                           THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                  April 19, 1993


                            PRESS BRIEFING
                       BY GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS


                          The Briefing Room


1:10 P.M. EDT


          
          Q      Does the President or anybody in the White House 
have any input into the operation in Waco?
                 
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  The Attorney General informed the 
President yesterday that they were planning on going ahead with this 
kind of an operation.  But it's a decision by the Attorney General 
and the FBI.
          
          Q      George, since the Attorney General works for the 
President, isn't it fair to say that it's a presidential decision not 
to stop it?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  The President was clearly informed 
of --
          
          Q         apparently gave approval to do it, or he could 
have stopped it.
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Well, he didn't stop it.  No, he 
didn't stop it.  The Attorney General informed --
          
          Q      So in not stopping it, he approved it.
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  We can get into a philosophical or 
semantic discussion, but --
          
          Q      Well, he assumes responsibility --
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Certainly he is responsible, but 
it's the Attorney General and the FBI have operational control over 
this.  But clearly he was informed.
          
          Q      Did she ask him for authorization?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  No, she informed him.  She said 
this is what the FBI would like to do.
          
          Q      But why, George -- Dee Dee didn't know this morning 
-- why is it FBI and Justice as opposed to ATF --
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  That was -- a special agent was put 
in charge -- I think it was within 24 hours of the original incident.  
That's not common practice. And the FBI has been --
          
          Q      It's not a reflection on the agency?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Not in the least.  The FBI has been 
in control of this since the very beginning.
          
          Q      Why did the President think this was the right time 
to go ahead?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  The FBI laid out -- I mean, the 
Attorney General for the FBI laid out the arguments.  And I can't get 
into all of the details of the argument.  It wouldn't be appropriate 
to do that while the situation is still going on.  But the Attorney 
General laid out the argument and the President made no objection.
          
          Q      Has he received any reports today?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  I think he's been -- we've been 
receiving periodic updates from the FBI.
          
          Q      How closely is he following it, though, along those 
same lines?  Is this something he's following the news accounts?  Is 
someone there calling him from the Justice Department every hour or 
two hours or what?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Again, he's received periodic 
reports during the day.  I don't know how many he's received.  
Clearly, CNN is also giving it blanket coverage.  But the President 
has received reports from the Justice Department this morning.
          
          Q      Shakey coverage.  (Laughter.)
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Well, what is just in is that CNN 
is now showing live footage of -- (laughter) -- of the building on 
the Koresh compound.  It's unclear what this is.  I have no 
independent information on this, as you know.  It's just reported.  I 
will try and get something and get it back to you.
          
          Q      Can you just clarify about what involvement the 
President had or noninvolvement the President had in the decision on 
Waco?  I mean, you said that Janet Reno informed him that this is 
what we would like to do.  Now, did he say do it, or did he say I 
can't take any responsibility for this?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Of course, the President takes 
responsibility for what's done in his government.  But it is under 
the operational control of the Justice Department.  She informed him 
of their plans.  He raised no objections.
          
          Q      Did he give a go-ahead for the action?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  I don't know how much clearer I 
could be.  I mean, she gave --
          
          Q      Are you saying that because he left the operational 
control to the departments --
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  That's the authority.  That is --
they have the authority to do it.
          
          Q      It would have then, therefore, required him to 
overrule it if he wanted to change it.
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Absolutely.
          
          Q      Which did not do --
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Thank you, Brit.  Yes, I mean, 
that's exactly right.  I don't understand where the confusion is.
          
          Q      Brit -- on that?  (Laughter.)
          
          Q      Having ceded operational control, he therefore --he 
always retained the option of overruling them or not?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  The President obviously has --would 
retain that authority.  The Justice Department has the authority to 
carry out these operations.  They informed the President of this.  
Had he raised objections, I'm certain that that may have had an 
effect on the decision.  But the Justice Department clearly has the 
authority.
          
          Q      Is he following it that closely -- is he following 
it that closely that he would have had any objections?  I mean, it 
seems to me if the Attorney General --
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  He's following the situation 
closely.  The Attorney General gave her best judgment and her best 
recommendation and the President did not raise an objection.
          
          Q      So, he's relying totally on the judgment of Janet 
Reno and her department?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Well, he's clearly relying on the 
judgment of the FBI and the Attorney General, and he's combining that 
with his own judgment as the options are presented to him.
          
          Q      George, maybe objections is too strong a word.  Did 
he have any questions about the way it was going to be carried out, 
the operation?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  I was not in on the conversation.  
I don't know how detailed the discussion was or what kind of 
questions were raised, but the Attorney General laid out a plan and 
she said she would like to go forward.  And, again, the President 
just had no objections.
          
          Q      Well, did he give a rationale for --
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  I'm not sure.
          
          Q      What was the rationale for force rather than just 
to wait?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  Again, the situation's going on 
right now.  I would refer those questions to the Justice Department.
          
          Q      Have there been any previous calls from the 
Attorney General in which an option was laid out and then rejected by 
the President?
          
          MR. STEPHANOPOULOS:  I'm not sure but I don't think so.
          
          THE PRESS:  Thank you.

                                 END                    1:33 P.M. EDT

----------------------------------------------------------------------


                           THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                  April 19, 1993

                            PRESS BRIEFING
                           BY DEE DEE MYERS

                          The Briefing Room


6:20 P.M. EDT

          MS. MYERS:  This isn't a prepared statement, but the 
President generally has expressed sadness at the events today in 
Waco, particularly at the apparent deaths of the children.  He 
extends  his sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives.  
He stands by the Justice Department and the FBI.  They made a 
difficult decision, but it was the unanimous recommendation of the 
Justice Department, the FBI and the agents on the ground.  He's 
monitoring the situation, he's paying attention to news reports and 
being briefed on the situation throughout the day.  He'll continue to 
monitor it as we try to decipher what's going on.
          
          Q      Why is everybody, including the President, 
distancing the President from a decision to do this?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Nobody's -- and particularly the President 
has distanced himself from the decision.  As he made very clear, the 
Justice Department and the FBI made the specific decisions, the 
tactical decisions on the ground.  But as you know, the President 
spoke to the Attorney General last night.  She briefed him on the 
plans.  He asked some questions about it, and then said okay, as the 
Attorney General stated today in her press conference, and they 
proceeded. 
          
          Q      Why has he not talked to Janet Reno today?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I believe he has.  
          
          Q      He has?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I'll have to double-check that.
          
          Q      She said that she had not.
          
          Q      Did he call her after she said --
          
          MS. MYERS:  I'll have to double-check the logistics -- 
timing of the calls.
          
          Q      When did he first find out that --
          
          MS. MYERS:  I think, like everybody else, that the 
compound was in flames by watching the news accounts of it.  And I 
think one of the reasons that the Justice Department and the FBI 
decided to go ahead with the program this morning was because they 
believed the children were in danger and I think that the events 
today clearly confirmed that. 
          
          Q      Well, does he think that it was a bad move now?
          
          MS. MYERS:  No.  He stands behind the Justice Department 
and the FBI.  Again, it was the unanimous recommendation of the 
Justice Department and the FBI and those agents that were there on 
the scene.  They were concerned about the welfare of the children, 
and I think the Justice Department has spoken in some detail about 
that.
          
          Q      In view of the developments, though?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Obviously it's tragic -- the events today.  
Nobody would have liked to have seen it come out that way.  But there 
was reason to be concerned and the President stands by the Justice 
Department and the FBI.  He's not going to --
          
          Q      But has he expressed himself at all on the outcome 
of events there?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Other than to express his sadness at the 
loss of life, particularly the children, and to extend his sympathy 
to the families of those who lost their lives today.
          
          Q      Could you address the mumbling by some of the 
agents on the ground that there was micromanaging by politicians in 
Washington, the White House, Justice Department?  And, also, do you 
have any reaction to Senator Specter's call for an investigation by 
the Judiciary Committee?
          
          MS. MYERS:  In answer to the first question, no.  I 
think, again, the President today -- the Justice Department and the 
FBI made these decisions.  The President was briefed on them last 
night and didn't raise any objections, but did not micromanage the 
situation.  And I'm unaware of Senator Specter's request for an 
investigation.  We'll take a look at it.  I mean, it doesn't really 
have -- and they'll go ahead with it if the Senate so decides.
          
          Q      Is there a reason why you're relaying the 
President's reaction in your words rather than his?
          
          MS. MYERS:  We just don't have an official prepared 
statement at this time.  There's no reason.
          
          Q      Who else briefed him besides Reno, do you know?  
Was it just last night?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Oh, no, last night Janet Reno was the one 
who briefed him on the operational details of the plan.
          
          Q      Has he talked to Director Sessions about the plan 
at all?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I don't believe so.
          
          Q      Or had he?  He had not.
          
          MS. MYERS:  No.
          
          Q      I didn't hear anything in your statement from the 
President about the conduct of the FBI and the Attorney General --
          
          MS. MYERS:  Again, this wasn't a prepared statement.  
But what I said was the President stands behind the Justice 
Department and the FBI.  He believes that they acted professionally 
and with due restraint.  And he -- it's unfortunate the way things 
came out.  But he does support their decision.
          
          Q      Is there any reason why he did not talk to the FBI?  
And who specifically briefed him today, since he apparently has not 
talked to Ms. Reno, at least as of a half hour ago?
          
          MS. MYERS:  He, again, was briefed by Janet Reno last 
night.  And today he's talked -- I don't know specifically who he's 
talked to, but he's been kept --
          
          Q      Last night?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Last night was Janet Reno.
          
          Q      What time, do you know roughly?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I don't.
          
          Q      It wasn't yesterday afternoon, it was last night?
          
          MS. MYERS:  It might have been late afternoon or early 
evening.  I say last night --
          
          Q      I presume the alcohol tax agents were in all this 
planning, too, were they not?
          
          MS. MYERS:  The FBI's the lead agency, but the ATF was 
involved as were the Texas Rangers.
          
          Q      Has he called for any kind of internal 
investigation in view of the outcome --
          
          MS. MYERS:  Not yet.  We're still waiting to find out 
what the exact outcome is.
          
          Q      Isn't that automatic because agents were killed?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I don't believe any agents were killed 
today.
          
          Q      No, not today, but --
          
          MS. MYERS:  Oh, but yes, the --
          
          Q         as far as investigation of this incident, isn't 
that an automatic thing because of the agents were killed when it was 
initiated?
          
          MS. MYERS:  What, back six weeks ago or however long ago 
it was?  I believe that it was.  We said at the time that that was 
being reviewed.  I can't remember who the lead agency on it was, but 
we announced that several weeks ago, that there would be a review.
          
          Q      Do you have any information, or do you recall any 
threats that this man made about that he would commit suicide or that 
he would come out before people and commit suicide?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Again, I would refer you back to the Justice 
Department's statements.  But I think he made numerous pledges that 
he would not.  But I think there was still some concerns that that 
would happen.
          
          Q      Dee Dee, you mentioned that the President said 
okay.  So it is fair to say that he would agree that the buck stops 
at his desk on this decision? 
          
          MS. MYERS:  Absolutely.  I think we've said that all 
day, that the President takes responsibility for it.  Again, he 
didn't raise any objections to it at the time, and he continues to 
stand behind the Justice Department and the FBI.  
          
          Q      Did he mention to Reno that he was concerned that 
there was a Jonestown-type situation possibly brewing?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I think he raised some -- they had a 
discussion about it.  I don't want to characterize the exact nature 
of that.  But the President did not raise any specific objections to 
the plan and it went forward.
          
          Q      You know, you do have, Dee Dee, an unusual 
situation with the Attorney General really seeming to go to extra 
lengths this afternoon to accept the responsibility and, if 
necessary, the blame for this, saying the buck stops here with me; I 
made the decision; and seeming, at least, to try to relieve the 
President of any blame or responsibility for this.  Will the 
President accept that, or will he insist on taking responsibility?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I think we've said throughout the day that 
the President takes responsibility, he stands by the decisions that 
were made.  He was briefed about it.  I think the Attorney General 
was involved in this, and I think that she takes responsibility for 
the action of her department.  That's her nature.  I think it's 
admirable, but the President is the President and he takes 
responsibility for it.
          
          Q      Well, how can they take responsibility, any of 
them, for a crazy man's doings when --
          
          MS. MYERS:  I think that the President -- I think that's 
a good -- the fact remains that David Koresh caused the lives of a 
number of people and it's tragic.  And he does bear a lot of 
responsibility somewhere.
          
          Q      When was -- but do you think he had the building 
saturated with gasoline or something?
          
          MS. MYERS:  That's the judgment of the law enforcement 
experts on the scene -- yes, that there were some fire -- kerosene or 
some other kind of highly flammable materials on scene.
          
          Q      Have you had any indication that he had any 
conference with the people inside and whether they were going along 
with him on tragic things that might happen?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I would refer you back again to the FBI and 
the Justice Department, who both said that they believe that there 
was a good level of cooperation among many of the people that were 
there.  But, clearly, the children weren't in any position to make 
those kinds of decisions, and it's absolutely tragic that so many of 
them appear to have lost their lives today.
          
          Q      Dee Dee, can we expect the President to call Janet 
Reno, the FBI Director, some of the other principals here at some 
point to discuss this?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Oh, at some point I'm sure they'll talk.  We 
don't have any specific timetable on it, but --
          
          Q      Do you know what Mrs. Clinton's reaction was?
          
          MS. MYERS:  No, I haven't spoken to her today.
          
          Q      Would you repeat your answer on whether or not the 
President mentioned a concern over a mass suicide to Janet Reno 
yesterday?  I didn't quite catch your response.
          
          MS. MYERS:  My response was that they talked and had an 
exchange about it, but I wasn't going to talk about the specific 
details of their conversation.
          
          Q      About Jonestown?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Correct -- about the details of their 
conversation.
          
          Q      No, but in that conversation, did he mention --
          
          MS. MYERS:  I'm not going to talk about the specific 
details of their conversation, was my answer.
          
          Q      Was the President under the impression that these 
lives would all be lost if there were not a precipitant attack?  Was 
he given to understand this talk about Jonestown and so forth that 
whether it's suicide or murder, that these people would have all 
died, even if the FBI hadn't tried going in there today?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I don't know that anybody said specifically 
that that was the case.  But, clearly, there was reason to believe 
that the children were danger, that the lives of the agents were 
threatened.  And I think clearly those things proved true today.
          
          Q      Well, just to clear it up, you're not going to talk 
about the details, but did you confirm the Jonestown --
          
          MS. MYERS:  No, I just said I wasn't going to discuss 
the details.
          
          Q      Can you give us some idea of what his involvement 
-- Clinton's involvement has been today?  I mean, he had this 
conversation last night with Reno.  He said okay.  In other words, he 
gave the okay to go ahead with this last night, is that correct?
          
          MS. MYERS:  Right.
          
          Q      And then today, what conversations has he had with 
Justice Department officials, ATF officials, anybody about the 
situation?
          
          MS. MYERS:  He's been monitoring it throughout the day, 
being briefed by staff members and monitoring news accounts.  I don't 
know what specific conversations he's had with Justice Department 
officials.
          
          Q      Has he been briefed by White House staff or by 
Justice?
          
          MS. MYERS:  White House staff.  And I believe he's had 
-- again, I don't want to comment because I'm not sure what Justice 
Department officials he may have spoken to.
          
          Q      If this group was an offshoot of the Seventh Day 
Adventists, has anybody talked to the officials of the Seventh Day 
Adventists about what they think might have been his motives or his 
background?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I don't know.  You'd have to check with 
Justice or FBI, I think.

          
          Q      How does this stack up in the history of tragedies 
in this country?
          
          MS. MYERS:  I don't know if I want to characterize it 
over the course of our history.
          
          Q      I know, but I mean has anybody officially, 
historically checked that out as to --
          
          MS. MYERS:  In terms of numbers of deaths?  I don't 
believe so.  I'm sure the media will take care of that over the next 
few days.

          
          Q      Has the President, or any of you officials, 
discussed this Waco thing with the CIA in any way?  There was a wild 
rumor a while back --
          
          MS. MYERS:  The President hasn't.
          
          Q      He has not?
          
          MS. MYERS:  No.
          
          Q      There was a wild rumor a while back that -- not 
confirmed -- but there was a report by a former high level CIA man 
that this thing started in Waco as a mind control experiment.
          
          MS. MYERS:  Well, I don't know the details of that.  I 
mean, David Koresh was clearly -- had some impact on some people's 
minds.  That goes without saying.
          
          Q      Has there been any public response -- I mean, has 
the White House been bombarded with calls or anything like that?
          
          MS. MYERS:  No, I think people are paying attention to 
this, obviously with some shock and horror, but we haven't noticed 
any noticeable level of increase in phone calls.
          
          Q      With such a horrible event that the President 
signed off on, why has he not talked to the Attorney General today or 
the head of the FBI?  Is that an effort to distance --
          
          MS. MYERS:  No.  It's not.

          
          Q      Dee Dee, one more Waco question.  Has the President 
had any briefings on this prior to this weekend, do you know?  Has he 
had any personal involvement --
          
          MS. MYERS:  He's been kept current of the situation 
there and is briefed regularly on the outcome, but not in terms of 
the specific -- this specific plan. 

          THE PRESS:  Thank you.

                                 END6:35 P.M. EDT

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