
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 11, 1993                   TAG: 9306110218
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

FBI CHIEF NEGOTIATING EXIT TERMS

Five months after a scalding report on his conduct, the Clinton administration has concluded William Sessions should step down as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and has begun negotiations with his lawyers to ease him from office, government officials said Thursday.

In conversations this week, Justice Department officials and lawyers for Sessions have weighed his narrowing options, 5 1/2 years into a 10-year term as director.

As a presidential appointee, the director can be dismissed by Clinton whenever the president chooses. Instead, the administration has entered unusual discussions with Sessions, an endgame that centers on factors like the timing and circumstances of his departure.

Justice Department officials appear to be operating cautiously, hoping to avoid a messy public fight with the Texas Republican and former federal judge that could erupt into another embarrassing personnel incident for the president.

Carl Stern, the Justice Department spokesman, said the deliberations had moved into an active phase, but would not discuss details. A spokesman for the bureau said Sessions had no comment on the matter. On Wednesday, Sessions abruptly canceled a planned trip to address a police group in Sun Valley, Idaho, a move that bureau officials interpreted as a sign the discussions had reached a crucial stage.

by CNB