The Abuse of Border Patrol Agents(George Putnam)

NewsMax.com ^ | Feb. 23, 2007 | George Putnam

[erton1]

There were not 2 grants of immunity to OAD in this case.The testimony of the 2nd drug incident was excluded by judge because she ruled it was impermissible under the federal rules of evidence. Thus the evidence never got to the jury. This is a ruling that I am sure will be challenged as part of the appeal. It will be interesting how the 5th circuit rules rules on this issue.

[sumthinelse]

"2nd drug incident" sounds like a euphemism. You know what he meant by "grants of immunity." It appears to me that Sutton let a drug smuggler go free to avoid embarrassment.

And this is just one part of the government's sleazy behavior in this case.

[erton1]

I saw cbn clip. It appears Gonzalez is basing his statements on the jury verdict at trial. I have said from the beginning that before these guys will even be considered for a pardon, the judicial process must be completed. The earliest I see a pardon is 25/12/08.

[cmiller623]

How many more cases like Brugman will it take before you "See the light"?? This Justice Department is against border security!! It prosecutes the agents to send a message. Bush is wrong, wrong, wrong on this issue. The Sutton gang will obviously ride roughshod over Americans trying to do their job. If you don't think these cases have a "chilling effect" on border security, you need to be committed.

[erton1]

I am very aware of what immunity means. If immunity was agreed to in the 2nd drug incident, why did OAD invoke the 5th amendment during the bill of review proffer? I suggest you read up on the facts of the 2nd incident. It was a state task force bust, not federal, no drugs were found on OAD, and the evidence was based on double hearsay. Plus it is questionable that the evidence is admissible under the federal rules of evidence, rules 608 and 802. I anticipate that this is point the 5th circuit will decide.

[calcowgirl]

FYI LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK, Aired February 24, 2007, Transcript, DOBBS: Let me show -- show all of our audience and you the comments of attorney general Alberto Gonzales this morning in a radio interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network. This is what he said. "These individuals were convicted in a court of law by their peers. These are individuals who were not doing their jobs. It is not part of their job to shoot an unarmed man from behind. It is not part of their job to conspire to conceal what they did. It is not part of their job to like about what they did, to hide it from their superiors. That's why these individuals were convicted."

... more

[texastoo]

I guess CNN finally put it up. This is the same from CBN.

It is so arrogant of Gonzales to take the word of a known drug smuggler and expect people to believe him.

[texastoo]

I don't see a pardon.

[erton1]

Well, I wouldn't bet on them getting a pardon.

[sumthinelse]

>>I suggest you read up on the facts of the 2nd incident.<<

I would like to read more about the 2nd bust. Where did you find the info?

>>It was a state task force bust, not federal, no drugs were found on OAD, and the evidence was based on double hearsay.<<

I don't think the case against Ramos and Compean was particularly strong either, before Mexico told Sutton and DHS to go after them, and he and the DHS put so much effort into it. I think Sutton did not want to go after OAD for either load of drugs.

I believe that Bush will not pardon the agents -- neither Mexico nor the business interests that want to stop border enforcement would like that. And the appeal probably will be unsuccessful -- It is very difficult to overturn a conviction. But there is a difference between the letter and the spirit of the law, and while Sutton may not have violated the letter (but DHS did when it lied to congress about the case), I think he did violate the spirit. And the jury went along with it.

I have spent time in Mexico, learned to speak Spanish, and know there are many wonderful people there. I never believed in popular conspiracy theories until now, but there are just too many red flags here for me to believe that they are coincidences.