Editorial: Zealotry gathers steam

Monday, April 17, 2000 | 9:23 a.m.

When Kenneth Starr stepped down as an independent counsel, most people reasoned that the investigation into President Clinton would finally wind down. After all, Starr had referred his findings to Congress, which conducted its own impeachment investigation, and Republicans in the Senate didn't have enough votes to remove the president from office. Shortly after this vote, Congress showed its distaste for the independent counsel law by not renewing the independent counsel statute, citing prosecutorial abuses made against previous presidential administrations -- both Republican and Democratic.

Yet now we find out that Starr's successor -- Robert Ray -- is going full speed ahead, telling the Washington Post last week that he believes the investigation of President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky is still open, and that he even is considering seeking an indictment against the president after he leaves office. What's more, he just hired six new lawyers, an investigator and received an FBI agent assigned to his staff. The new independent counsel even has estimated that his office will spend $3.5 million in the next six months, which is an increase over the $3.1 million spent during the previous six months.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., took to the floor of the Senate last week and correctly denounced the latest revelation that Ray intends to move aggressively forward with his investigation. Reid said that Ray's probe essentially is violating the concept of double jeopardy. "It (double jeopardy) recognizes that there comes a point where continued investigation crosses the line into inappropriate government harassment. An investigation into the truth should not be allowed to become a vendetta against an individual. It recognizes that enough is enough." Indeed.

Starr was roundly criticized for allowing what had originally started out as an investigation into an Arkansas land deal almost 20 years ago to be turned into a seemingly never-ending probe with no bounds. Even presidential aide Vince Foster's suicide was investigated, no less. This probe has gone on for six years and cost taxpayers more than $52 million. There were some who questioned the wisdom of Congress refusing to renew the independent counsel statute. Ray's stepping up of the investigation into the president, though, proves just how right it was to get rid of a law that allowed for such extraordinary prosecutorial abuses.