Text 27065, 269 rader
Skriven 2007-02-08 07:10:26 av John Hull (1:123/789.0)
Δrende: Update on Border Patrol Agents
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Refute this Sakowski...


WND Exclusive INVASION USA
Government admits lying about jailed border agents
Inspector confronted on Capitol Hill, says promised 'proof' does not exist
Posted: February 6, 2007
8:06 p.m. Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com


Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas
A Department of Homeland Security official admitted today the agency misled
Congress when it contended it possessed investigative reports proving Border
Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean confessed guilt and declared they
"wanted to shoot some Mexicans" prior to the incident that led to their
imprisonment.

The admission came during the testimony of DHS Inspector General Richard L.
Skinner before the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations
Committee, according to Michael Green, press secretary for Rep. John Culberson,
R-Texas.

Culberson was questioning Skinner about a meeting DHS officials had Sept. 26
with him and three other Republican congressman from Texas, Reps. Ted Poe,
Michael McCaul and Kenny Marchant.

WND previously reported that at that meeting the DHS Inspector General's office
asserted it had documentary evidence Ramos and Compean:

   1. confessed to knowingly shooting at an unarmed suspect;

   2. stated during the interrogation they did not believe the suspect was a
threat to them at the time of the shooting;

   3. stated that day they "wanted to shoot a Mexican";

   4. were belligerent to investigators;

   5. destroyed evidence and lied to investigators.

Under questioning by Culberson, Skinner admitted DHS did not in fact have
investigative reports to back up the claims: "The person who told you that
misinformed you," Skinner reportedly replied.

This prompted a startled and angry response from Culberson, who charged
Skinner's office with lying to the Texas congressmen and painting Ramos and
Compean as dirty cops.

Ramos and Compean began prison sentences last month after their actions in the
shooting of a drug smuggler who was granted immunity to testify against them.

Responding to Skinner's testimony yesterday, Poe said it "explains why DHS has
been stonewalling Congress."

"DHS didn't turn over the reports to us to back up their September 26
accusations for one simple reason – the reports never existed," the Texas
congressman said.

"Why did it take DHS four months to admit their error?" he asked. "I wonder how
much more has DHS told the public and Congress about Ramos and Compean that
simply isn't true?"

Poe said he's determined to get to the bottom of DHS's claim.

"I expect this new revelation will lead to a lot more questions before we're
done," he said.

Andy Ramirez, who has been involved with the case as chairman of Friends of the
Border Patrol, told WND the DHS's actions "represent obstruction of justice,
and they should be held in contempt of Congress, and, if possible, prosecuted
to the full extent of the law."

"This admission today is yet more proof of how they are willing to distort the
facts, as I have charged all along, in order to ensure a conviction," he said.

=======================


WND Exclusive INVASION USA
Imprisoned border agent did report shooting
DHS memo shows Compean spoke to supervisor immediately after incident
Posted: February 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

WND has obtained a Department of Homeland Security memo indicating Border
Patrol agent Jose Compean made a complete, in-person verbal report to his
supervisor at the scene immediately following the shooting incident for which
he and colleague Ignacio Ramos are now in prison.

The May 15, 2005, report filed by DHS Special Agent Christopher Sanchez
documents a conversation between Compean and his supervisor that explains the
decision by all nine Border Patrol agents and supervisors on the scene not to
file written reports.

As reported by WND yesterday, a DHS memo filed by Sanchez April 12, 2005, shows
seven agents and two supervisors were present at the Feb. 17, 2005 incident
also decided not to file written reports.

The April 12, 2005, DHS memo stated that all the agents present at the incident
were equally guilty for not filing a written report.

These memos directly contradict the repeated statements of the prosecutor, U.S.
Attorney Johnny Sutton, that agents Ramos and Compean filed false reports about
the incident.

As far as WND can determine, no written reports were filed by any of the Border
Patrol agents or supervisors on the field.

Moreover, the record of the May 15, 2005, memo indicates Compean was truthful
in reporting verbally to the most senior supervisor present at the incident.

Sanchez's memo of May 15, 2005, is a transcript of a hearing held by Compean
with El Paso Border Patrol Sector Chief Louis Barker. The hearing was held at
Compean's request in order to protest his proposed indefinite suspension
resulting from his March 18, 2005, arrest on criminal charges.

The first part of the hearing was held April 7, 2005, before Compean's April
13, 2005, indictment. The second recording from the hearing is dated April 28,
2005.

At the administrative hearing, Compean was accompanied by union representative
Robert Russell, a vice president of Local 1929, the El Paso branch of the
National Border Patrol Council.

In the opening statement transcribed from the April 7, 2005, audio cassette,
Russell makes Barker aware that Compean had made a complete report on the scene
to Jonathan Richards, the more senior of the two supervisors present at the
incident.

Russell's testimony references a wound Compean suffered on his hand, a gash
between the thumb and index finger, which he suffered when scuffling in the
ditch with the drug smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, who had abandoned his
vehicle and was attempting to escape back to Mexico on foot. Russell points to
this wound as evidence of aggravated assault committed on Compean by the drug
smuggler.

Here is Russell's recorded testimony:

    Well, I mean, the base … the basis of this is basically … ummm … Mr.
Compean … an assault took place that day against one of our agents, and he did
defend himself, and the part of the assault is never mentioned in the complaint
or anywhere by OIG (Office of Inspector General) that they know clearly how
this did take place.

A few sentences later, Russell again references that what transpired at the
scene was observed by the agents and supervisors in the field and subsequently
fully known to the Border Patrol management at the station in Fabens, Texas.

Russell indicates that management at Fabens themselves chose not to make a
report about Compean's injury. Here is his testimony:

    Even management at the station in Fabens was fully aware of what had
transpired and for whatever reason nothing was ever generated … and once all
this comes forward, I mean, it's my belief even his attorneys' belief that even
once that does come forward and all that information is presented that the
charges will possibly be dropped … or dismissed … or he will be found not
guilty … based on that … what did transpire.

Directly contradicting prosecutor Sutton's assertion that agents Ramos and
Compean filed false reports, the April 2005 administrative hearing reveals
Compean was forthcoming concerning the events of the incident.

In the second cassette, Russell makes clear that the reluctance to do more
formal reporting after the incident came from supervisor Richards.

    But the fact of the matter is an assault did take place. Umm … Mr. Richards
did know about it.

    Umm … whether Mr. Compean … Mr. Compean said yes sir to this or whether he
was assaulted or not … doesn't negate Mr. Richards responsibility to take some
action from the facts that were presented to him as to what happened out there.

    He was on the scene. He was told by another agent exactly what had happened
and it pretty much apparently stopped at that point.

Russell argues Richards did not want to go through the trouble of filing
written paperwork. So rather than press the hand injury, which Compean felt was
minor, Compean gave in to Richards' pressure to forget about the hand injury,
obviating the only issue the supervisor felt might be needed to document in
writing.

Station Chief Barker asked Compean why he didn't report the shooting. Compean
admitted that possibly a written report should have been filed, but he and the
other Border Patrol on the scene considered the incident inconsequential.

Compean testified:

    As …As I stated to … umm … to this earlier … I didn't … I just … I know it
was wrong for us not to reported it and I … if I would have thought that he had
been hit or anything like that had happened I would have … I didn't … I just …
I knew we were going to get in trouble because the way … the way it's been at
the station the last two … three years … uhh … I mean everything always comes
down to the alien. The agents are as soon as anything comes up … it is always …
always the agent's fault. The agents have always been cleared but, with
management, it's always been the agent's fault. We're the ones that get in
trouble.

Compean continued to note that Aldrete-Davila escaped, and none of the agents
in the field thought he had been hit. All the agents and supervisors in the
field knew there had been a shooting and none of the agents or supervisors
filed any written reports. There was no "cover-up" of anything that happened
that day in the field, the documentation indicates. The only defect was failure
by all to file a written report, including the two supervisors present.

Compean emphasized that the failure to report the incident was considered minor
given the outcome:

    He (Aldrete-Davila) was already gone back south. I … really didn't … didn't
think he had been hit. The way I saw him walking back south he looked … he
looked fine to us and we just didn't … nothing was ever said as … as to don't
say anything keep your mouth shut nothing like that was ever … was ever brought
up either. We just … we just didn't bring it up.

Compean's testimony emphasized supervisor Richards pressured him not to file a
written report:

    When we got back to the station it was the same thing he asked me and the
way … the way I … the way he … he asked me ... he made it seemed like he wanted
me to say no and that's why I said it.

By denying he had been injured, Compean made it possible for Richards to avoid
the trouble of filing a written report on the incident.

The issue about filing a written report, according to Compean's testimony,
turned on his willingness not to mention the assault. The decision not to file
a written report did not turn on wanting to hide the fact that shooting had
taken place.

Moreover, Richards was well aware Compean had been injured in a scuffling match
with Aldrete-Davila on the levee, when he wrestled the drug smuggler down.
Compean did not even realize his hand had been cut until Richards pointed it
out to him at the levee.

The Customs and Border Patrol manual mentions that the penalty for failure to
report the discharge of a firearm or use of a weapon as required by the
applicable firearms policy is a written reprimand, or at most a five-day
suspension for the first offense. The manual makes no mention of the
possibility of criminal punishment for failure to report the discharge of a
weapon.

In a last, more belligerent section of the hearing, Barker charges, "There was
a shooting where somebody was shot and NOTHING WAS SAID!" The capital letters
were in the original transcript, probably reflecting Barker's emphasis.

Russell responds, according to the transcript: "That was an administrative
violation on his part by not reporting it to the agency, yes, but on the same
part the agency failed to act when it knew that an agent had been assaulted."

Then, Russell himself shouts out, "EMPLOYEES SAW IT," pointing out seven Border
Patrol agents besides Ramos and Compean, including two supervisors, were at the
scene.

According to the transcript, the pressure on Compean not to file a written
report came from Richards, the senior supervisor on the field.

Richards was applying pressure on Compean not to report the assault, because
that would have demanded paperwork.

Moreover, according to the hearing transcript, there is no record Richards ever
mentioned to Compean the need to file a written report on the shooting.

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