At the criminal trial of the Branch Davidians in 1994, that story fell apart. FBI Special Agent Jack Morrison said that he could see, through a hole created by a tank, somebody bent or kneeling by an overturned piano. The man appeared to be washing his hands, although the sniper admitted on cross-examination that he could not see the man's hands. The fire did not erupt while the man was in the sniper's sight, though the sniper did see a fire shortly thereafter. No fire appears there until several minutes after the sniper's observation.
Photographs show no fire in that area while much of the rest of the building was in flames.
Attorney General Reno earned a congratulatory phone call from President Clinton the day after the fire because of her highly publicized acceptance of responsibility. She put the FBI in charge of investigating its own conduct at Waco. The resulting report was a sham and a cover-up. Although seven independent reviewers were appointed to examine the FBI report, the FBI withheld evidence from them, such as Branch Davidian leader David Koresh's April 14 offer to surrender as soon as he completed his written interpretation of the Seven Seals from the Book of Revelation. Today, Reno claims to be angry that the FBI has been caught lying about Waco for the last six years.