WASHINGTON -- To Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt it was akin to "an old-fashioned lynching" -- an Old West metaphor he often would use to describe the accusations and turmoil that hung over him for nearly two years.
A straight arrow who once was a name away from being on the U.S. Supreme Court, Babbitt's life changed when he was accused of rejecting a proposed Indian casino because of campaign contributions and then allegedly lying to Congress about it.On Wednesday, a special prosecutor concluded a 19-month investigation into the charges and said there was insufficient evidence to show Babbitt had violated the law -- either in his testimony before Congress or in the casino decision itself.
Independent counsel Carol Elder Bruce, a veteran prosecutor who had been assigned the case in March 1998, said she would not seek indictments against Babbitt or anyone else involved in the casino controversy.
Babbitt's response was muted as he issued a three-sentence statement in which he said he was "gratified" the prosecutor and grand jury had determined no charges were justified. "That is not surprising," he added. A spokesman said Babbitt had no further comment.
President Clinton, in a statement, called Babbitt, whom he once nearly nominated to the Supreme Court, "a man of the highest integrity" and said, "I was convinced he would be vindicated."
One of five Clinton Cabinet members to be subject to independent counsel investigations, Babbitt in recent months had been increasingly optimistic that no formal charges would be filed.
While praising Bruce's "professional investigation," the bitterness toward his accusers -- the "lynch mob" as he frequently refers to them -- has not disappeared. Still, he relishes in having survived his antagonists, especially those on Capitol Hill, say those close to Babbitt.
Bruce, in a statement issued by her office, said there was not enough evidence to seek criminal indictments against Babbitt or anyone else involved in the 1995 decision to reject the casino permit sought by three Wisconsin Indian tribes.
The three Chippewa tribes claimed the decision was influenced by promises of campaign contributions to the Democratic Party by tribes opposed to the casino. The rival tribes eventually contributed more than $300,000 to the party.
But Bruce's office said the evidence "would not support" allegations of "a criminal quid pro quo" or any "explicit agreement" between opponents of the casino and government officials involved in the decision. The prosecutor also concluded "that the evidence was insufficient" to prove Babbitt committed perjury in statements at a Senate hearing about the casino decision, the statement continued.
The investigation involved interviews or grand jury testimony of more than 450 people and 630,000 pages of documents, investigators said. Bruce was expected to close the case when she submits a lengthy report on her investigation to a special three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals, possibly within weeks.