Posted on 02/08/2007 5:59:33 AM PST by areafiftyone
(CNSNews.com) - Weeks after accusing President Bush of "shameful" behavior over the imprisonment of two Border Patrol agents who shot an unarmed suspected drug smuggler along the U.S.-Mexico border, a federal lawmaker turned up the heat further Wednesday, suggesting the president should be impeached if the two men are killed in prison.
Speaking after the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that agent Ignacio Ramos was assaulted by inmates in his Mississippi prison at the weekend, California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher had a warning for the White House.
"I tell you, Mr. President, if these men -- especially after this assault -- are murdered in prison, or if one of them lose their lives, there's going to be some sort of impeachment talk in Capitol Hill," he said during a press conference in Washington, D.C. (Listen to Audio)
"The president of the United States talks a lot about his Christian charity, and his religious beliefs," Rohrabacher said.
"He now is showing a mean-spirited side to him, an arrogance, in which he will turn his back, even after one of these officers in prison has been brutally assaulted."
When Ramos and colleague Jose Compean began their sentences of 12 and 11 years' imprisonment, respectively, last month, Rohrabacher slammed the president for not pardoning the men, calling it "the worst betrayal of American defenders I have ever seen."
Public outrage over the case has targeted both the administration and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who prosecuted the two and offered an immunity deal to the suspected drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, in return for his testimony against the agents.
Sutton notes that the agents not only shot an unarmed man while he was fleeing toward the Mexican border, but also tried to cover up the crime by disposing of their shell casings and not reporting the incident to their supervisor.
After a two-week trial last year, the two were convicted by a jury on 11 out of 12 counts, including assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with serious bodily injury, discharge of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, willfully violating the illegal immigrant's constitutional rights, lying about the incident and failing to report the truth.
Rohrabacher said he does not believe the agents received a fair trail, and he noted that three of the jurors said afterwards they were inclined to deliver a not guilty verdict but had been told by the jury foreman that the judge wanted them to "go along with majority."
Other Republican lawmakers taking part in Wednesday's press conference included Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), who said, "The president has lost my respect because he will not step forward to do what is right," and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who voiced concern about future implications for the rule of law.
In the absence of a pardon, the lawmakers said the administration should at least consider allowing the agents to go free while their case is heard on appeal.
As a result of additional information that will be brought up during the appeals process, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) said, the agents stood a "good chance" of being acquitted. Nevertheless, Tancredo said he is still holding out for a pardon.
"The president has shown compassion in the past with pardons," Tancredo said. "Over Christmas he pardoned 18 people, five of whom were drug dealers. So the president has shown compassion, just not to people who have enforced the law."
Tancredo said he has been in touch with Ramos' family and has learned that injuries sustained by the imprisoned man on Saturday included bleeding from the ear, "a degree of paralysis" that has developed in the agent's left arm and migraine headaches.
"I think the president is a good man," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.). "I'm optimistic he's going to pardon these guys...we are going to keep working. This is an extreme injustice and these guys have been given the equivalent of a murder sentence."
"Even if you accept every fact exactly as stated by the prosecuting attorney, the verdict handed out was an extreme injustice," he said. "They were given more time than the average convicted murderer."
Hunter also said he wants the administration to open an investigation into the attack on Ramos.
He produced a letter which he had sent on Jan 17 - the day Ramos and Compean began their sentences - to Harley Lappin, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, asking that the two be separated from other prisoners "to ensure their safety."
An assistant to Lappin replied that the two men had been classified under the "Central Inmate Monitoring System" in an effort to afford additional protection.
Nevertheless, Ramos was circulated back into the general prison population after being initially segregated, Hunter claimed.
Since almost 30 percent of federal prisoners are criminal illegal aliens, many of whom are drug dealers, the agents face "substantial danger," he said.
Hunter said Lappin should be removed from his position for "ineptitude."
Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), who was not in attendance, issued a statement saying the government "continues to be on the wrong side of the border war." Poe said lawmakers investigating the case had been "misled" and "stonewalled."
Ramos is serving his sentence at a federal prison in Yazoo City, Miss., while Compean is an inmate at a facility in Elkton, Ohio.
WTF???
Which means he was put in solitary confinement.
So he's supposed to spend 10 years in solitary because the federal prison system can't figure out how to prevent him from being murdered by the real criminals around him?
I'd also add that if the drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, harms one American CITIZEN in anyway, there should be retribution to pay. I read that this Sutton DA is a close friend of Bush.
Ya Think?
I cannot believe what I am reading. A Republican congressman wants to impeach a Republican President in times of war because he is faulting the President for someone being beaten in jail? Even the left wing loons did not come up with such impeachment lunatic idea yet.
After hearing Rush's show yesterday I'm more convinced than ever that this whole affair is a travesty and these men are being offered up as scapegoats to appease someone. I don't know who or why but there's got to be a very scary reason for the DHS to lie to Congress and for the fedweral gov't to conduct a kangaroo court and convict these men like they did. This stinks.
Absolutely! Pres Bush should already be under impeachment for failure to execute his sworn duties as President of the United States to protect and defend the borders of this great nation.
Bush has DELIBERATELY kept the borders open. Everything he has done has been to try to quell the uprising.
Just today we have learned that he has requested several $$ Billion more for the reconstruction of Iraq infrastructure, bridges, schools, water systems, roadways. he has increased the funding by billions for Section 8 housing.
And the budget to build the 700 mile border fence has been cut back drastically!! It cannot be built now (but for small sections).
Bush promised the fence as an election time empty promise to pacify the outrage.
IMPEACH NOW!
I can't believe my President - the man I worked so hard to get in office - who I deeply believed in - has turned such a deaf ear on this issue.
Yet, he is favoring policies that will, in essence, grant amnesty to illegal aliens.
WTF???
As if we needed any further proof how 'justice' in this country has gone away. Where is Bush while his Department of Homeland Security has blatantly lied about this case and while the safety of these men is in doubt?
Its insane!
It's a sorry darn state of affairs when an illegal Mexican drug smuggler is given priority over border agents doing their job. Rome is burning.
They should impeach Alberto Gonzales NOW! Why wait? Gonzales is absolutely despicable, easily the worst A.G. in U.S. history. Besides, impeaching him would do him a favor. Then he could move to Mexico City and have a shorter commute to pick up his paychecks.
I agree that I don't like the arrogance of Bush on this case and he was blatently wrong, but impeachment is not right and is something that the Leftists will latch on to and use to their advantage. Why are Republicans playing into the Leftists hands so often now? It looks like we are eating our own - maybe we are and the tide has turned and we are turning into the things we hated the most. I'm ashamed when any congressman suggests such a thing.
I'm glad to see that Marsha Blackburn joined in. She is one of my favorites. She is also supporting Romney for President, which means that she is confident of his position on the border.
On December 21, 2006, President Bush pardoned these drug offenders:
• Marie Georgette Ginette Briere — possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
• George Thomas Harley — aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine.
• Patricia Ann Hultman — conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and other controlled substances.
• Eric William Olson —possession with intent to distribute, possession, and use of hashish.
On September 28, 2005, President Bush pardoned these drug offenders:
• Adam Wade Graham — conspiracy to deliver LSD
• Larry Paul Lenius — conspiracy to distribute cocaine
• Larry Lee Lopez — conspiracy to import marijuana
• Mark Lewis Weber — selling Quaalude tablets, selling, using and possessing marijuana
Bush also commuted the sentence of Phillip Anthony Emmert, who was serving time for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He also pardoned Jesse Ray Harvey, a United Mine Workers union member convicted of blowing up mines in West Virginia.
...as Rosanne RosannaDanna would say....."It's always somethin'!"
If the exodus from Mexico to the US was stopped there would be a civil uprising, and possibly civil war within Mexico which would cause decades of unrest and instability.
Bush is defending mexico from this instability by not just keeping the borders open but more importantly preventing anyrthing from happening that would discourage the exodus.
Bush cannot afford to have the mexicans afraid to come to the US!
That is why he has shown them that he will protect them from US citizens and border agents who may attempt to succeed in defending the borders.
Impeachment must begin.
The problem is that Dems will never support the impeachment on these grounds because they concur with the open border.
If the border closes the New World Order of the Americas will be seriously delayed.
Right now the Rep and Dem leaders are trying to get as many illegals into the US as possible so that it will become impossible to ever send them back and to hurry and have them begin to cause unrest in the US to counter the closed-border proponents.
Bush would cave in immediately to crowds of illegals marching in the streets of Houston or San Diego.
Yet, Bush counts of the civility and passiveness of the outraged American citizen to allow him to keep the borders open.
Illegals marching in the streets will get their way with Bush while outraged US citizens who post furiously on internet blogs about how outrageous it all is will be totally ignored.
Bush laughs at us who simply spew posts like this. We do not have power. We do not threaten his funds which come from the very wealthy who support his agrenda and have investments tied up in mexico. We do not threaten bad press or instability that would come with hundreds of thousands of illegals marchings.
Our only hope now is impeachment. And I don;t see enough support in Congress for that.
To all those who voted in 2000 and 2004 (actually several elections before that): NOW you truly no the meaning of screwed if you don't and screwed if you do.
"President Bush issues 16 pardons, one to campaign donor"
12/22/06
"In the pardons issued by the president, 7 of 16 involved drug or alcohol-related offenses. Others included a variety of fraud, kickback, and conspiracy charges."
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/President_Bush_issues_16_pardons_one_1222.html
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