Posted on 02/06/2007 6:18:29 PM PST by calcowgirl
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:
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.
This prompted a startled and angry response from the congressman.
"You lied to me and you lied to all of us," Culberson charged. "Your office tried to paint a picture of Ramos and Compean as dirty cops, and now you come before this committee and tell us you never had the information to back up those claims."
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.
Shows one good reason why creating one more layer of government with more agencies reporting through layers to that agency is and was a very bad idea.
"Perhaps this will give GWB an excuse to release them pending investigation of the whole affair.
If the Grand Jury has been misled by faulty information, and the Indictment be null and void? Would this lead to a full pardon?"
I would hope so! I also hope that Tony Snow is taking notice of this and letting President Bush know he needs to pardon them right away and fire the DHS people responsible for the "total misinformation"!
No one. But then, that's the idea, isn't it?
From the article, "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."
Is Andy Ramirez the same person that people here were accusing of possibly being in cahoots with his buddy, the illegal Mexican/drug runner? That name sounds familier to me.
IF he finds out. We don't know what he is and has been told about this or what records they gave him to review and what records they held back.
| WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush issued 16 pardons Thursday and commuted the ... With this batch, Bush has issued 113 pardons and commuted three sentences ... |
I hope you will be proved wrong. In my heart, I don't believe you will be.
Just one more job Americans won't do.
I imagine what muawiyah is referring to is the fact he was asleep in his cell when he was attacked Saturday evening. When it's lights-out the cells are supposed to be locked down and the only person in the cell with you is the other prisoner.... someone allowed these people into this cell on this evening to beat the heck out of Ramos and that someone had to have a key.
BTW, how are the tens of dozens of illegals camped out down the way from you doing.
Those in flyover states don't have a clue and would have a fit if they had to put up with tens of dozens of illegals camped in their neighborhood with all their trash, human crap, etc.
I have a helpful suggestion for President Bush. If he's not going to release them, at least send in some Federal Marshalls to protect them because no one else will!
It is not yet an irregularity that the transcript is not yet available. Not yet.
This whole case has been a total crock. These agents need to be pardoned right away. I don't know what is taking. Is the White House afraid they may offend Mexico and ruin cozy relations? Whatever the case, free Ramos and Compean.
You and I agree with that for sure... but will never happen since he is such a good friend of the POTUS and Sutton the Prosecutor is a good friend of Gonzalez'
I think Kilby introduced a resolution calling for a pardon recently? Past week maybe.
I think we had that by noon today! LOL
SoCal will know the actual numbers....Yoo-Hoo
Uhh what the heck does Congress have to do with their appeals process in I think the 5th circuit???? Hmmm about as much as what the price of tea in China is right now. If you're for freeing two convicted felons while they are appealing then you'd have to empty out half of the prisons to accommodate all of the other convicted felons also in some process of their appeals process. I've been laughing at some of these posts, I've read that he was beaten almost to death, to he has a minor cut and some bruises..... big difference there. Nobody knows why he wasn't in segregated housing, maybe he declined it based upon you are locked up in your cell with no contact for 23 out of every 24 hours. No TV, no nothing. He might have opted to take his chances in gen pop instead of going insane in the SHU.
I think it's time you give it up. You've been running down the cause of these poor agents in other threads, too. Now we know that DHS lied to Congress, and we already knew that a DHS agent, working closely with a Mexican organized crime mule (Aldrete-Davila), provided the instigation for the entire prosecution. We were lied to that Ramos & Compean were "crooked cops," when the crooks are clearly in the DHS and Justice Dept.
What I read before made it sound like he was severely beaten Now it's down to minor cuts and bruises? Not that I approve of that either, but still.....has FR become the biggest gossip column online? LOL
Wow, the Nifong way of prosecuting seems to be taking hold.
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