Posted on 10/26/2002 10:15:19 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Agents in attack ad clear Sanchez
BY TRICIA CORTEZ Times staff writer
Two retired federal agents admitted Friday afternoon that Tony Sanchez and his former thrift, Tesoro Savings and Loan, "had nothing to do with the death of (Drug Enforcement Administration agent) Kike Camarena."
One day after Gov. Rick Perry and his Democratic challenger Tony Sanchez acknowledged the public's disgust with negative ads during their Dallas debate, the Rick Perry campaign launched another attack ad statewide Friday.
The ad alleges that Sanchez, through Tesoro, was linked to the Gallardo drug cartel and the death of DEA agent Camarena Hector Berrellez and Phil Jordan, the two former DEA agents who starred in the Perry attack ad, admitted that they did not blame Sanchez or Tesoro for the death of Camarena.
Camarena was killed in Guadalaraja in 1985 by drug traffickers.
"We never said Sanchez had anything to do with his death. But the direct link is that his bank was facilitating the drug money laundering for the men who killed Kike Camarena," said Berrellez in a telephone interview. He led the Camarena murder investigation.
Berrellez said he has documents showing Tesoro held accounts from relatives of the suspected drug dealers at the time.
However, he and Jordan said they could not prove that Tesoro or Sanchez knew the money was from drug dealers or that the relatives were related to the drug dealers.
"Just because Sanchez and other people in Tesoro were not convicted does not mean that they didn't know," Berrellez argued.
Jordan pointed to the jury's acquittal of O.J. Simpson.
"I know he did it. There are things you know that are true, but you can't prove them," he added.
Jordan further admitted that he had no proof or evidence that Sanchez knew or met with the suspected drug traffickers. Jordan was the DEA agent in charge in Dallas. Laredo does not fall under the Dallas office.
Despite their admissions on Friday afternoon, Berrellez and Jordan appeared in the Perry attack ad stating that "Sanchez's bank chose to help the drug dealers get their money back."
Jordan closes by saying, "Now Texans have a choice. Just say no to Tony Sanchez."
They ad was filmed earlier in the week, Jordan said, before adding that he did not get any monetary fees for appearing in the commercial.
The commercial was set to coincide with Red Ribbon week, which was established to honor the memory of Camarena and to launch an anti-drug campaign, mainly in schools.
According to the Associated Press on Friday, Perry was accompanied by the sister of Camarena at a press conference in Dallas, where he accused Tesoro Savings and Loan of laundering drug money for the dealers who killed Camarena in 1985.
"Camarena's sister, Sandra, said she had not seen the ad and that she attended Perry's news conference to support his efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking, not for political reasons," the Associated Press reported.
In previous interviews, former federal prosecutor David Almaraz and special agent for the IRS's criminal investigation division Tom Gonzalez, said Tesoro complied with the feds and that nobody at Tesoro was found to be involved in wrongdoing.
However, Jordan challenged this.
"Have you read the DEA reports? No!" he said, angrily.
"I'm not going to provide them to you because you're not authorized," Jordan added.
"Call the DEA and the El Paso Intelligence Center and see if they release them to you," he said.
However, Jordan could not say that the reports showed Sanchez or anyone in Tesoro had knowledge that the money was coming from drug dealers.
He and Berrellez said Sanchez and others at Tesoro should have known the money was coming in from drug dealers and could have found out by contacting federal agencies.
When asked whether other banks at the time were contacting the feds to investigate large deposits, they said they "could not remember."
"I want to make one thing clear. We never said Sanchez had anything to do with Kike's murder," Jordan stressed.
Sanchez gave an angry and bewildered reply to the ad on Friday.
"Rick Perry's latest attack ad has gotten into the gutter with this latest attack ad. He knows he is lying, and his behavior is disgusting and insulting to me and my family," Sanchez said by telephone.
"Never in the history of Texas politics has a politician, much less a governor, acted in such a slimy and outrageous manner. The Republican party, his family and his friends should be ashamed of him," he added.
Sanchez then said that his wife and children deserve an apology from Perry.
"So do I and the people of Texas," he added.
"He knows we're a week out from the election and he's going to lose. He is panicked and there are no lines of decency and honor that he will not cross," he said.
Perry's campaign manager Deirdre Delisi and Perry Spokesman Ray Sullivan did not return Friday calls.
(Staff writer Tricia Cortez can be reached at 728-2568 or tricia@lmtononline.com.)
| Texas Safe GOP | ||||
|
Poll
|
Date
|
Perry (R)
|
Sanchez (D)
|
Spread
|
|
10/21-10/23
|
53%
|
42%
|
GOP +11
|
|
|
10/15-10/20
|
49%
|
34%
|
GOP +15
|
|
|
10/13-10/17
|
50%
|
35%
|
GOP +15
|
|
|
10/14-10/16
|
52%
|
43%
|
GOP +9
|
|
|
10/8-10/13
|
48%
|
34%
|
GOP +14
|
|
|
10/9-10/11
|
52%
|
30%
|
GOP +22
|
|
|
Last 4 Polls
|
Average
|
51.0%
|
38.5%
|
GOP +12.5
|
It looks as if the Sanchez campaign is dead in the water. They've gotten no movement over the last few weeks despite the vast sums of money Sanchez has poured into his campaign. Rick Perry is safe.
| Texas (Open) Leans GOP | ||||
|
Poll
|
Date
|
Cornyn (R)
|
Kirk (D)
|
Spread
|
|
10/21-10/23
|
52%
|
45%
|
GOP +7
|
|
|
10/15-10/20
|
46%
|
36%
|
GOP +10
|
|
|
10/13-10/17
|
47%
|
37%
|
GOP +10
|
|
|
10/14-10/16
|
54%
|
42%
|
GOP +12
|
|
|
10/8-10/13
|
46%
|
36%
|
GOP +10
|
|
|
Zogby
|
10/9-10/11
|
45%
|
37%
|
GOP +8
|
|
Average
|
48.3%
|
38.8%
|
GOP +9.5
|
|
New SurveyUSA poll shows a slight tick in Kirk's direction. We have no reason to believe this is the beginning of a break in his direction just yet. Cornyn is still the odds on favorite here.
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