ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 15, 1997 TAG: 9704150086
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
There's no evidence White House officials or Vice President Al Gore violated federal law, she says.
Attorney General Janet Reno on Monday rejected Republican calls for an independent counsel to investigate campaign fund raising and said there was no specific, credible evidence implicating the highest White House officials in felonies.
``I am unable to agree, based on the facts and the law, that an independent counsel should be appointed to handle this investigation,'' Reno wrote Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. She maintained that career prosecutors can handle the probe.
``At this time, we have no specific, credible evidence that any covered White House official may have committed a federal crime,'' Reno said. She was referring to a provision of the independent counsel law that requires a counsel be named to investigate evidence of felonies by the president, vice president or their highest-ranking advisers.
And, she added, ``I have not concluded that any conflict of interest would ensue from our vigorous and thorough investigation of the allegations'' against lower-level administration figures not mentioned in the act.
``A task force of career Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents ... is pursuing the investigation vigorously and diligently, and it will continue to do so,'' she wrote.
The White House was low-key but obviously pleased with Reno's decision.
``Our views on this are well known. We believe that the decisions on this ought to be based on the law,'' said White House spokesman Barry Toiv.
Republicans in Congress reacted angrily, with Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., calling Reno's decision ``inexcusable.''
``There is a clear conflict of interest when the attorney general appointed by the president is called upon to investigate possible illegal acts by the vice president or other high-ranking administration officials,'' Lott said in a statement.
Reno said prosecutors are reviewing Vice President Al Gore's solicitation of contributions using a White House office telephone, but his use of a ``government telephone, charging the calls to a nongovernment credit card'' is permitted under regulations allowing ``incidental use of government property for otherwise lawful personal purposes.''
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB