Janet Reno, the first female Attorney General, has died at age 78.
Described by the Wall Street Journal as a ‘polarizing figure’ under the Clinton administration, she died at home in Florida.
She was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and played an important role in some acrimonious events that occurred under Bill Clinton’s presidency.
Appointed in 1993, she served eight years in the role and became known for her blunt and confrontational approach to her work. Among her controversies was her approval of the FBI raid on David Koresh‘s Waco cult compound, which lead to the deaths of 75 people, as well as handling cases involving Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and the Unabomber case.
She also received much criticism for her refusal to permit an independent investigation into White House fundraising scandals, along with other issues that created major issues for her.
