FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AG THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1997 (202) 616-2771 TDD (202) 514-1888 STATEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last Friday I sent a letter to Chairman Henry Hyde responding to his and his colleagues request that I apply for the appointment of an independent counsel. Almost immediately some people claimed that I had made a final decision with respect to certain fund raising activities and use of government facilities by determining that at this time I did not have information that triggered the Independent Counsel Statute with respect to covered persons. These claims are simply not true. This is an ongoing investigation. It is being conducted in a professional, sensible way by building our case from the ground up --by investigating and confronting low level targets and moving up the chain of those involved to whomever is responsible, and by building cases that provide proof that meets the tests of the law and that will stand up in court. I don't seek to create headlines or deal in innuendo or mere speculation. I want to make decisions and build cases that stand the test of time and court review, and no pressure, or harsh words, or editorials will change my focus. There have been claims that we have somehow tied investigators' hands, or chosen not to pursue all available leads or spared high level figures by not triggering the provisions of the Independent Counsel Statute. These claims are not true. I will continue to review the evidence and if the information triggers the statute, I will do so as I have already done in this case. At the same time, it is our duty to carefully review all the information and separate information from innuendo and fact from speculation based on unreasonable deductions when determining whether to commence an inquiry against a covered person. More than 120 agents, attorneys and staff are working full- time to do this investigation the right way. No criminal case in this Department has more resources. More than a million pages of documents have been obtained. Hundreds of interviews have been conducted. We have an active grand jury investigation, and agents have been dispatched across the country to track down leads. When I say that I am determined to follow every lead, I mean it, but I don't mean to follow innuendo or rank speculation. Some have claimed that I have not vigorously pursued evidence by failing to secure production of White House tapes. These claims are not true. As I have said before we have an active grand jury investigation underway. In general, the law relating to grand juries does not allow me to discuss grand jury subpoenas and their enforcement. Thus, all I can say is that we sought the production of these tapes in an appropriate manner and are as disturbed as anyone about their delayed production. I can't tell you everything that we have found in the course of our investigation to date or everything we have done because since I have told you on a number of occasions, prosecutors should not comment about pending investigations. But if I could, it would dispel so many of the misunderstandings and so much of the misinformation that have swirled around this investigation. People have alleged that we are reacting only to the press and for the work of others--but that's only because they cannot see everything we are doing. I am going to press on and investigate until we find the truth. I will close by saying this: In my four and a half years in Washington, I have asked for independent counsels on several occasions, and referred additional matters to them at least twice more. On other occasions, I have declined to do so. Each time I acted deliberately, after thorough analysis. Each time I worked with career prosecutors to separate the facts from the hype. And each time my decision was based on the facts and the law, and nothing else. No one can shout loud enough, or write a headline big enough, or use words shrill enough to keep me from doing what I think is the right thing on this investigation. ### 97-422