May 24, 2000
2nd FBI leader heard of 'pressure' on probe
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A second FBI executive can confirm that a top Justice
Department official said he was "under a lot of pressure not to
go forward" with an investigation into 1996 campaign finance
abuses, and that Attorney General Janet Reno's job "might hang in
the balance."
FBI general counsel Larry Parkinson told the House Judiciary
Committee yesterday that Neil J. Gallagher, the bureau's
assistant director for national security, was present at the
meeting during which Lee Radek, head of the Justice Department's
office of public integrity, made the comments.
The testimony from Mr. Parkinson came during an unrelated
oversight hearing about pending immigration matters after
questions by Rep. James E. Rogan, California Republican.
Mr. Rogan asked, over the vigorous objection of Democrats,
whether an FBI inquiry had discovered that others were at the
1996 meeting, recounted by FBI Director Louis J. Freeh in a Dec.
9, 1996, memo to Deputy FBI Director William J. Esposito, who
also was present at the meeting.
Mr. Parkinson, in response, said Mr. Gallagher also had
attended the session and could confirm the conversation.
"He essentially corroborates the account that is described
in the director's memo to Mr. Esposito," Mr. Parkinson said.
"Clearly, the testimony represents a major dispute in the
story that has been told by the Justice Department and raises the
potential for a conflict of interest," Mr. Rogan said.
Mr. Radek said in a written statement he had "no
recollection of ever saying I was under pressure because the
attorney general's job hung in the balance."
He added, "Nor is it something I would have said because it
has no basis in fact."
Miss Reno said she did not remember being told by Mr. Freeh
that she and Mr. Radek should recuse themselves after he
complained of pressure to scuttle the probe.
She said she talked with Mr. Freeh "about public integrity
on a continuing basis" but did not remember comments concerning
pressure on her or the department.
The Freeh memo recounts how Mr. Radek believed he was under
pressure regarding the probe and how it could impact on whether
Miss Reno would be retained as attorney general.
Mr. Freeh told Mr. Esposito that he met with Miss Reno, told
her about Mr. Radek's comments and suggested "on that basis" that
she and Mr. Radek step aside from the investigation.
The memo said that the public integrity section could not
conduct a thorough investigation, and that the department should
name aggressive outside investigators �whom he referred to as
"junkyard dogs."
In a separate memo, Mr. Freeh said Justice sought to
sidestep the use of FBI agents for the campaign finance probe.
The memo said the department wanted to use investigators
from the inspector general's office at the Commerce Department
instead.
The memos were turned over under subpoena to Senate and
House committees investigating campaign finance abuses during the
1996 presidential election.
Mr. Radek, Mr. Esposito and Mr. Gallagher are scheduled to
testify today before the Senate Judiciary administrative
oversight and courts subcommittee, which is investigating the
Justice Department's handling of the campaign finance probe.
After the 1996 election, White House aides sought to dump
Miss Reno because of her willingness to probe administration
officials and her efforts to seek independent counsels in several
scandals. During her second term, she has refused outside probes
of the fund-raising scandal.
In 1997 and 1998, Mr. Freeh recommended in separate memos
that an outside counsel be sought to probe campaign abuses. In
1998, Charles G. LaBella, campaign-finance task force chief, also
urged Miss Reno to seek outside counsel in the probe.
Last year, four FBI agents told the Senate Judiciary
Committee that Mr. Radek blocked a search warrant in the
destruction of evidence by Charles Yah Lin Trie, a top Democratic
fund-raiser, even after they discovered that financial, business
and travel records were being destroyed.
Agent Ivian C. Smith, head of the FBI's Little Rock field
office, said he was so concerned about the probe that he wrote
personally to Mr. Freeh to say, "The team at [the Justice
Department] leading this investigation is, at best, simply not up
to the task."
Last month, Senate investigators questioned Mr. Radek's
order to stop a probe just before the 1996 election into fund
raising by Vice President Al Gore at a Buddhist temple.
In a Nov. 1, 1996, order, he said prosecutors "should take
no steps to investigate these matters at this time."
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Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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