-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- http://wire.ap.org/?PACKAGEID=fbi JANUARY 25, 18:31 EST Chief Prosecutor in Waco Resigns By SUSAN PARROTT Associated Press Writer WACO, Texas (AP) — The federal prosecutor who warned Attorney General Janet Reno of a possible government cover-up after the 1993 Branch Davidian siege resigned Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston, whose willingness to re-examine evidence from the deadly standoff touched off a re-investigation of the government's actions, handed in his resignation to his boss, U.S. Attorney James Blagg in San Antonio. Johnston, 40, acknowledged mounting frustration with Justice officials, whom he called ``less than forthright.'' And he said his job had been awkward ever since he wrote Reno last August. ``Any time you are at odds with someone who is your boss, it is difficult to even have conversation. You just avoid one another,'' Johnston said Tuesday during an interview with The Associated Press. Johnston, the chief federal prosecutor in Waco, has been at odds with Justice officials since he paved the way last year for independent filmmakers to review evidence sifted from the charred ruins of the Davidians' compound. Filmmaker Michael McNulty's discovery of a spent pyrotechnic tear gas canister forced the FBI to recant its longstanding denials that potentially incendiary devices were fired on April 19, 1993, when Branch Davidian leader David Koresh and about 80 followers died in a fire at their compound. The FBI's about-face has triggered investigations by Congress and a special counsel appointed by Reno. Johnston's tension with his superiors was heightened in August, when he wrote Reno that government lawyers had known for years about the use of pyrotechnic tear-gas canisters, which were fired hours before the Davidians' compound erupted in flames. Ten days after he wrote the letter, Johnston was abruptly pulled from the case, as was Blagg's entire office. ``I wasn't going to be a party to misleading the American public about this issue, when I full well knew the import of it,'' Johnston told CBS' ''60 Minutes II'' in an interview airing Tuesday night. ``We cannot hide the ball, in criminal or civil cases, and feel good about it.'' Johnston's resignation was lamented Tuesday on Capitol Hill, where congressional committees are probing whether a government cover-up occurred in the Waco operation's aftermath. They also are investigating the military's role during the standoff and whether federal forces discharged their weapons on April 19, 1993 — a contention strongly denied by federal officials. ``We're sorry that there doesn't seem to be a place for good, hardworking, honest public servants like Bill Johnston in this Justice Department,'' said Mark Corallo, a spokesman for House Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., who has been critical of Reno and the Justice Department. Johnston's involvement in the Branch Davidian controversy dates to its earliest days. He helped draft the search warrant that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute on Feb. 28, 1993, in a botched raid that sparked the 51-day standoff at the Davidians' retreat. Johnston later helped convict nine Davidians during their criminal trial. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
