Capital Briefs: Senators Urge Probe of Fed Branch in L.A.

Two U.S. senators have asked Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate cash management practices at the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., made the request in a letter Monday.

A recent General Accounting Office report concluded that the reserve bank's management ordered employees to fill out cash reports incorrectly.

"We believe these disturbing reports merit greater attention from the Department of Justice," the senators wrote. "If true, there could be possible violations of federal law." A spokeswoman for the San Francisco Fed declined comment.

The letter marks the second time within a week that the Justice Department has been asked to investigate the Federal Reserve.

The Federal Reserve Board asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down who leaked a confidential monetary policy report to Reuters. The report included the interest rate recommendations from all 12 reserve bank presidents.

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