(excerpted from)

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NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
World Wide Web: www.LP.org
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For release: August 27, 1999
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For additional information:
George Getz, Press Secretary
Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222
E-Mail: 76214.3676@Compuserve.com
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As the Waco cover-up finally unravels,
is it time to put Janet Reno on trial?

        WASHINGTON, DC -- Forget more Congressional hearings -- now
that the FBI has admitted it used "pyrotechnic devices" during the
massacre at Waco, it may be time to move directly to criminal trials
for Janet Reno and other law enforcement officials, the Libertarian
Party said today.

        "It's time to send a message: Hate crimes and cover-ups won't
be tolerated in America," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national
director. "And the way to send that message is to start criminal
proceedings against the government officials responsible for the
deaths of 86 people at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.

        "At this point, we're not saying that Janet Reno -- or any
other individual -- is guilty of premeditated mass murder, or guilty
of a criminal conspiracy to cover up the facts. But enough new
evidence has emerged that a jury should consider that question."

        Yesterday, the FBI admitted it had been lying for six years
when it claimed never to have used incendiary devices during the siege
at Waco. In fact, a spokesman has now acknowledged, FBI agents had
fired at least two flammable 40mm tear-gas canisters into the
compound.

        Shortly after that military-style ordnance was deployed on
April 19, 1993, a blazing fire engulfed the Branch Davidian complex,
incinerating 86 people, including 24 children.

        The FBI's abrupt about-face came after Texas Rangers
investigators uncovered new evidence, videotapes, and photographs that
called into question the government's account of the massacre. Other
evidence -- first publicized in the Academy Award-nominated
documentary, Waco: The Rules of Engagement -- also suggested that an
FBI helicopter had opened fire on the Branch Davidians with a machine
gun, according to the Washington Post.

        Reaction to the new evidence was swift. Congressman Dan Burton
(R-IN) said that if federal officials "have been lying," their
"testimony on other matters should also be examined." And Congressman
Bob Barr (R-GA) suggested that "charges of perjury" could be filed,
and that "serious questions" have been raised about "who is
responsible for the deaths of over 80 American men, women, and
children." Both called for new Congressional hearings.

        But hearings aren't enough, said Dasbach: It's time to strip
away the shield of "sovereign immunity" that protects government
officials, and treat them like any other person suspected of criminal
assault or mass murder.

        "Buford O'Neil Furrow, for example, faces state and federal
charges for opening fire on a Jewish community center earlier this
month, wounding five people, including three children," noted Dasbach.
"At the very least, shouldn't Janet Reno face similar charges for the
fiery deaths of 24 children?

        "Buford O'Neil Furrow launched his rampage because of
irrational religious prejudice, and federal investigators may charge
him with committing a hate crime. Part of the original explanation for
the federal government's assault on the Branch Davidian compound was
that it was a religious cult -- which is a prejudicial code word for
any non-traditional religion. So, shouldn't a hate crime investigation
be launched against Janet Reno, too?"

        Dasbach stressed that until all the evidence is in, Janet Reno
and other high officials in the FBI and the BATF must be considered
innocent.

        "But 86 people are dead, and the cover-up is starting to
unravel," he said. "Fairness and justice demand that 12 ordinary
Americans -- a jury of her peers -- should examine the evidence
against Janet Reno in a court of law, and decide if she is criminally
liable for this tragedy.

        "After all, a fair trial is the American way," said Dasbach.
"But, unfortunately, a fair trial is a courtesy that Janet Reno did
not extend to the 86 men, women, and children who, on her orders, were
subjected to a barrage of gunfire, a 51-day siege, psychological
harassment, toxic gas, and military-style pyrotechnic devices. It's
time to right that wrong."



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