Cover Story | Janet Reno is fond of calling her Justice Department "the people's law firm." But it's beginning to look more like "the president's law firm," with Ms. Reno as senior partner. Her refusal once again last week to call for an independent counsel to look into the myriad fundraising abuses involving the White House and the Democratic Party soils Ms. Reno's reputation as impartial and independent. And, as former Justice Department official Terry Eastland reveals, Ms. Reno has gone further than merely refusing to apply the independent counsel law. By her own admission, the attorney general has not even begun the "preliminary investigation" that precedes the appointment of an independent counsel. All of which means Ms. Reno has taken the position that all the scandalous evidence available thus far-against not just high-ranking officeholders like the president and vice president, but also those trusted aides who carried out the fundraising-amounts to nothing. The "people," as represented by their senators who will question Ms. Reno in the next few days, may be looking for a different "law firm."
