Ms Reno served as attorney general for almost eight years during the two consecutive terms of former US President Bill Clinton, making her the longest-serving attorney general of the last century and the first woman ever appointed to the role. As one of the most visible and polarising figures of the Clinton administration, she was known for her blunt and measured style of argumentation, once famously telling reporters: ‘I don’t do spin.’ Ms Reno’s family have attributed her death to complications related to Parkinson’s disease, with which Ms Reno was diagnosed while still in office in 1995.
Controversial leader
Much like former President Clinton, Ms Reno was no stranger to controversy during her time in office. She was the subject of heated public backlash in 2000 when she authorised armed federal agents to seize five-year-old Elián González and return him to his father in Cuba. The child was the only survivor of a boat of 13 Cuban migrants that sank while trying to reach the United States, and was the subject of a heated custody battle between his relatives in the United States and his father in Cuba. Ms Reno was also responsible for authorising the raid on the Branch Davidian sect religious compound in Waco, Texas, during the first weeks of her tenure. The raid ended a 51-day stand-off with federal authorities but resulted in the death of sect leader David Koresh and many of his followers.
Sources: New York Times; CNN; The Guardian
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