Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle's Sacramento Bureau -- which has the best federal sources of any paper covering the Capitol -- reported that federal agents were interviewing lobbyists and Capitol staffers about potential campaign spending violations. There were few details, but the message was clear: The FBI, which more than a decade ago launched a major corruption probe of the California Legislature, was back in the Capitol looking for wrongdoing.

But as soon as the Chronicle story appeared, the FBI pooh-poohed it.

The agents were not investigating anybody, the FBI said, they were simply part of a revitalized anti-corruption squad and they were asking Capitol insiders generic questions about the process of law-making. They also wanted to let people know that an 800 number had been set up to allow people who suspect corruption to call the FBI.

Journalists chasing the Chronicle story appeared only too happy to accept the FBI's official version -- the second-day stories effectively downplayed the significance of the agents' visits.

But the FBI's explanation is troubling. Former federal prosecutors familiar with the FBI's activities say the Bureau doesn't send agents out among potential targets on public relations errands. Apparently, according to its own characterization, the Bureau wanted to learn such basic facts of Capitol life as how a bill becomes law, how special interests affect legislation and the role of campaign contributions. This kind of information is available in any high school civics book.

Moreover, the FBI rarely discusses its activities at all, issuing a perfunctory "No comment" or "We won't confirm or deny" to hapless reporters seeking information. So why now does the FBI issue announcements and statements?

If they wanted to jangle the nerves of Capitol denizens, they certainly succeeded. It's the hottest private topic of conversation in the Capitol now and is likely to remain so for weeks.

It's the third time in 20 years that the FBI has disclosed a major presence in the Capitol.

In the 1970s, a limited corruption probe captured wide attention but produced scant results.

But one night in August 1988, in one of the most dramatic moments in the Capitol's history, 30 agents with search warrants swarmed into the building and raided several offices in a sweeping hunt for evidence of corruption. It was the culmination of a sophisticated undercover sting in which the FBI set up a phony shrimp processing company that paid cash for votes. That investigation resulted in imprisonment for a handful of lawmakers, a top lobbyist and some staffers.

State sources familiar with the FBI's latest interviews say the agents appeared intrigued at the flood of contributions that followed the overturn last month of Proposition 208, the voter-approved initiative that limited political donations. If that's true, the agents certainly have their work cut out for them: Lobbyists say privately they have been inundated by repeated requests for contributions from lawmakers as the 1998 election cycle gets under way. By all accounts, huge amounts of political donations have been made in the last few weeks, although the full extent of the fund-raising won't be apparent until the financial disclosure reports are filed with the secretary of state's office.

So whatever the FBI's motives, it's clear that a lot of political money is changing hands.

Is the FBI on to something? Only time will tell.

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