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04/21/93
Clinton pledges probe of siege; President blames Koresh for deaths, staunchly defends Reno
By Anne Marie Kilday / The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON-President Clinton on Tuesday pledged a "vigorous and thorough investigation' of the siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco but said that sect leader David Koresh "bears the ultimate responsibility' for the fiery deaths of his followers.
"David Koresh was dangerous, irrational and probably insane,' Mr.
Clinton said. "He killed those he controlled, and he bears ultimate responsibility for the carnage that ensued.'
The president staunchly defended Attorney General Janet Reno, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for their actions during the standoff, which began Feb. 28 when four ATF agents were killed in an aborted raid on the cult's compound.
The president called on the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, and the Treasury Department, which oversees the ATF, to conduct a joint investigation of the 51-day siege with the help of independent, professional law enforcement personnel.
The investigation is needed "to uncover what happened and why and whether anything could have been done differently,' the president said at a brief news conference in the White House Rose Garden.
In a joint statement, Ms. Reno and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen said they had directed their staffs to begin planning the inquiry.
"We deeply regret the terrible tragedy that occurred in the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco yesterday. It is a shocking end to a long siege, something that goes beyond immediate comprehension,' the statement said.
Mr. Clinton said that "frankly, surprised would be a mild word' for his reaction to suggestions that Ms. Reno resign "because some religious fanatics murdered themselves.'
He said he was "bewildered' by reports that he had tried to distance himself from Ms. Reno's decision to ram the compound with tear gas-dispersing armored vehicles Monday.
The last call
"It's not possible for a president to distance himself from things that happen when the federal government is in control,' he said.
"I'm the president of the United States, and I signed off on the general decision and giving her the authority to make the last call,' he said. "She is not ultimately responsible to the American people. I am.'
The president said he approved the FBI's effort to use tear gas to drive sect members from their compound, after consulting with Ms. Reno by telephone Sunday.
"I then told her to do what she thought was right, and I take full responsibility for the implementation of the decision,' the president said.
The FBI "made every reasonable effort to bring the perilous situation to an end without bloodshed and further loss of life,' the president said. "We did everything we could to avoid the loss of life. They made the decision to immolate themselves, and I feel terrible about the loss of life, especially the children.'
FBI Agent Bob Ricks, one of the agency's commanders in Waco, appeared to contradict statements by Ms. Reno that one reason for Monday's assault was evidence that an increasingly agitated Mr. Koresh was physically abusing children inside the compound.
Although there is evidence that the cult leader had a history of sexual and physical abuse of children, there was no explicit evidence that such abuse had taken place since the siege began, Agent Ricks said.
"To say that we had intelligence that that was going on, I can't say that,' he said.
Carl Stern, a Justice Department spokesman in Washington, said:
"All I can tell you is, I was personally present when Ms. Reno was told by the FBI that somebody inside the compound had reported that children were being beaten or struck.' Among those at that meeting, he said, was FBI Director William Sessions.
Mr. Sessions was quoted by The Associated Press as saying Tuesday:
"There was in fact evidence of the mistreatment of children. We know, for instance, from the beginning that some of those children were in fact wives to Mr. Koresh, that there were children who were born to children. . . . The pattern of abuse was there, and it was systematic.'
In an interview on NBC-TV's Today show, Mr. Sessions denied that impatience played any role in the FBI's attempt to end the standoff Monday.
"It was not a special day,' he said. "It was a day in which we believed that the introduction of the tear gas into the compound and the opening of an ability for them to get out would result in their actually coming out.'
"We had no anticipation at all of fire,' he said.
The president also promised full cooperation with congressional
inquiries as House and Senate leaders scheduled hearings and stepped up their demands for a full explanation of the confrontation that authorities said left 86 cult members, including 17 children, dead.
"When I saw the building burning, I was sick. I felt terrible,' Mr.
Clinton said. "My immediate concern was whether the children had gotten out and whether they were escaping or whether they were inside trying to burn themselves up. That's the first thing I wanted to know.'
In the wake of the tragedy, the president said a thorough federal inquiry was necessary.
"We must review the past with an eye toward the future,' he said.
He also directed the agencies to cooperate with congressional
inquiries, "so that we can continue to be fully accountable to the American people.'
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jack Brooks, D-Beaumont, has scheduled a hearing of his committee for next Wednesday. Ms. Reno, Mr. Sessions and ATF Director Stephen Higgins are scheduled to testify.
Mr. Brooks said the hearings by his committee were "an extraordinary occurrence. But in this instance, the issues involved in the standoff and tragic fiery suicide encompass matters and issues well beyond a single subcommittee's jurisdiction.'
In hindsight
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on the Today show that he was reluctant to prematurely judge the actions of the FBI and other federal agents.
"Obviously it's easy to sit back and Monday-morning quarterback and say, "Geez, why did they do what they did, and shouldn't they have known?' I think that's a premature judgment,' he said.
The senator said he was willing to wait for the Justice and Treasury departments to complete their investigations before holding Senate hearings.
The agencies should then "lay out for the American people why they decided to do what they did and what, in fact, actually transpired inside the building to the extent that they know it,' Mr. Biden said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, repeated his call for congressional investigations.
In a speech on the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, also called for a congressional investigation.
"Now that the siege is over,' he said, "I think it is appropriate for Congress to review the actions of the ATF, the FBI. And in doing so, I hope we ask this, "Were the decisions reasonable at the time,' not, "Were they perfect in 20-20 hindsight?' If unreasonable mistakes were made, let there be accountability, as well as lessons learned.'
Staff writer Bruce Tomaso in Dallas contributed to this report.
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