Another said Freeh approaches his job with the attitude that right is right and wrong is wrong and he was appointed to a 10-year job to be insulated from political maneuverings. But several Justice officials were appalled. What's offensive, he added, is that the FBI should be apolitical. Justice has tried for years to explain that Exile worked well in Richmond but was not an instant panacea for all jurisdictions everywhere. Reno argues that what's important is for federal prosecutors to get together with state and local officials and figure out what's best in each community.
Exile works best where local gun laws are weak.
To those who complain that prosecutions of federal gun laws are down, Justice points out that combined federal, state and local prosecutions increased 22 percent from 1992 to 1996. In his testimony on the Hill Thursday, NRA President Charlton Heston asserted that of 2,400 violent crimes committed in D.C. last year, only two had been prosecuted. In fact, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, there were more than 500 gun cases in D.C. Superior Court alone. In addition, for FY98 there were 107 gun charges in federal district court, and for FY99, through July, there were 102. RENO Former Independent Counsel Ken Starr's successor, Robert Ray, has been eager not only to get along with Justice officials, but also to be seen to be playing nicely.