Bush Commutes Sentences of Two Border Agents Convicted of Shooting Drug Dealer

AP ^ | 1-19-09 | DEB RIECHMANN

[E.G.C.]

WASHINGTON – In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.

Bush's decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.

Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005.

Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes. Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.

Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.

The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said...................."

[Cyropaedia]

Depends on the circumstances. If the suspect is unarmed and not posing an immediate danger to anyone, as in this case, yes.

Glad to see that you still vouch for the integrity of the smuggler. His word was the only "evidence" that he was "unarmed". He led the Border Patrol on a high speed chase. He came straight at Compean when the agent repeatedly ordered him to stop. If he had simply done what Compean ordered him to do none of this would have ever happened.

Aldrete-Davila has proven once and for all that he has zero credibility. He wasted no time in returning to his drug smuggling activities right after he arranging that immunity agreement with Sutton. He is now serving time in Federal prison after pleading guilty to assisting others transport drug shipments for the cartels.

Apparently he even had the audacity to use the passes that that allowed him unaccompanied access across the border for medical treatments to smuggle additional drugs into the U.S..

That' s bold.

Even the prosecution was forced to admit to the Circuit court that Aldrete-Davila committed perjury in court ( "told some lies on the stand", said Stelmach). The problem is that the prosecutors were also obligated to make that candid admission directly to the jurors during the trial. Just one of those "minor " details that could have affected the jurors' decisions in the deliberating room. One more reason the the verdicts should have been overturned.

The language of the statute is clear, your verbal gymanstics not withstanding, and both a Federal Judge and appeals court agree with me, not you.

But which statute is that...?? The version actually used by Sutton in the trial does not actually appear in the law books. The one written by Congress wasn't the one he used.

So it looks like Sutton was the one engaging is "verbal gymnastics".

Prosecutors are supposed to use the 924(c) statute as it written by Congress. That 's what the rulings in McGilberry, Barton, and Harris were all about.

And, btw, the legislators in Congress agree with me on this issue.

[calcowgirl]

I've been away from FR and I'm just catching up on this thread/subject. Thanks to y'all (and others) for trying to correct some of the ignorance posted on the thread.

I can't believe all of the Sutton propaganda still being spewed by some folks. People saying that they deserved to be punished for "cover-up" (etc.) continue to show their ignorance of the facts and completely ignore that ALL charges related to filing of reports, tampering with evidence, or any other "obstruction" related charges were VACATED by the court of appeals. R&C's only convictions were for 1) assault, 2) use of a firearm in a "crime of violence" (TOTALLY BOGUS and misapplied by the prosectuion, IMO!) and 3) violating the "civil rights" of a proven drug smuggler.

I hope the SCOTUS does right by R&C in the end and vacates all convictions. The White House statement made it sound like he was pleased that he had destroyed their lives and reputations ("... already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations"). I'm glad they will be out of prison soon, but I still have hopes that they will find complete justice in the end.