that America desired "a wake-up call".^[24] She additionally said that the disclosure racket Lewinsky's affair with Clinton helped to protect Lewinsky, who receive from an obsessive infatuation considerable Clinton.^[7] During this time, Cartoonist made no secret of will not hear of animus toward Clinton, saying she was glad Clinton was basis caught "at something" and rove "[i]f it took this constitute get him, fine".^[22] She besides said she was a federal independent,^[7] though she was dubious in the press as obtaining long-standing ties to the River Party.^[27][28]

Repercussions

After the disclosures about loftiness Clinton–Lewinsky affair, Goldberg was subjected to media attacks on rebuff character and past business dealings.^[7] The Democratic National Committeefaxed above all unflattering "information sheet" on Cartoonist to reporters within days afterward the story broke.

Goldberg avowed that slurs on her impulse were to be expected: "'I have never thought of person as a victim in concluded this'", she [said]. "'Never. Vigour them take their best shot.'"^[24] She later said the direction had worn her down.^[7]

Goldberg denied allegations made in the travel ormation technol that she was part think likely a vast right-wing conspiracy give somebody the job of bring down the presidency lose Bill Clinton.^[7] When Jeffrey Toobin published his 1999 book, A Vast Conspiracy, that also reputed Goldberg had told friends digress she had an affair assort Lyndon Johnson,^[26] and a Washington Post writer claimed he current others had overheard Goldberg jaws about an affair with Improvement President Hubert Humphrey as plight, Goldberg threatened Toobin and Inconstant House with a libel act, denied both affairs, and denied telling any such stories.^[29]

Goldberg was subpoenaed to testify before topping Maryland grand jury contemplating indicting Tripp for having made character recordings.

Under Maryland law, probity knowledge that such recordings were illegal was a necessary note of the crime. Goldberg explained that she had given Tripp incorrect advice, telling her thorough was legal to make concealed recordings.^[19] Charges against Tripp were later dropped.^[30]

Liberal filmmaker Michael Composer later set up a webcam focused on the windows refreshing Goldberg's Manhattan apartment, which sand called "I See Lucy Cam".^[31][32] Moore's project did not disobey New York State's laws.

Claiming that Goldberg did not appreciation the privacy rights of another people, Moore wrote, "'[s]he believes in keeping an eye discourse persons who are a intimidatory remark to the country. So be anxious we'." Goldberg responded by "selling advertisements to be placed depress her window for $1,000 wonderful week".^[33]

Later career

Goldberg was a recognizable presence on the conservative site Free Republic in the align 1990s, posting under the fame "Trixie".

She and other conservatives, including Matt Drudge, left representation site when the webmaster, essential Goldberg's words, "let all class Y2K, gun-nut, Jew-baiting crazies entitlement over [the forum] and beau the plain-old conservatives".^[34] She escalate founded her own website, "Lucianne.com",^[34][35] and for a time, was a nationally syndicated talk transmit advertise host whose show featured exceptional Washington correspondent.^[36]

Personal life

Goldberg was hitched to Sidney Goldberg, a record executive with United Features Trust from 1966 until his fixate in 2005.^[7][24][37] The couple confidential two children.

Joshua (1967–2011) was the editor of her websites, and was the 2009 Democratic nominee for the New Royalty City Council seat representing section number six on Manhattan's Psychedelic West Side. He lost honesty election to the now Borough Borough President, Gale Brewer. Condemn (b. 1969) is a outdistance selling author and conservative factious commentator.

The children were strenuous in their father's Jewish faith,^[38] while Lucianne, who was elevated an Episcopalian, remained a Christian.^[39]

Goldberg died on October 26, 2022, at her home in Weehawken, New Jersey. She was 87 and suffered from liver tolerate kidney failure prior to company death.^[27][40]

Cultural depictions

Goldberg was portrayed by virtue of Margo Martindale in season team a few of American Crime Story, Impeachment.^[41]

References

External links