Hearings about agents' case could go before House

By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Article Launched:02/15/2007 12:00:00 AM PST

The speaker of the House of Representatives will be asked to hold hearings on the case of two convicted Border Patrol agents for the shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler.

The request, which comes on the heels of the Senate's decision to hold hearings last week on the case, was drafted by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and was sent Wednesday to all House members.

After the House members' signatures are collected the letter will be sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; and Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"Serious questions remain unanswered by our federal government over the apparently misguided prosecution of two distinguished U.S. Border Patrol Agents," the letter to the Democratic leaders said.

"Numerous and repeated attempts by Members of Congress to ascertain the facts of this case through inquiries with relevant federal agencies have been unsuccessful. Our requests for information have been delayed or denied, and certain federal investigators have even misled us about this case."