Posted on 01/13/2007 9:25:57 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
Those who have been lobbying for a presidential pardon or other intervention from the government on behalf of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents sentenced to prison for shooting an escaping drug dealer in the buttocks should review the evidence in their cases, White House spokesman Tony Snow told WND.
"They (agents Jose Alonso Compean, 28, and Ignacio Ramos, 37) eventually went before a … jury – and were convicted on 11 of 12 counts, by a U.S. attorney who has prosecuted any number of cases. But the facts of this case are such that I would invite everybody to take a full look at the documented record," Snow said.
"This is not the case of the United States saying, we are not going to support people who go after drug dealers. Of course we are. We think it's incumbent to go after drug dealers, and we also think that it's vitally important to make sure that we provide border security so our people are secure," he continued.
"We also believe that the people who are working to secure that border themselves obey the law. And in a court of law, these two agents were convicted on 11 of 12 counts by a jury of their peers after a lengthy trial at which they did have the opportunity to make their case," he said.
His response came to a question from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House:
"A nationally syndicated columnist, Phyllis Schlafly, reports the following, and this is a quote: 'President Bush pardoned 16 criminals, including five drug dealers, at Christmastime, but so far has refused to pardon two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were trying to defend America against drug smugglers.' And my question: If Mrs. Schlafly was at all inaccurate in this statement, you would surely rebut, wouldn't you?"
Snow said he couldn't comment about the specifics of pardons. But he said Schlafly's reference should include the details, how "according to the facts presented in court, you had an incident in which there was an attempt to pull somebody over. He finally got pulled over; somebody holds out a gun. Sort of scuffling ensues. And what happens is you've got a fellow running away, and a couple of agents eventually in pursuit, firing 14 shots at him – I think 15, actually. Fourteen by one agent missed, one did strike him in the fleshy hindquarters."
At that point yet, Snow noted, the agents "did not know if he was an illegal. They did not know that there were 700 pounds of marijuana …"
"They also have rights of appeal. So I don't want to be acting here as – I'm not going to be judge and jury, but I do think that there's been a characterization that somehow the government is turning a blind eye toward the law in enforcing the law. And … I think that's the important thing. So take a look at the facts of the case."
He said questions about the fact that the government brought the man back from Mexico and gave him immunity on charges to testify against the agents would have to be answered by a lawyer.
As WND has reported, five congressmen recently issued a call to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to intervene.
The lawmakers have asked President Bush to pardon Compean and Ramos, who were sentenced to 12 years and 11 years, respectively, in October. But the sentences are scheduled to begin Jan. 17, and in lieu of a pardon, the congressmen are asking Gonzalez to request the Justice Department to direct federal prosecutors not to oppose a court motion to keep the agents free on bond during the appeals process.
Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.; Ted Poe, R-Texas; Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.; Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; and Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.; announced their request in a news conference at the nation's capitol.
The lawmakers cited "discrepancies" in the government's case that they said raised questions as to whether justice was being served. The members of Congress were joined by former Border Patrol agent Andy Ramirez of Friends of the Border Patrol and T.J. Bonner and Rich Pierce of the National Border Patrol Council.
Bush also has received a letter about the case from more than 50 Congress members, and Grassfire.org has an online petition calling on the president to pardon the agents.
"Two brave Border Patrol agents trying to enforce the president's nonsensical border policy ending up being sent to prison, while an illegal alien drug smuggler is given immunity and walks free," Rohrabacher said.
As WND has reported, a federal jury convicted the two after a two-week trial on charges of causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and a civil rights violation.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas issued a statement in September arguing "the defendants were prosecuted because they had fired their weapons at a man who had attempted to surrender by holding his open hands in the air, at which time Agent Compean attempted to hit the man with the butt of Compean's shotgun, causing the man to run in fear of what the agents would do to him next."
The statement said, "Although both agents saw that the man was not armed, the agents fired at least 15 rounds at him while he was running away from them, hitting him once."
Ramirez of Friends of the Border Patrol said the drug smuggler has "fully contributed to the destruction of two brave agents and their families and has sent a very loud message to the other Border Patrol agents: If you confront a smuggler, this is what will happen to you."
Snow followed up after the press briefing by faxing 12 pages of comment about the case of the border guards, including the statement from U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, as well as a guest column he wrote for the El Paso Times in October.
"Agents Compean and Ramos were not railroaded by some over-zealous prosecutor, they were unanimously found guilty by a jury in a United States federal district court after a trial that lasted more than 2 ½ weeks," he wrote in the newspaper. "The problem for Mr. Compean and Mr. Ramos is that the jury did not believe their stories because they were not true."
"In America," he wrote, "law-enforcement officers do not get to shoot unarmed suspects who are running away, lie about it to their supervisors and file official reports that are false. That is a crime and prosecutors cannot look the other way."
Snow also faxed a six-page analysis of the case, with a list of unsigned myth-fact comparison statements.
On another related question, Kinsolving asked Snow: "What is the White House reaction to The Washington Times reporting that our National Guard troops in the Mexican border near Sasabe, Arizona being required to be disarmed, and who had to evacuate due to incursions by armed Mexicans?"
"Talk to the Border Patrol about that," Snow said.
You couldn't play the part of a lint ball under my bed much less anyone with legal acumen and logical thought.
No thanks. One dose of strawmen from you is more than enough for one thread. When you figure out where in the Constitution the protections of our BoR apply to citizens of another country, you go ahead and let us all know.
It's pretty darn clear that you haven't read the record, and are operating on sheer emotion. When you settle down, I'd like to discuss with you your Constitutional rights, and how they are should not be subject to arbitrary law enforcement.
My Right, yes. I'm a US citizen and am afford certain protections under our Laws. Foreign drug runners aren't. Doubly so when they are first stopped, then run from our BP agents. If you run from a cop, they will shoot you. Even if you ARE a citizen.
Apparently, what you approve of is a double standard. One for US citizens, one of illegals.
Er.. yes. Because it says, "We the People, of the United States of America". It doesn't say jack about Mexicans. Sorry. Or can people in Moscow claim their Rights under our Constitution? If they get arrested by their police, can they demand a trial in our courts and get it?
Don't be absurd.
No double standard, except in your imagination. If a cop shoots a suspect, I expect there to be an investigation. And if that investigation uncovers wrongdoing on the part of the cop, then I don't care if the suspect is a U.S. citizen, or an alien from the planet Zod.
ping
Illegal aliens are not only permitted to break laws but they get special perks at our expense.
Alberto Gonzales ..... No good worthless POS! A GW crony same as that dummy Harriet Meirs who thank God withdrew so we could get a real conservative Supreme Court Justice prior to the Democrats taking the Senate
Alberto Gonzales ..... a no good rat who allowed the prosecution of these two fine Mexican American Border Agents. While illegal aliens and alien criminals are rarely dealt with or deported the way they should be
GW only enforces the laws he likes. Especially the laws that deal with illegal aliens. He does not enforce them, he does not order vigorous enforcement
| New amnesty push likely in 07 by Bush, Dems |
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| Posted by Mount Athos On 01/04/2007 7:32:40 AM CST · 14 replies · 209+ views Marietta Daily Journal ^ | Wednesday, January 3 | D.A. King Five years into the war on terror, most Americans desperately hoped 2006 would be "the year" for solutions to the long national nightmare of intentionally unsecured borders and the resulting illegal immigration crisis. For many, the dream was that at a minimum, we would begin to see border security and immigration law enforcement similar to what Mexicans still living in Mexico enjoy. It didn't happen. According to a report released in late 2006 by the House Committee of Homeland Security, up to 10 million people entered the United States illegally and un-inspected last year. Georgia watched as its population of... |
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They were only doing the border protection job that the White House doesn't want to do.
"Hunter is sounding better and better."
Yup, EVERYONE else has some character flaw. This is one of the very few times a darkhorse like Hunter might have a chance. The only normal person in the moonbat factory.
10 mil in one year. ....incredible. And "official estimates" of the number of illegals in the entire county is only around 12 mil. Gee, ya think that number is a little off? By about 40-50 million, I suspect. ....minumum.
I wonder if this pro-amnesty administration (and the GOP establishment) understands that the vast majority of these tens of millions of new voters (most of whom are now addicted to taxpayer freebees) will undoubtedly be voting Donkey? ....and that this is precisely why the Democrats are so enthusiastic about it! In a nation so closely divided electorally, tens of millions of new Democrats could (and will) turn the electoral tide decisively.
Seems the Bush admin is doing everything within its power to get Hillary elected, and to secure a voting majority to the Democrats for ....ever.
If he could not have been charged for anything, why did he not agree to return to the US until he was given immunity?
Kind of sums up the new and improved Justice Dept. of today under the tutelage and direction of his highness G.W. Bush. If you don't like a law, don't bother to go to Congress and work to get it changed. Just ignore it and dare anyone to do anything about! Never mind that he took a sworn oath to protect and to defend this nation and so and so on.....
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