1.   Lawyers acting on behalf of the defendants had claimed that neither evidence nor witnesses had been presented to support the prosecution.

2.   Based on the interviews with the participants in the meeting, Reno concluded that the evidence was too weak to support a prosecution of Gore for lying.

3.   But Reno concluded the evidence against Gore was too slight to support a prosecution of the vice president.

4.   In both cases, the preponderance of the evidence supports the prosecution.

5.   The delay also meant there was no physical evidence to support a prosecution, he said.

6.   The spokesman said that Spitzer would continue to support the prosecution of ticket scalpers who obtained tickets illegally.

7.   The verdict followed a crucial ruling on Saturday by U.S. District Judge Melinda F. Harmon that supported the prosecution.

8.   While he supports prosecution of drug traffickers, Campbell said he is open to making drugs available to addicts and permitting marijuana for medicinal use.

9.   Both Vance and Department of Corrections Director Odie Washington said they would support prosecution of the employees if investigations show they committed crimes.

10.   But opinion polls, including one released Tuesday, indicate Italians overwhelmingly support prosecution.