Reno Decides Against Independent Investigation of FBI Director

The Justice Department considered but decided against an independent counsel to investigate FBI Director Louis J. Freeh for inaccurate congressional testimony, Associated Press has learned.

Freeh was the subject of a 30-day preliminary independent counsel inquiry in 1997 after the department’s internal watchdog accused him of giving false testimony during a hearing about the FBI laboratory’s mishandling of cases, government officials said Friday.

Atty. Gen. Janet Reno concluded that while Freeh’s testimony was inaccurate, there was no evidence of criminal intent that would warrant the appointment of an independent prosecutor.

In a written statement, Reno said she agreed with the Justice Department investigators, who concluded that Freeh had simply made a mistake.

“I have worked with Director Freeh for nearly seven years and have the utmost respect for his integrity,” Reno’s statement said.

At the time of the Freeh inquiry, the director and Reno were beginning what became a lengthy disagreement over whether an independent prosecutor should be named to investigate the fund-raising activities of President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

The no-criminal-intent rationale for declining an independent counsel in the Freeh matter was similar to the one Reno used to decline appointment of a counsel for Gore. Reno used other standards for declining such an appointment for Clinton.