-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- Posted: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 | 8:16 p.m. Reno testifies she did not OK razing of Davidian complex By Terry Ganey Of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Attorney General Janet Reno testified Tuesday that she never gave tank-driving FBI agents permission to demolish the Branch Davidians' complex at Waco in 1993, lawyers said. But Reno, who was questioned for about two hours by lawyers for Branch Davidian survivors, would not admit that the destruction the tanks caused amounted to demolition of the complex, known as Mount Carmel. "No one will concede that what happened on April 19th was the demolition of Mount Carmel," said Mike Caddell, one of the lawyers who questioned Reno. "They would all like to characterize the damage of the building as incidental to the tear gas insertion." Caddell also quoted Reno as saying the FBI commanders on the scene could have decided to demolish the building on their own if an emergency existed and lives were in danger. But she said that she knew of no situation that called for the building to be demolished. Caddell and Jim Brannon, another plaintiffs' lawyer, deposed Reno in advance of the May 15 trial of their wrongful-death suit against the government. The suit contends that the government's handling of the siege on the complex played a role in the deaths of about 80 people who died from fire and gunshots. "I think she was evasive on the demolition issue," Caddell said in an interview after the deposition. "She went to great lengths to avoid giving a straight answer on the issue of did they have authority to demolish the building or not." U.S. attorney Mike Bradford said Reno was "forthcoming and candid" in her answers to the questions. He said her testimony was consistent with what she had told Congress in the past. Reno was questioned because she approved the FBI's plan to use converted tanks to insert tear gas in an attempt to evict the Davidians. The tanks were supposed to get the tear gas into the building using "ferret" rounds fired from shotguns and using booms attached to the tanks to pump the gas through windows. But five hours into the tear gassing plan, the tanks began ramming the building. Caddell said Reno's testimony and that of other FBI leaders was in "sharp contradiction" with that of two on-scene FBI commanders: Jeff Jamar, the special agent in charge of the operation, and Richard Rogers, the head of the FBI's hostage rescue team. Caddell said Jamar and Rogers believed they had the "implied authority" to tear down the building and to use pyrotechnic military rounds and "flashbang" explosive devices in the final assault plan. One point of the suit has been that demolishing the building could have contributed to some of the deaths of the Davidians. They may have been afraid of coming out because of the tank assault, or exits could have been blocked by debris. The tank-and-tear-gas assault could also have contributed to the start of the fire that finally destroyed the complex. Caddell has pointed out that the tank that repeatedly rammed into the rear of the complex and destroyed its gymnasium did not have the equipment to insert gas. He also said the agents' goal was to destroy the building because later attempts to commend the agents for their performance said their mission was to demolish the structure. Bradford said the deposition had included a "lengthy discussion" on the issue of what authority Jamar and Rogers had, but Bradford would not discuss it. "I think the deposition will speak for itself as far as her statements and position," Bradford said. Caddell also said Reno testified that no one ever told her there would be no plan to fight a fire should one develop. "She assumed there would be an adequate fire-fighting plan," Caddell said. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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