Janet Reno, the first female Attorney General to serve the United States, is dead following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Reno was 78 years old.
In a statement provided by Reno’s goddaughter, Gabrielle D’Alemberte, Janet spent her final days at home in Florida with family and friends surrounding her.
Reno served under the Clinton administration in the ’90s for nearly eight years, where she endured much criticism by her bullish actions.
One of the more notable “scandals” was when she supported the raid after a 51-day stand-off on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, where cult head David Koresh and 80-plus followers died.
Janet referred to the demise of the Waco compound “the worst day of her life,” and said, “It was a dangerous situation.”
“The tragedy is that we will never know what was the right thing to do.”
The government reported that the cult committed mass suicide, and set the fire.
It’s hard for dead folks to set fire, though.
Others speculated that it was the government who burned the compound to the ground, as Reno admitted to using teargas to end the 51-day standoff, and that government agents attempted to pick off individuals trying to flee by shooting them.
Reno was also involved in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Whitewater, and reported Chinese nuclear espionage, among other things.
In 2000, Reno ordered the armed seizure of Elian Gonzáles, which caused major controversy in both Cuba and the United States.
Elian was removed from his Miami home – a town in which he shared with Reno – and ordered back to Havana, where his father lived.
Reno graduated from Cornell University and received a degree in chemistry, before moving onto Harvard Law School, where she received her educational background in politics and law.
After winning the nomination from Clinton – the first woman to lead the United States Justice Department – she said, “It’s an extraordinary experience, and I hope I do the women of America proud.”
However, after the 1993 Waco incident, Reno was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and her condition began to deteriorate.
The 78th United States Attorney General retired from the government in 2001.
She was succeeded by John Ashcroft.
Rest in peace, Reno, and may you find some yourself.
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