Waco Hearings - DAY 10
Waco Hearings - DAY 10
WACO HEARINGS: HIGHLIGHT REEL 2 Master Number 11017 - INTRODUCTION: The following footage of the Waco Hearings consists of three excerpts from Master Number 10917. 01:00:01 DERIVED FROM MASTER NUMBER 10917, TIME CODE 11:07:41 Congresswoman Rob-Lehtinen begins her questioning by asking Mr. Morrison if he stands by his conclusions in the Justice Department report. He responds that he does. Keeping with Mr. Morrison, Congresswoman Rob-Lehtinen asks him who was responsible to abort the raid. He replies that the abort procedure was stated in the report, but that agents had not followed it. There were, Mr. Morrison states, "red flag" indications that would have justified an abort. Those were loosing the element of surprise and a lack of information flowing to the team's tactical leaders. This issue, Mr. Morrison states, signifies a lack of experience and a lack of a clear chain of command. Rep. Rob-Lehtinen then asks why is it important to have only one person in command during such operations. Mr. Morrison states one person needs to be responsible, and that such a person must have all possible information available to them. Going further, Rep. Rob-Lehtinen asks Mr. Morrison who had such control. He states that such power rested at three different levels, and that a breakdown in organization and communication prevented any level from aborting the raid. Turning to Mr. Ishimoto, Congresswoman Rob-Lehtinen asks if he had found information proving the presence a drug nexus to have been falsified so that the assistance of the military could be gained. He replies that the ATF had a basis for their belief, but that it was very weak. Nonetheless, he states, the ATF pursued the call after receiving encouragement from ATF leaders, officials from the Pentagon and representatives from the Texas Governor's Office. 01:06:05 DERIVED FROM MASTER NUMBER 10917, TIME CODE 11:31:57 Fresh footage shows Congressman Zeliff beginning his time by asking Mr. Ishimoto to comment on a report which describes how the ATF lied about the presence of a meth lab in order to obtain extra equipment from the military, and so that increased funding would be pooled into the ATF from future budgets. Based upon his research of Justice Department documents, Mr. Ishimoto states the report to be false. Mr. Ishimoto also states Mr. Sarabyn had stated in an interview that the possibility of a lab did exist. Congressman Zeliff then asks Mr. Coonce about his professional experience in dealing with such labs in Texas, and the dangers associated with them. He replies the labs are toxic and explosive. Rep. Zeliff then asks him what training is needed by agents to properly deal with such an environment. Mr. Coonce states the agents must have a good understanding of the processes used to mix the chemicals, the nature of the chemicals themselves and that to handle them agents would have to be O.S.H.A. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) certified. Rep. Zeliff asks the panelists to read along as he quotes from a document detailing the presence of a meth lab at the Mount Carmel compound. He then asks Mr. Coonce if the DEA uses heat-sensing devices to detect the presence of meth labs. He replies, but doesn't specify answer to the question. Congressman Zeliff then asks what agency would be the lead agency in dealing with a meth lab. Mr. Coonce states that although the DEA specializes in such matters, it wouldn't necessarily be called in to help coordinate a raid. Continuing with Mr. Coonce, Rep. Zeliff asks if the DEA was contacted by the ATF about the raid on Mount Carmel. He replies that he does not know, but that he will find out. 01:10:30 DERIVED FROM MASTER NUMBER 10917, TIME CODE 11:54:14 Chairman McCollum begins his time by focusing questions at Mr. Basset. He asks Mr. Basset how long he was with the FBI, and if he was involved with their Crises Management Division. He replies 23 years, and that he was the Director of the Crisis Management Program during his last five years with the FBI. Congressman McCollum then asks him to explain what the program was, and if his responsibilities would have been used in the planning of the raid on Mount Carmel. Mr. Basset states it involved special operations, and that he wouldn't necessarily have been involved in such a planning effort. The point, Congressman McCollum states is that Mr. Basset's background is creditable. Mr. Basset agrees he is an expert. Rep. McCollum then asks him if the dynamic entry was the most dangerous type of entry available to the ATF, and if it would have required special training of those agents involved. He replies that it is dangerous but doesn't specify if special training was needed. Rep. McCollum continues by asking about the lack of cover surrounding the compound and if it was a negative factor for the ATF. Mr. Basset agrees that the lack of cover was a major problem. Mr. Basset is then asked what the best alternative would have been to the use of a dynamic entry. He cites that arresting Mr. Koresh away from the compound would have been a favorable alternative. 01:13:15 TIME OUT.