Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.politics.org.batf,alt.politics.usa.misc From: [w--g--s] at [lonestar.utsa.edu] (William W. Hughes) Subject: Branch Davidian Trial - 29 Jan 94 Date: Sun, 30 Jan 1994 20:03:17 GMT Branch Davidian Trial Update - Saturday, 29 Jan 94 Page 1B [transcribed] OFFICER SAYS FEDS LIED ON SECT RAID By Diane R. Fuentes Express-News Staff Writer Top federal officials lied when they said an undercover agent did not warn them to stop a raid on the Branch Davidian compound, the agent testified Friday. "Did you know your superiors were trying to impart blame to you?" defense attorney Dan Cogdell asked agent Robert Rodriguez of the U. S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. "Yes, sir," Rodriguez replied. Testifying in the murder-conspiracy trial of 11 Branch David- ians, Rodriguez said he first found out that his superiors had said he did not warn them when he saw news conferences in the days after the failed raid on the religious sect's compound near Waco. "I learned they were not saying what happened," Rodriguez told the jury. "The truth was not said." Asked why he didn't say anything at the time, Rodriguez said he at first thought his superiors might have some reason for saying what they did. But in a conversation with Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Charles Sarabyn -- the person Rodriguez said he warned about the danger of continuing with the raid -- Rodriguez said he learned differently. "He told me what they were saying was true and what I had said wasn't," Rodriguez said. "I was very upset about it." Rodriguez reluctantly named as officials who lied were Stephen Higgins, ATF Director; Dan Hartnett, Higgins' second-in-command; and David Troy, chief of intelligence. All three men were removed from their posts. [Story continued page 2B] [subhead] RODRIGUEZ SAYS RAID FAULT CAST ON HIM Charges against the 11 defendants in federal court here on a change of venue include conspiring to murder four ATF agents who died in a gunbattle during the failed raid on Feb. 28, 1993. Cogdell's cross-examination seemed to damage prosecution attempts to prove conspiracy. Referring to David Koresh, leader of the sect, Cogdell asked: "He didn't say his followers hated the ATF?" "No," Rodriguez replied "He didn't say he had trained his followers to kill ATF?" Cogdell continued. "No," Rodriguez said. "He didn't say he was going to kill ATF?" Cogdell asked. "Not at that time, no," Rodriguez said. Cogdell appeared to score another point when his questions led ATF agent Jeff Pearce to say that many agents practiced "live firing" while rehearsing at Fort Hood for "the peaceful execution of a search warrant" at the compound. Agents were attempting to serve search and arrest warrants at the time of the raid. Under cross-examination, Rodriguez said Koresh was a persua- sive preacher and that he had told a reporter that he "was close" to believing Koresh during his assignment. "I did not like it," a somewhat distraught Rodriguez testi- fied. "I didn't like what they believed. I had my own religion." Defense attorney Tim Evans asked him about his early state- ments that his fellow undercover agents had to talk him down after his visits with Koresh. "I would come out, and I would tell them, 'You won't believe what I heard this time.' And they would say, 'Remember who he (Koresh) is. Remember what you're here for.' And I would tell them, 'I know that.' Actually, they didn't want to listen to it." Also Friday, several officers testified about a second con- frontation between sect members and ATF agents in the late after- noon of Feb. 28. ATF agents Pearce and Jim Brigance identified defendant Norman Allison as one of three men they saw hiding in a ravine near the compound, testifying that he surrendered after agents exchanged gun fire with Michael Schroeder, killing Schroeder. Neither agent saw Allison shooting, they testified. Schroeder's body was not found for nearly a week. =================================================================== SUMMARISER'S COMMENTS If we accept Rodriguez' statements, then there was, indeed, a cover-up of the ATF's actions during and immediately before the raid. If we accept Pearce's statements, the ATF planned, or at least practiced, to come in shooting, which pretty much invalidates any claims that a peaceful service of a warrant was the intention of the raid. ------------------------------------------------------------------- KNOWN DISTRIBUTIONS USENET: talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.org.batf, alt.politics.usa.misc - posted by author mailing list Firearms Politics ([firearms politics] at [ns1.rutgers.edu]) - sent by author (gated to moderated newsgroup info.firearms.poli- tics) alt.conspiracy - forwarded by "Searchnet Zec", whoever or whatever that is FIDONET: DEBATE and CONTROVERSY - forwarded by Terry Goodman (terry.goodman @support.com / 1:102/837) LEGAL (non-backbone) - forwarded by Lester Garrett (1:125/101) SmartNet: POLIPHIL - forwarded by Lester Garrett (FIDO 1:125/101) Please feel free to forward these updates to any other groups, conferences and networks that you feel may be interested. KNOWN ARCHIVES The Powder Keg BBS, 707-427-1310, 14.4, 24H7D, directory WACO (SurvNet/PRNet 176:100/24, sysop Peter Nesbitt) Anonymous ftp teetot.acusd.edu in directory /pub/Beelzebub/Politics/The_Tax_Cops/Waco/Trial service provided by Jerry Stratton ([j--r--y] at [teetot.acusd.edu]) If anybody else is archiving these updates, and/or making them available for ftp, gopher, or other access, please let me know and I will include that information in further Administrivia sections. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This summary of the Branch Davidian trial is based on articles published in the San Antonio Express-News. The original articles, and any sections quoted herein are copyrighted by the Express-News. The remainder of the summary is copyright 1994 by William W. Hughes. Copying of these summaries, either by hardcopy or electron- ic means, is authorized and encouraged, as long as this notice remains attached and intact. "I do not work for or represent the San Antonio Express-News" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -- [w--g--s] at [lonestar.utsa.edu] (William Hughes) | In memory of 85 un-charged, UTSA doesn't agree with me. They're wrong. | un-convicted victims of the U.S. Politicians Prefer Unarmed Peasants | government in Waco, Texas - Politically Incorrect and proud of it! | including over 20 children.