Prosecutor Behind Davidian Probe Quits

The federal prosecutor who warned Atty. Gen. Janet Reno of a possible government cover-up after the 1993 Branch Davidian siege near Waco, Texas, resigned. Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Johnston, whose willingness to reexamine evidence from the deadly standoff touched off a re-investigation of the government’s actions, handed in his resignation to his boss, U.S. Atty. 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.