Linda Tripp should be labeled a hero in the current #metoo evironment.
In that context, it was a classic abuse of power/fame manipulation, whether she was coerced or not, as you put it.
As for not making an attempt to downplay it, why would she - Bill and HRC have not exactly been punished for it.
Maybe downplay is the wrong term. I know a couple of women who were violently raped, one of them at knife point. This happened decades ago. Although the emotional scars last forever, they haven't kept talking about it, but have moved on as best as they could. Monica supposedly had an affair with Clinton...or she gave Clinton a one time blow job and thought it was an affair.
Why would HRC be punished for her husband's peccadillo? He was impeached. Although the Senate didn't prosecute him so like Trump he finished his term in office. What do you think would have been a more appropriate punishment?
Regardless of the Me Too environment, I disagree that Linda Tripp should be labeled a hero, unless Monica asked her to speak for her on this matter and there is no evidence that ever happened.
It would have been an abuse of power if Clinton suggested to Monica that she's lose her position as a White House intern if she didn't comply. They were both adults, although one could argue they were both adults who made dumb choices.
The 'victim', some highlights:
"As a result of the public coverage of the political scandal, Lewinsky gained international celebrity status. She subsequently engaged in a variety of ventures that included designing a line of handbags under her name, being an advertising spokesperson for a diet plan, and working as a television personality. Lewinsky later decided to leave the public spotlight to pursue a master's degree in psychology in London. In 2014, she returned to public view as a social activist speaking out against cyberbullying."
"In 1992, she allegedly began a five-year affair with Andy Bleiler, her married former high school drama instructor." (Was the Clinton 'affair' a pattern of behavior?)
She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Lewis And Clark college 1995
She got her Master's in Social Science from the London School of Economics in 2006
In 2014, Lewinsky wrote an essay for Vanity Fair magazine titled "Shame and Survival", wherein she discussed her life and the scandal.
In 2017, Lewinsky tweeted the #MeToo hashtag to indicate that she was a victim of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault, but did not provide details.
In 2020 Monica Lewinsky consulted of 'Impeachment: American Crime Story'.