Government admits lying about jailed border agents (DHS fesses up - Rep. Poe ticked!)

World Net Daily ^ | February 6, 2007 | Jerome R. Corsi

[calcowgirl]

Inspector confronted on Capitol Hill, says promised 'proof' does not exist

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 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.

[RegulatorCountry]

It would be a great relief if this is the case. Honestly, though, it looks an awful lot like the buddy-buddy agents, officials and drug runners have more buddies further up the line, and they're using the justice system for retaliation.

[HKMk23]

I hear ya. If it's not the Feds trying to cover for a pending sting, then it surely means somebody way up the food chain is getting some substantial deposits to their bank account in Grand Cayman.

[TBP]

And so on the baiss that they deny committing any crime, you say that the reports arae accurate and they are liars. Well, that merely shows your eagerness to punish them and your willingness to believe anything.

[CharlesWayneCT]

No. The reports could be inaccurate. You said the reports showed they were innocent, I'm simply noting that the reports show they are guilty, but also show they said they were innocent.

In other words, the reports that are being circulated that purportedly "show" that they are not guilty are reports about what they two agents or their representatives said.

No released report yet has said they were not guilty. As an example, the AP report on the DHS memo that came out this week says in it's first sentence that the report shows the agents lied to cover up what they did (headline included the inflammatory: "agents lied").

I don't know what the truth is, I CAN read the reports, news articles, and statements released about the case. So I'm not asserting what the truth is, merely what is contained in the items I have read.

[VRWCTexan]

Congressman Ted Poe of Houston, plus several other members of Congress, have been meeting with the Feds and demanding full transcripts of the trial, plus other documents, since at least September of 2006

There is definitely a lot of stonewalling occuring

[righteousindignation]

when the CEO is hiring illegals is he not responsible for what happens???

[xcamel]

Look at the organization chart for a major corporation some time then ask me that question again.

[righteousindignation]

the buck stops at the top no matter what charts you proffer

[TBP]

The government admitted that it lied.

The ballistics don't support the case against the agents.

Information shows that Agent Compean did report the shooting immediately , as we told you.

But apparently none of this matters to you in your zeal to keep these Border Patrol agents locked up for the crime of protecting our borders. It might interfere with the dreams of the open-borders crowd.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Sara Carter on BOR right now!

[GretchenM]

marker

[calcowgirl]

Thanks... I missed it! And the rerun! lol

Did she offer anything new?

[America_Right]

We'll have to burn down the entire government in order to save these two upstanding men from paying for their crimes.

You know, when I first heard about this, I thought that this could be the "Archduke Ferdinand" moment of the 2nd American Revolution.

[Tom the Redhunter]

Whether DHS lied or not is irrelevant as to whether the two border agents are guilty. The government or prosecutor can lie and a defendant can still be guilty. And the fact is that these two border agents are guilty. They are bad cops. Andrew McCarty, writing at NRO, has it exactly right. Read what he says. I'm telling you guys this is the wrong bandwagon to jump on.

[calcowgirl]

McCarthy's 2 articles are so filled with rhetoric and drivel and falsehoods that he has lost all credibility he ever had.

Do some more research, Redhunter. The Truth Is Out There.

[rednesss]

Mulder???? Is that you?????

[calcowgirl]

Scully, please. ;-) I thrive on evidence.

[rednesss]

I was under the impression that you "Want to Believe".

[BohDaThone]

Your link specifically shows that you must make a report when a firearm is discharged on duty. (except when the discharge is for practice AND no one is injured -- no one claims that this exception applies)
Page 3, Section 3.H (1)(a)

Redness is right.

[calcowgirl]

Here is what reddess said: You honestly believe that if a federal agent discharges his firearm while on duty at a suspect, that there is no requirement for him to submit anything in writing???? The Policy does not say that an agent submit anything in writing. Scroll down to Section 11, as referenced in the paragraph you cite and you will find that I am correct.