Word: labella
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Dates: during 1997-1997
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...cash have often dribbled out in incomprehensible pieces. But Reno's reluctance to view these parts as belonging to a larger whole may also be the product of the curious way she has managed the department's internal probe. Three months ago, Reno brought in Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles LaBella from San Diego to shake things up, but there was a catch, officials told TIME. Reno put LaBella in charge of the Asian connection and many other suspected campaign-law violations but kept a department veteran, public-integrity chief Lee Radek, in charge of pursuing the most politically sensitive question...
This division of labor has bred a lot of resentment. Reno has created two competing teams of prosecutors. Add to that FBI agents who, like Freeh, believe that an independent counsel is the wisest course, and the result is a squabbling muddle. Lines of responsibility are blurred. LaBella has tried to maintain a "detente" with Radek, but as a Justice Department official puts it, "it's not warm and fuzzy between them." The disputes are left for Reno to settle, which she does, but only after free-for-all senior staff meetings...
...chaos spilled into the open as Reno prepared her decision on the White House phone calls. Arguing on one side was Radek, who advised against an outside counsel. On the other was LaBella, who said Radek's legal reasoning amounted to "pablum." Last Tuesday, before her announcement, Reno tried some shuttle diplomacy. She took a hard-to-miss walk across Pennsylvania Avenue to FBI headquarters, both to consult Freeh and to be seen consulting him. And Reno was careful to say a few hours later that the investigation proceeds. Just where it will lead has a lot to do with...
...Already, LaBella has let it be known that he is closing in on the Asian-money connection, eyeing transactions by Charlie Trie, Pauline Kanchanalak and Johnny Chung, all of whom may have raised funds for the Democrats from overseas sources. Those cases could help LaBella tighten the screws on fund raiser John Huang, who enjoyed the closest ties with White House officials, including Clinton and Gore...
...through, although Clinton increased speculation after he told reporters on Air Force One Monday night that he has tentatively agreed to talk to Justice investigators. Reno isn't likely to interview the President, leaving that to lower-level prosecutors working for campaign finance task force head Charles LaBella...