Beneath contempt

In citing Janet Reno for contempt of Congress, the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee now has the attorney general right where they want her. Next step: Figure out what to do with her.

Republicans who rule this powerful committee gave Reno an ultimatum — either hand over reports by FBI Director Louis Freeh and Charles LaBella, former head of the Justice Department’s campaign finance task force, or appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged violations of federal election laws by the White House.

Reno is loathe to turn over the reports, both of which recommend a special prosecutor. But Reno worries that the supporting information in the reports, vital to building a case should one develop, would be worthless if made public.

One well might ask why, once in the hands of a select group of lawmakers, would confidential reports that would be the foundation of a criminal investigation be made public? Because the common household colander is more leakproof than the common congressional committee, that’s why. The Republicans, led by the eminently partisan Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana, have figured out that there’s no reason to bother with the laborious judicial process when the Clinton administration can be tried post haste in the court of public opinion. And right before an election, to boot.

So if, as Reno says, turning over the documents would damage the integrity of an entire system of justice, she may have no choice but to appoint a special prosecutor. Which, if done right, might be the last thing Burton’s crowd wants.

Reno has not been shy about appointing special prosecutors. She’s appointed seven of them so far, including the 800-pound gorilla of special prosecutors, Kenneth Starr.

Starr is the model. He took the simple task of investigating a failed Arkansas real-estate deal and turned it into an inquiry into all 10 commandments, plus a few Moses never warned about.

The abuse, fudging and outright violation of campaign finance law is the dirty little — make that big — secret of both parties. To expose it all, in all its rotten money-laundering, influence-peddling glory, Reno needs to find another Kenneth Starr. Someone with those same qualities of dogged over-reaching, someone who will start with a probe of the 1996 presidential re-election campaign and not quit until he (or she) has conducted a nonpartisan inquisition that goes at least as far back as the Hoover administration. Then the American public may get the clean elections they deserve. Then, too, the Republicans on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee will get what they have coming.