Reno Declines To Clear Bomb Suspect

Despite mounting pressure on the Justice Department to publicly clear Richard Jewell in the Atlanta Olympic bombing case, Attorney General Janet Reno remained tight-lipped Thursday on the government’s plans for the former security guard.

“I can’t discuss the process of the case,” Reno told reporters in Washington, D.C., Thursday. “But, obviously, we will review it. We have not made any decision with regard to the investigation, and I cannot comment.”

Reno’s statement came after an Atlanta federal judge’s decision Wednesday to release portions of affidavits detailing why the government initially suspected Jewell, who was first hailed as a hero in the bombing.

In making the ruling sought by news organizations, U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester referred to Jewell as a “former suspect,” and said the investigation of Jewell was merely a “historical footnote to the ongoing investigation.” He ruled that the government could not continue to withhold the information by claiming Jewell was a suspect.

A Justice Department source said Thursday the government probably would not appeal Forrester’s order, noting that much of the information in the affidavit has become public anyway.