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Yet another entry in the dueling quotes competition (see similar attributions for Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr) purported to come from a '60 Minutes' interview held with Janet Reno in 1994, during whichthe then-U.S. Attorney General supposedly offered her definition of a 'cultist': The date of the putative interview varied depending upon the source, but 26 June was the most commonly mentioned one, falling about a year after the siege of the compound belonging to the Branch Davidian religious sect just outside of Waco, Texas. But Reno was not interviewed by '60 Minutes' on that date or at any other time during 1994, nor did she ever make the statement attributed to her about cultists. Unlike the fabricated Clinton and Starr quotes, this one didn't attempt to make its subject look like a hypocrite, but rather to portray her as dangerous. The U.S. Attorney General's definition of a cultist is something that would include just about any moderately religious Christian and/or anyone mistrustful of government? And such a person is at risk of government interference, just like the siege Reno ordered waged against Branch Davidian compound in Waco? Pretty scary, isn't it? No wonder this quote was spread around with sentiments like the following attached to it: This bogus quote starting popped up in newsletters and around the Internet at least as far back as 1997, and Liza Mundy of the Washington Post referenced it in early 1998:
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