Trust and Confidence -The 1998 Battle Between the Secret Service and Ken Starr is about the high-profile cases of former Director of the United States Secret Service, Lewis Merletti. Did you find anything in your research of this book that surprised you?

I never expected to obtain a copy of the Harris report—a special counsel investigation into possible misconduct charges by Ken Starr’s attorneys when they confronted Monica Lewinsky at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Harris was told her report had been sealed. After many months I had located the report and discovered it had not been sealed by the court. Harris opened up in a series of interviews regarding her interview with Ken Starr and several attorneys in the office of independent counsel. While Harris did not find any misconduct by the attorneys, her report points out that they had crossed an ethical line when Lewinsky asked to speak to an attorney several times and was dissuaded. The Department of Justice had stressed the importance of ethical conduct for all prosecutors.

The discovery of that report led me to track down and obtain documents related to the Secret Service matter. All the documents I received from the National Archives and utilized in “Trust and Confidence” had not been previously released and led to many surprises detailed in the book.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Trust and Confidence?

A much fuller account of the Starr investigation regarding the Clinton/Lewinsky relationship and how Ken Starr believed an anonymous source inside the Secret Service that director Lewis Merletti had a deal with Clinton: keep quiet about Lewinsky and I’ll make you director.

All false.

This is one of the best untold stories of integrity whereby readers will learn how valuable personal integrity is today.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I’ve spent 12 years researching and writing “Trust and Confidence” I haven’t had a chance to think about what’s next.

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