Attorney General-designate Janet Reno said Wednesday that despite her opposition to capital punishment she recognizes the duty of prosecutors to seek the death penalty for killers who are "totally contemptuous of human life."
"If the law requires it, if the procedure is right, you ask for it," she said in her second day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.President Clinton joined other Democrats in praising the 54-year-old Miami prosecutor's performance before the committee.
"I think she did real well yesterday," Clinton said Wednesday. "I'm proud of her." Asked if he thought Reno would be confirmed, he remarked: "I sure hope so."
Reno also reaffirmed her support Wednesday for the so-called Brady Bill in Congress, which would require a waiting period before the purchase of handguns.
Reno said if it were up to her she might even go further, noting that in Florida she urged testing of would-be handgun purchasers to determine whether they know how to use the weapon safely.
"That's been my personal position in Florida. But, as you know, I'm now reflecting the president's position," she testified.
Reno appears headed for quick confirmation.
Democrats, who were dismayed by the Clinton administration's stumbling search for an attorney general, have been all smiles over her nomination.
"It could not have gone more smoothly thus far," Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., told reporters Tuesday. "But it's not over until it's over."
No other witnesses were to testify Wednesday.
Wary lest some unforeseen problems strike Clinton's second nominee for attorney general, Democrats are trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. The difference this time is that Republicans are joining in.
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the committee's top Republican, told reporters it was possible the full Senate could confirm Reno this week. "We need her in there," he said.
Republicans even joined Democrats in lambasting a lobbyist and conservative activist who raised unsubstantiated rumors that Reno had been stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence but never arrested. Hatch said Reno had been victimized by a "hate-mongering campaign."