Posted on 04/11/2002 8:19:03 PM PDT by FreedominJesusChrist
For Immediate Release
Apr 11, 2002
Press Office: 202-646-5172
BUSH/ASHCROFT REWARDED MIAMI INS DIRECTOR WITH PROMOTION TO REGIONAL DIRECTOR POSITION
Robert Wallis Admits Proudest Moment of His Life Was When INS Agent Held Shotgun To Peaceful Protesters Head During Illegal Raid On Elian Gonzalezs Family Home In Miamis Little Havana
(Miami) Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, took the sworn testimony of Robert Wallis today, wherein the former Miami INS director revealed that he was selected for promotion to Regional INS Director and transferred to Texas in April 2001, under the Bush Administration and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Wallis admitted, under examination by Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman, that the proudest moment of his life was captured in an Associated Press photograph of INS Supervisory Special Agent Gwenn Reed holding a shotgun to the head of a prone and spread-eagle protestor Mario Miranda during the illegal INS raid to return young Elian Gonzalez to Communist Cuba. Mr. Miranda is a retired Miami police officer and was responsible for safety and security around the Gonzalez home. Wallis testimony came during a Merit Systems Protection Board hearing for INS whistleblower and Judicial Watch client Rick Ramirez. Mr. Ramirez blew the whistle on anti-Cuban and anti-Hispanic bigotry in the Miami INS office, as well as INS supervisors orders to destroy all documents and computer records concerning the Elian Gonzalez saga. Earlier testimony from INS attorney Diana Alvarez confirmed that the orders to destroy documents and records came from INS Commissioner Doris Meissner.
Wallis confirmed that he was aware of Mr. Ramirezs whistleblower disclosures, and of the pervasive anti-Cuban and anti-Hispanic bigotry in the Miami INS office.
Judicial Watch, as counsel for Special Agent Ramirez, has made repeated requests for over one year to Attorney General Ashcroft, asking that he take action in this matter.
It is shocking that rather than take steps to clean out the Miami office of anti-Cuban and Hispanic prejudice, that instead Ashcroft and his Bush administration rewarded, with a promotion, the district director responsible for the prejudice. This shows insensitivity to the rights of Hispanics, stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.
Well, you're the JW defender here, so which is it going to be? We take ALL your words as truth, or just the ones you want us to?
So you believe that there is a "good reason" why Klayman DID NOT spend $23,000,000 on legal cases, the very thing he says he's in business for?
Is that the same as "I believe there is probably a good reason though" that Klayman didn't go by the rules of civil hearings and jumped ahead with a lawsuit in the Rameriz case, which was thrown out? (Which Larry most assuredly did NOT issue a press statement about.)
Having no inside knowledge of the internal affairs of Judicial Watch, it would not be fair or right for me to make that kind of speculation. Howlin, why don't you call them? Do you not, as you claim, want to know the truth?
I think that people on this forum will realize that I am taking the higher road by refusing to speculate on internal organizational affairs of which I have no present or prior knowledge of.
I am not a big fan of speculation, but I sure do not know about you.
CLUE: That's what we've been asking. WHY. Nobody will answer it though.
BTW, I didn't condemn them; I stated a fact.
Well the don't sit around here and complain if you have the ability to call them up and ask them yourself. It is not my position to speculate on internal organizational affairs within Judicial Watch. I have just as much idea as you do, so don't ask me, ask them. They would be happy to answer you question, it probably isn't the first time someone has asked them this.
Since you aren't into speculation I guess you can show us where President Bush or Attorney General Aschroft signed or released a notice promoting Robert Wallis to the Director Central INS postition..... If not then that is a false statement you are promoting by saying it was Bush/Aschroft. Now I think most nominations or selections to positions that President Bush makes are announced and released by the WH. So please show us where that occurred. Now granted it occurred during the Bush Administration but to say Bush/Ashcroft rewarded Wallis with a promotion is a stretch. Now lets see the 'ethical Washington Watchdog" or you provide a link to any source stating promoted by Bush/Ashcroft.
The person announcing or making the promotion was Acting Commissioner Mary Ann Wyrsch a Clinton appointee..... Or can you and the "eWW" find something different?
If you do not like Larry Klayman, please at least come up with some constructive arguments.
Many of the people in lower level positions are CIVIL SERVICE employees of the federal government. That means they cannot be fired without cause (and cause means you have to have proof they did something really bad, as in illegal). Civil service employees are routinely promoted per general procedure. If they are not, they can file a grievance and cause all sorts of problems.
Now, since the assistant attorney generals were not yet appointed (hence the Clintonista Mary person still being in charge) and there was no charge in place to deny this person the promotion, there was no reason, with Ashcroft being on the job only a few weeks, for him to even KNOW about this promotion, let alone do something to stop it.
If this even came across his desk, the form probably indicated the guy's 27 years of service and other promotions he had, and did not contain any notation of his involvement with Elian Gonzalez. Did YOU know this guy's name? I sure as heck didn't.
So how is this something that is Bush and Ashcroft's fault? More likely it was done deliberately by the Clintonista, who then beat feet to the UN and called Larry later to give him the scoop.
Pretty low of Larry, and pretty gullible of those of you who are chronic Bush-bashers.
Really now. I've asked you to speculate..... Isn't that a switch as it appears to me that most of your support of the statement made by 'eWW' is nothing more than speculation as you can't provide documention as to it's truth.
By the way.... Just what is it that this press release purports that the 'eWW' uncovered in this Merit Systems hearing?
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