Janet Reno Unbowed amid Fund-Raising Storm Republicans Question Her Independence after Key Decision This Week

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As attorney general in one of the most scandal-plagued administrations in recent history, Janet Reno has remained an outsider, somewhat aloof from the White House.

She's routinely described as fair, nonpolitical, and independent. Indeed, she's one of the few attorneys general since the late 1800s who has not been a personal friend of the president.

But in refusing - for the fourth time - to recommend appointment of a special counsel to investigate alleged campaign fund-raising abuses by Democrats, Ms. Reno is putting her reputation on the line. Some congressional Republicans are now questioning whether Reno might have soft pedaled the fund-raising case as payback …