Justice officials are now probing whether senior G-men conspired to cover up Potts’s possible role in approving controversial “shoot on sight” rules that resulted in Mrs. Weaver’s death. Potts has denied approving the guidelines, but top agents have sworn that he did. Bureau sources say Freeh, who was very close to Potts, was stung when he learned of the document-shredding, and they expect him to be ruthless in pursuing the investigation. “They’ve taken away the king’s prince, and the king is p—ed,” said a bureau source.
Justice officials also worry that last week’s disclosures will raise new questions about Freeh’s and Attorney General Janet Reno’s judgment in promoting Potts, despite his role in planning the deadly 1993 assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas. Congressional hearings on Waco are slated to start this week. As if that weren’t enough, a Senate committee plans hearings on reports that FBI, ATF, Customs and Secret Service agents were regulars at an annual racist picnic in Tennessee. “All this is just horrible for us,” said one Justice official.
