In his response to LaBella's report a few days later, Radek countered that, based on these facts, he was unaware of any legal theory under which Mrs. Clinton could be prosecuted and said that LaBella failed to supply one. The report also contended that Clinton knew or should have known some of his supporters were bringing in foreign money. The money was for ads to help the DNC and state party organizations. Democratic records later showed that some money Gore raised did, in fact, end up in hard-money accounts. Soft money refers to unlimited contributions by individuals, corporations and labor unions to political parties that are not regulated by federal election law.
Hard money refers to restricted donations that can be spent directly on behalf of candidates.
Gore denied any wrongdoing. Later, the DNC said that funds were allocated to hard-money accounts without Gore's knowledge. Confronted with notes and memos indicating that a November 1995 meeting Gore attended in the Map Room of the White House included discussions about raising hard money, the vice president said he did not recall such conversations or the memos. These documents also indicate that the task force obtained photographs from that meeting showing Gore looking at papers that he said he did not recall reviewing. Reno ordered an initial 90-day review of the Gore phone calls in 1997 before deciding there was not sufficient grounds to ask for an independent counsel.