Time: Fri Dec 12 04:59:08 1997 To: From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SLS: "Bombshell From Low-Profile Prosecutor," NYT (fwd) Cc: Bcc: sls References: <snip> > >http://www.nytimes.com > >The New York Times >December 12, 1997 > >Bombshell From Low-Profile Prosecutor > >By DAVID STOUT > >WASHINGTON -- In the two and a half years that he has been investigating >former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros, David M. Barrett has been among >the most private of public figures. > >It is safe to say that Barrett, an independent counsel appointed in May >1995, could walk into any restaurant in the capital without setting off >a buzz. He is far less known than another independent prosecutor, >Kenneth W. Starr, whose unremarkable if pleasant enough face has become >familiar in connection with the Whitewater affair. > >It was clear Thursday that Barrett was not interested in raising his >profile. Edward Page, a senior associate independent counsel in >Barrett's office, said his boss would not comment beyond the words in >the indictment and announcement detailing the charges against Cisneros >and three other people. > >Obscure or not, Barrett had an impact long before the indictments were >announced Thursday. For months, lawyers at the Justice Department had >found his presence in Washington increasingly annoying. > >Much of the irritation arose from the growing disillusionment among >Attorney General Janet Reno and her top advisers over the independent >counsel law, enacted after the Watergate era as a mechanism for >investigating wrongdoing by high government officials without conflicts >of interest. > >By law, the attorney general decides whether to refer a case to an >independent counsel and what that prosecutor's charter will be. When >Reno selected Barrett, she and her top aides reportedly thought the >prosecutor's mission -- to investigate the seemingly simple accusation >that Cisneros had lied about how much money he paid to a former mistress >-- would take him two months or so. > >But Barrett, 58 years old at the time of his appointment, a former >county prosecutor in Indiana and a former federal prosecutor, had had >previous experience as a special counsel, investigating Rep. Dan Flood, >D-Pa., on corruption charges in 1979 and 1980. Flood quit after an >18-month inquiry. > >Thursday, with the seemingly simple investigation of Cisneros having >lasted two and a half years, Barrett obtained charges that could send >the former Cabinet member and three other people to prison for years. > >Copyright 1997 The New York Times Company > <snip>
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