Though Attorney General JANET RENO still resists naming an independent counsel in the campaign-finance investigation, sources say she is increasingly dissatisfied with the slow pace of her own task force. Reno and Deputy Attorney General ERIC HOLDER are discussing an internal shake-up in order to accelerate the probe.
Reno and Holder, a hard-charging prosecutor who took office as Reno’s No. 2 just two months ago, are deeply concerned about frequent clashes among FBI agents and task-force lawyers, led by LAURA INGERSOLL of the department’s Public Integrity section. Ingersoll, a veteran of the achingly deliberative Public Integrity culture, favors the time-tested tactic of starting with small players–the Buddhist nuns, for example–and working up to bigger ones. FBI officials counter that this approach could take years. While Reno and Holder may not side with the FBI on every point, sources say they have come to agree that the case demands a more muscular approach.
–By Elaine Shannon/Washington