Government admits lying about jailed border agents
Posted on February 7, 2007
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas
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.
Additional Report Posted: February 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Imprisoned border agent did report shooting
DHS memo shows Compean spoke to supervisor immediately after incident:
WND has obtained a Department of Homeland Security memo indicating Border Patrol agent Jose Compean made a complete, in-person verbal report to his supervisor at the scene immediately following the shooting incident for which he and colleague Ignacio Ramos are now in prison.
The May 15, 2005, report filed by DHS Special Agent Christopher Sanchez documents a conversation between Compean and his supervisor that explains the decision by all nine Border Patrol agents and supervisors on the scene not to file written reports.
As reported by WND yesterday, a DHS memo filed by Sanchez April 12, 2005, shows seven agents and two supervisors were present at the Feb. 17, 2005 incident also decided not to file written reports.
The April 12, 2005, DHS memo stated that all the agents present at the incident were equally guilty for not filing a written report.
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6 Responses to “Government admits lying about jailed border agents”
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I’m certainly no friend of DHS, but I’m not really concerned about them lying to congress. That’s par for the course as far as I’m concerned.
Wasn’t there a trial? It’s probably fair to say the conviction wasn’t based on these mythical documents, right?
Wasn’t there a trial?
Some would say there was and many others would say, not one that a reasonable person would consider fair or what our constitution guarantees.
It’s probably fair to say the conviction wasn’t based on these mythical documents, right?
ALL of it was admitted as evidence at their trial.
I have loads of info that I haven’t put together but to get you started…
NBPC Rebuttal to Sutton pdf.
Both the Congress and the President owe a full pardon and restitution to both Ramos and Compean. If this was a higher level attitude problem, heads should roll. America needs to protect the warriors, both here and in the middle east, from being abused even when they are mistaken and make errors of judgement. American lives depend on their enthusiastic and fearless enforcement of law.
Illegal aliens smuggling drugs should be shot.
This incident shows a complete lack of support for the Agents in charge of protecting our security. DHS and the border patrol need to be broken down like a shot gun and cleansed entirely of any political views. We set up these organizations to stop illegal drug smugglers. We don’t want our Agents getting locked up for doing their jobs. If anything we need to invest more money into firearms and marksmanship training so the next drug smuggler doesn’t just escape with some lead in the hind quarters.
Yaeah! those ACLU libbers should be stommped on!!! Keep up the good fight!