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.
Heck, the Mexican drug runner is more honest and upstanding than these prosecutors.
In this case Sutton claims Ramos stipulated the bullet came from his service weapon....
in fact he did not and an Army surgeon at William Beaumont Army Medical Center removed a bullet fragment from the smugglers right thigh on March 16, 2005 at 7:45 p.m.
That evening Christopher Sanchez an investigator with the DHS Office of Inspector General, took Davila AND the bullet fragment to his personal residence for the night.
This action broke the chain of custody for the bullet fragment. The following day Sanchez submitted the bullet to the Texas Department of Public Safety for testing. The report concluded the bullet was fired from a barrel having six lands and grooved inclined to the right.
The manufacture of this bullet could have been from five different types of guns and because of the handling of the bullet the DNA was removed and could not be conclusively linked to the smuggler or either of the BP agents.
This alone casts reasonable doubt on the entire case.... because we do not know, beyond a reasonable doubt, this bullet came from either agents weapon of if this man was shot at another place and time.
Too many unanswered questions in this case for them to be serving ten years in prison.
Dear White House:
What the &*^#*&$%^$% is wrong with you?
madison10
DC Chapter short list ping
In case you missed this.
You are being a jerk on this thread, but I'll answer nonetheless: The angle of the bullet was as follows: It entered the lower left bottocks and passed through the pelvic triangle and lodged in his right thigh. In CSO-speak this is consisten with the motion of a left-handed person running away while point backward, causing the body to twist. The agents both testified he was running away and pointing an object that appeared to be a gun at them.. the evidence of the bullet path actually bears out their testimony.
It appears that the original poster was saying that Sutton was brought in to prosecute this case and that he is not the USA in the western district.
I'm so glad Ted Poe is my Representative.
I believe it was his district... he actually has his hands all over an even dirtier case than this case... but he was promoted, recently, by his friend Alberto Gonzalez.
Then obviously the jury didn't believe the testimony.
The jury was not allowed to hear the testimony.
You have allowed opinion into your assertion of facts, and expressed disputed facts as if they are incontrovertable.
So you deny they shot at the man?
You deny Compean picked up his shells?
You deny that Ramos exceeded the speed limit in chasing the van?
You deny that the two agents did not inform the supervisor?
You deny that the two agents filed reports which were false?
LOL.
Prolly smoking a cigarette and driving under the influence of a Big Mac with fries. The shame!
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