Word: waco
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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THOUGH THE ATF IS THE PET DEMON OF THE MILITANT right, it is the FBI that handled the violent conclusions of two infamous confrontations: the 1992 standoff at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and the 1993 siege in Waco, Texas. This week two House subcommittees will open hearings into the Waco assault; in the fall, hearings will delve into the FBI "shoot-on-sight" orders that some critics believe were responsible for the Idaho death of Vicki Weaver, the wife of white separatist Randy Weaver...
...director Louis Freeh signaled his intent to cooperate with both investigations and to restore order and morale within the FBI. In a move that took a heavy personal toll, Freeh demoted deputy director Larry Potts, 47, a 21-year veteran long under fire for his supervision of the Waco and Ruby Ridge sieges. Freeh and Potts had been close friends and confidants since 1990, when they were detailed to Atlanta and successfully prosecuted a murderous mail bomber. They soon became the FBI's odd couple. Freeh was the steely, immaculately tailored prosecutor whom colleagues respected and feared; Potts...
...bloody 1992 standoff with white separatist Randy Weaver in Idaho. At issue is whether Potts approved a much criticized shoot-on-sight order. The removal came just as the House is to start hearings on another operation Potts helped manage: the assault on the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas...
PERHAPS THE HARSHEST CRITIC OF THE ATF'S WACO RAID was the bureau's own master, the Treasury Department. In the raid's aftermath, the department launched an investigation by veteran agents from its other law-enforcement agencies, backed up by independent outside reviewers, including Willie Williams, the Los Angeles chief of police. The result was a 500-page indictment that pulled no punches yet whose details, surprisingly, went largely unreported. The Blue Book, as it is known, portrayed a dark carnival of ATF errors. Among them...
Republicans continued a partisan assault, saying the Clinton Administration has stonewalled requests for information about Waco, engaging in "a mass public relations and damage control campaign." A committee Democrat insisted that the Administration has been "completely forthcoming...