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Justice drops most misconduct allegations against Starr
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, November 16) -- The Justice Department has dismissed many of the allegations of prosecutorial misconduct by Independent Counsel Ken Starr's office. But the Justice Department's longstanding review of the Office of Independent Counsel (OIC) raises questions about a number of remaining charges against Starr. "We have dismissed many of the allegations as not warranting further inquiry," said Myron Marlin, a Justice Department spokesman. 
But Marlin said a number of questions remain and Justice "plans to seek additional information from Starr's office to see if the remaining allegations warrant investigation." He emphasized no investigation has been launched. A statement released Monday afternoon reiterated that the Justice Department has not launched a formal investigation of the independent counsel's office. "The Department has not determined that the OIC has engaged in any misconduct. While the Department has received allegations of misconduct against the OIC, the Department has dismissed many of them as not warranting further inquiry," the statement said. "To determine whether the remaining allegations warrant investigation, the Department is seeking additional information from the OIC and will work cooperatively with the OIC to obtain that information." Attorney General Janet Reno's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has been reviewing a number of allegations against Starr for months. The outstanding allegations include the circumstances surrounding the night last January when the independent counsel's deputies first detained Monica Lewinsky, sources tell CNN. Specifically, the OPR is investigating whether Starr's deputies discouraged Lewinsky from contacting her lawyers and her mother. The office is continuing to investigate Starr's connections to a former lawyer for Paula Jones, whose sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton was settled last week. Both Lewinsky and Clinton swore under oath in the Jones case that they did not have a sexual relationship. Clinton continues to deny he lied under oath. But it may be very difficult for Reno to make a case in regards to the initial detention of Lewinsky, sources point out, because ultimately Lewinsky was allowed to make phone calls and in fact did speak to her lawyer that night. The allegations of inappropriate conduct with the Jones' lawyers may be equally troublesome for Reno because Starr never really tried to hide the fact that he had some connection to Gil Davis, one of Jones' former lawyers before Starr was appointed independent counsel. At the same time, Reno has received a number of letters about Starr's conduct that urged her to take action. Critics include the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-New Jersey) and Clinton's personal attorney, David Kendall. Ultimately Reno faces the question of what does she gain by launching an investigation into two fairly technical and ambiguous examples of what could be ethics violations by Starr and his deputies, especially in light of the Jones' case settlement, sources say. Still, depending on Starr's response to the remaining questions, Reno could well determine to go forward. One source told CNN Reno "will look at the evidence and the law" and then decide what to do. CNN's Pierre Thomas and Bob Franken contributed to this reportMORE STORIES:Monday, November 16, 1998
• The last mystery: Monica Lewinsky's voice • McDougal criminal contempt trial rescheduled for February • Judiciary Democrats plan to play hardball with Starr • Justice drops most misconduct allegations against Starr • Poll: More Americans disapprove of Congress • Poll: Hussein the winner in past year's confrontations • Gephardt, Bonior retain Democratic leadership posts • Supreme Court declines to hear campaign funding case • Lewinsky reportedly signs book and TV deals • Audit finds theft by IRS workers • Nicholson warns of party 'bloodbath' if he is challenged • Gore supporter pleads innocent, Kanchanalak case retooled • NYC Mayor Giuliani keeps 2000 bid alive • Last survivor of four in JFK limo disagrees with Warren Commission • New Congress from many walks of life | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
