Congressmen appeal to Justice for border agents

As prison sentences loom, Republican lawmakers petition attorney general

Posted: January 10, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

As two border patrol agents face the commencement of prison terms for shooting and wounding a man smuggling drugs into the U.S, five congressman are calling on Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to intervene.

The lawmakers have asked President Bush to pardon Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos, who were sentenced to 12 years and 11 years, respectively, in October. But the sentences are scheduled to begin Jan. 17, and in lieu of a pardon, the congressmen are asking Gonzalez to request the Justice Department to direct federal prosecutors not to oppose a court motion to keep the agents free on bond during the appeals process.

The drug smuggler was granted immunity for his testimony.

Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.; Ted Poe, R-Texas; Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.; Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; and Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.; will announce their effort at an 11 a.m. news conference today in the nation's capitol.

The lawmakers said in a statement "several discrepancies in the government's case strongly question whether justice has been served, and permitting these men to be incarcerated in the interim puts their lives at risk."

Haven't we all seen enough episodes of CSI: or Law and Order to know that a criminal will say anything the D.A. wants if he is offered immunity? -mm