Thursday, February 08, 2007

Why isn't the story of Homeland Security officials lying to Congress

big news?

I've been looking around this morning for more information, and it's amazing how little there is. Glenn Beck talked about it, and has this link on his site, and looking at World Net Daily found this one, and Drudge linked to this one. But Michelle Malkin, Instapundit, Wizbang and Powerline have not a word as of the last time I looked. And they should be all over this. And of course the major media hasn't said a word that I've heard. Hell, even Newsbusters had nothing on it.

God knows why. Malkin has been whacking on the refusal to take serious action on the borders for a long time, Insty usually says something on things like this, and so on. But nothing so far. Which makes no sense. Here's federal agents lying under oath, federal officials lying to Congress, two Border Patrol agents in prison at least in part on false testimony... This is the kind of crap that should have everyone digging a pitchfork out of the shed and making a torch. This, for instance:
The misstatements occurred when aides briefed four Texas congressmen in September about the 2005 shooting near Fabens, southeast of El Paso.

"It was an unfortunate mischaracterization," Skinner told Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, whose district stretches to Harris County. "I apologize on behalf of our staff, and I just want to make perfectly clear this was not intentional."

My ass this was 'not intentional', this was a flat-ass lie, not a 'mischaracterization'. I'll say that again: These aides lied to Congress. Period. And ought to face severe penalties for it.

The report, released Wednesday with some sections deleted, does not substantiate what McCaul said were some of the more inflammatory claims made by the inspector general's office last fall. The claims included the alleged "shoot a Mexican" comment and an assertion that agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos had no fear for their lives when they fired 15 rounds at the trafficker as he ran back toward Mexico after ditching a van with 743 pounds of marijuana.

"...does not substantiate..." Put in plain words, the report from the IG's office lied. And he needs to face severe penalties for that.

And if the prosecutor in the case was aware of this- and I cannot imagine that he was not- he needs to have his ass handed to him. And have any similar cases he worked on reviewed, to see if there were any other little 'mischaracterizations' involved.

There is this for a start:Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., granted a request Wednesday by Cornyn and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., for a committee investigation and hearing into the case. McCaul is asking the House Homeland Security Committee to conduct a hearing as well.

And Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, demanded a Justice Department investigation into the faulty statements made to lawmakers by the inspector general's staff last fall.

"It was a fabrication," Poe said flatly of the investigators' claims. Poe wouldn't hazard a guess as to why the investigators misspoke. But Culberson offered an opinion.

"There is no chance this was an innocent mistake," Culberson said. "Those statements made to us were designed to throw us off the scent and cover up what is obviously an unjust criminal prosecution of two officers who were protecting our borders from criminals and terrorists sneaking in."


So we may actually get real investigations into this crap. I hope so, and I hope- as stated above- the people involved in this face real penalties for it. We cannot tolerate federal agents lying under oath, we cannot tolerate federal officials lying under oath and lying to Congress. Period.

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