NY Times June 22, 2000 Prosecutor Recommends Special Counsel to Investigate Gore By DON VAN NATTA Jr. and DAVID JOHNSTON ASHINGTON, -- The head of the Justice Department's campaign finance unit has recommended that Attorney General Janet Reno appoint a special counsel to investigate Vice President Al Gore's political fundraising activities during the 1996 Presidential campaign, government officials said today. Robert J. Conrad Jr., who heads the agency's campaign finance team, told Ms. Reno in a meeting last week that new evidence has revived questions about whether Mr. Gore has been truthful to investigators about his fundraising activities. Mr. Gore has been questioned five times under oath, most recently in a four hour interview on April 18 at the Vice Presidential mansion. Prosecutors were dissatisfied with Mr. Gore's answers during the interview which was conducted in a more confrontational tone than previous sessions, the officials said. At times, Mr. Gore reacted angrily to the questions, which covered an array of issues related to the Vice President's fundraising. So far, there is no indication that Ms. Reno has reached a decision on the matter. First in 1997 and then again 1998, Ms. Reno rejected the appointment of an independent counsel over the objections of F.B.I. Director Louis J. Freeh and some Justice Department officials. The rules have changed since then. In place of the independent counsel law which expired in 1999, the Justice Department has adopted regulations that give Ms. Reno the sole authority to appoint a prosecutor if she determines that the Justice Department would have a conflict of interest in an investigation or if she decided that an outside inquiry is in the public interest. The resurgent inquiry is focused on several issues that the Justice Department has investigated for years, including Mr. Gore's appearance at the Hsi Lai temple in 1996.The revived inquiry has ignited a long-running internal battle within the Justice Department over the issue. The investigation has remained a highly confidential matter within the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. F.B.I. Director Louis J. Freeh, who has long urged an independent investigation of Mr. Gore, has met privately in recent weeks with lawmakers in the House and Senate to avoid being asked to appear as a witness to discuss memorandum that he wrote several years ago about campaign finance issues. Mr. Freeh, whose relationship with the White House has eroded badly over the issue, told the lawmakers that he did not want to be drawn into a public discussion of a pending inquiry and did not want give the White House further cause for complaint. F.B.I. officials would not comment on the matter today. Ms. Reno refused to seek an independent counsel to investigate campaign finance issues. In 1998, with her aides badly divided, she considered whether to seek an independent inquiry into Mr. Gore's truthfulness, but ruled against the appointment, rejecting the advice of several top officials who said that Mr. Gore's statements were contradicted by documents and testimony. Ms. Reno's decision proved to be one of the most controversial of her tenure. Committees in the House and Senate are continuing to investigate the matter as Republicans have at times demanded her resignation for what they have said was an attempt to protect the White House from a politically perilous inquiry. Politically, the resurgence of an issue that had seemed to be losing steam could not come at a worse time for Mr. Gore. The Vice President has been attempting to reinvigorate his candidacy and the reemergence of campaign finance as an issue could hobble him with legal problems and provide a potent weapon to Republicans deep into the campaign season. At this stage, there seems little likelihood that Mr. Gore would be charged with wrongdoing. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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