TX Authorities Complaining SS Barred Them From Speaking To Cheney

[kpete]

CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports Texas authorities are complaining that the Secret Service barred them from speaking to Cheney after the incident. Kenedy County Texas Sheriffs Lt. Juan Guzman said deputies first learned of the shooting when an ambulance was called.

The Secret Service is looking into how the case was handled at the scene, Maer added.

Cheney was attending routine briefings Monday at the White House.

"It's clearly an accident, but the fact that the White House didn't release this information, that it sat around for almost a day is, in itself, bizarre," Time magazine's Matt Cooper told CBS News' The Early Show. "Late-night comics are going to be all over it. You know, these things — fairly or unfairly — tend to become a metaphor for a presidency and don't be surprised if you see lots of jokes about the vice president was trigger happy, or he might have had better aim if he'd served in Vietnam."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/13/national/main1309344_page2.shtml

[mtnester]

1. Ergo no drug/alcohol testing

read into it kiddies

[Pirate Smile]

25. Bingo. Why else would they do it? I hope someone starts asking

this question. Unless we hear otherwise, we can assume he wanted to avoid the drug/alcohol testing.

[The Backlash Cometh]

66. Because the secret service acted in this manner, there is absolutely

no other explanation that will be bought by the public. This is Cheney's Chappaquiddick.

[electron_blue]

27. good catch

Sorta like what happened when some idiot crashed onto my property, then ran away from the police, but came back once he sobered up, more than happy to talk with them. Surprise surprise, he passed the breathalyzer test.

[DallasBoy]

34. Could be...

It's certainly possible Cheney was boozing it up at an undiclosed location prior to hunting, but there's also another possibility; sloppy reporting. One CBS correspondant is saying one thing, and another is saying something different. Even CBS can't get their story straight!

"CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports Texas authorities are complaining that the Secret Service barred them from speaking to Cheney after the incident. Kenedy County Texas Sheriffs Lt. Juan Guzman said deputies first learned of the shooting when an ambulance was called."

"But the Secret Service told a different story, saying agents had informed the local sheriff of the shooting about an hour after it happened and that the vice president had been interviewed about the accident by local authorities on Sunday morning, CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante reports."

[Viva_La_Revolution]

36. DallasBoy...

to DU!

[DallasBoy]

54. Thanks!

Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking for a while, and I decided to stick around.

[masshole]

39. I disagree

This isn't about sloppy reporting.

Lt. Guzman said deputies first learned of the incident when an ambulance was called. In my city when emergency services (911) are contacted for gunshot wounds both EMT's and Police are dispatched. Makes perfect sense to me.
Lt. Guzman also states that when the deputies responded they were barred by the SS from speaking with the shooter, Cheney.

Bill Plante's report on the SS's version states the SS as saying they had informed the "local Sherrif" about an hour after the incident.
I bet this is the call to Emergency Services. The SS isn't stupid, they would know a call for an ambulance for gunshot wounds would also alert the Sheriff's department.
Plante further states the VP was interviewed by local authorities Sunday Morning, well after the incident occurred.

The interview Sunday morning does not refute Lt. Guzmans claim that authorities were not given access to Cheney after the incident.

A day later? C'mon.

[DallasBoy]

56. You make a good point

Could be two perspectives of the same thing. I think shooting your hunting buddy is pretty bad all by itself. I think speculating about what else might have been going on minimizes how stoopid this is on its face. Besides, I doubt anyone would care to test Dick's blood, even if the police had spoken to him immediately. The shooting is pretty clearly an accident resulting from exceedingly poor judgement. No charges will or would be filed against Dick, so there'd be no grounds for a court ordered blood draw.

[f-bush]

59. That's fucking bullshit...

anybody in the whole Godamn world, they would have them strapped to something and extracated the needed blood.

How about an obstruction of justice charge on the SS and on Cheney, along with reckless endagerment on Dickie Boy.

Also check what state his hunting license is from...if it from Texas, then neither he nor shrub are in office legally.

[DallasBoy]

70. I don't know where you are from

But in Texas, no one gives up blood without a court order. TXPWD report indicates there was no evidence alcohol was involved, so no PC for a blood draw. Taking anyone's blood under those circumstances would certainly violate the fourth amendment, don't you think? Why don't we just stick to the facts? Cheney is an unsafe guy to be around. He even shoots his friends!

BTW, it's been in all the reports I've seen that Cheney had an out-of-state Texas hunting license.

[The Backlash Cometh]

67. There's no sloppy reporting. It's very clear:

How can it be sloppy reporting if the local authorities say one thing and the Secret Service say another and CBS reports both sides of the argument? That is what the news is suppose to do. Give us the information as they receive it. CBS is telling us exactly what the major parties in this dispute are saying. Obviously, one of them is lying to the media.

This is a typical he said, she said and the media must report it as such until they can get a hold of the phone logs to determine who is telling the truth. There is no feasible way for CBS to get those phone logs in the first 48 hours of this story. That's unreasonable to expect.

[acmavm]

2. Something's definitely not ringing right here. n/t

[SpiralHawk]

3. All pigs are equal

But some pigs are more equal than other pigs.

So shut up and sit down, and eat your choco-rations.

By the way, don't forget: Big BushCo loves you.

[tridim]

4. Why is it "clearly an accident"?

IMO, with the coverup it's clearly something more than an accident.

[Higans]

45. It's clearly an accident cause Cheney didn't kill him.

Or perhaps Cheney is a bad shot.

[Missy M]

5. Around here when an ambulance is called the police arrive...

before or shortly after. If that was the case in Texas the police were deliberately kept out of it because Cheney did the shooting. That is a coverup in my estimation.

[Ganja Ninja]

17. A cover up and an abuse of power.

but what else is new? It's just another day in the life of Dick Cheney, going about his business and letting his hirelings run interference. He's like a moonshiner with a decoy car preventing the cops from chasing him down.

[Kingshakabobo]

6. But but but....what about Ted Kennedy waiting to report his accident?

Coming soon to an RNC talking point near you!!!!

[Straight Shooter]

26. Hoo-haw! But Kennedy was in shock, and nobody ever excused his actions.

He paid big-time for it, too, almost completely derailed his political career and certainly cost him the presidency. Also, Kennedy was alone, and a much younger man. What's the excuse of all those brown-nosers who were in Cheney's entourage? Did they lose their marbles, too? Did the enormity of what had happened put them all in a state of shock?

Nope. Cover-up, pure and simple. Modus operandi of the bush administration. My Pet Goat all over again, on a much smaller scale.

:hi:

[endarkenment]

7. Yikes!

Just when you think it couldn't get any wierder, there it is: the SS protecting Cheney from the cops who just might have asked for a blood test for drugs/alcohol.

I'll be damned. I wondered how the victim showing up in the hospital all shot up didn't result in a police investigation: it did, they got stonewalled by the SS until cheney could piss out the evidence.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. That was what I couldn't understand either

All gunshot wounds require police involvement. Everything I've found to read or watched so far on this incident made no mention of the police being involved. Now I know why.

[arcane1]

44. all off-course planes require scrambled fighter-jets, too

see how well that worked?

[Higans]

49. Good point www.infowars.com

[Debi]

19. the SS didn't protect the **Twins** from being cited for underage

drinking and possession of a fake ID. If the SS intervened it was by Cheney's order.

[endarkenment]

20. Oh sure but

that was a long time ago and "the twins" were way out in the open in a public facility in Austin if I remember. It would have been difficult to intervene in their carding catastrophe. In fact there was quite a bit of puzzlement about why the SS was allowing the bush bimbettes to be getting drunk to begin with, did they not know how old they were?

Anyway yes I would imagine that various handlers insisted that the goon squad bar the door on mr cheney until he was sober enough to pass muster, and more importantly the whole incident, with the exception of the victim winding up in the hospital, was off on ms. armstrong's ranch where containment was a possibility.

[endarkenment]

21. Oh sure but

that was a long time ago and "the twins" were way out in the open in a public facility in Austin if I remember. It would have been difficult to intervene in their carding catastrophe. In fact there was quite a bit of puzzlement about why the SS was allowing the bush bimbettes to be getting drunk to begin with, did they not know how old they were?

Anyway yes I would imagine that various handlers insisted that the goon squad bar the door on mr cheney until he was sober enough to pass muster, and more importantly the whole incident, with the exception of the victim winding up in the hospital, was off on ms. armstrong's ranch where containment was a possibility.

[endarkenment]

22. Oh sure but

that was a long time ago and "the twins" were way out in the open in a public facility in Austin if I remember. It would have been difficult to intervene in their carding catastrophe. In fact there was quite a bit of puzzlement about why the SS was allowing the bush bimbettes to be getting drunk to begin with, did they not know how old they were?

Anyway yes I would imagine that various handlers insisted that the goon squad bar the door on mr cheney until he was sober enough to pass muster, and more importantly the whole incident, with the exception of the victim winding up in the hospital, was off on ms. armstrong's ranch where containment was a possibility.

[Debi]

24. My husband just reminded me about how much of a mess it was

for the SS to get the Texas Authorities to let VP Johnson and the body of President Kennedy head back to D.C.

Texas wasn't letting anyone go anywhere until things settled down, I guess it took a whole lot of people yelling to get them out of there.

So, since Dead-eye Dick's buddy didn't die he can just take off back to D.C. with no questions asked and no explanations given? Huh, different era I guess.

[boobooday]

8. Now I get it

It's a test of his executive powers.

Alberto testified that they could do whatever they want.

Now Cheney shoots a man in the face, and refuses to answer questions from the LAW to prove the point.

[Pithy Cherub]

35. A unitary executive VP with a loaded shotgun

and a history of missing everything he touches: targets - people and/or budgets, evidence, emails, energy meeting notes, WMD's, hearts and flowers in Iraq, Osama bin Laden, the PDB, the rule of law, Plame's covert status, Mullah Omar, government funds for Iraq and on and on.

Who is going to bring that misfiring VP in for legal questioning in his *accident*...

You make an excellent point! ;)

[boobooday]

52. But first he declared him an enemy combatant

over that last snort of bourbon, right before they jumped out of the SUV.

[Higans]

50. Point proven.

[slor]

9. Why do "TX Authorities"...

hate freedom?

[Bozita]

10. When intoxicated, the smartest move is silence

[warrens]

11. "or got bored with killing people with lies, deception and illegal warmong

ering," Cooper could have added.

[TomInTib]

12. Then there's the minor matter of Texas Law that requires the...

hospital to notify the local law enforcement of any and all GSW no matter the circumstance.

Same with dog bites.

Even if you accidentally shoot yourself or are bitten by your own dog.

[SoCalDem]

38. Even CAT bites.. My cat now has a record, and was on House arrest

for 14 days after my husband and I got "mauled" by him.. of course Evil Willie is not vice president of much more than the cat tower and his litter box..and none of the other cats would give him a cover story

[Solly Mack]

14. This just keeps getting better and better

lolol

Shoots his donor
Doesn't allow the police to do their job (interviewing all involved)
Hides the story for 24 hours

lololol

so typical of Cheney though - arrogant and above the law...and truly epitomizes the Bush administration - arrogant and above the law

[Vidar]

15. Secret Service now suitably corrupted as well. Indict 'em.

[napi21]

23. That's unfair. The SS takes orders from their boss!

IF they are told "Keep them away from me" that's what they have to do! The ONLY way they can deviate from those orders is to protect the life of their "charge".

SS did nothing wrong here!

[Hubris Heaver]

32. doesn't the SS take a vow to defend the constitution? Or do

they vow allegiance to one man? The constitution says we are a nation of laws. THey had a duty to see hte investigation through, even if it is just an accident with no alcohol involved.

[Vidar]

64. Soon they will have a uniformed division just like the real SS.

[warrens]

16. "or got bored with killing people with lies, deception and illegal warmong

ering," Cooper could have added.

[berni_mccoy]

18. Obstructing Justice, Impeding Law Enforcement

Sounds like HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS!

[kaygore]

28. Of course Cheney thinks he is above the law or...

is the law! He can shoot whomever he likes! Just surprised it wasn't a Democrat.

[Dover]

42. Yes........which is why he shot an attorney. lol!

n/t

[Babel_17]

29. Alcohol in Whittington's blood?

Wouldn't the hospital know? Can Texas law find out?

[Disturbed]

30. The case is closed.

Time to move on to another case.

[Rude Horner]

31. Had to add this satire piece

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11329983/site/newsweek/

The government plans to establish a color-coded system to warn of future veep attacks. :rofl:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

33. Why wasn't the Secret Service arrested en masse?

They don't have jurisdiction over a shooting in Texas. They are the Vice President's bodyguards, not a law enforcement agency. My question is why the Texas authorities didn't call every car within the range of their radio signal to declare an emergency and that a fellow officer was being restrained from carrying out his duties? I would have made it a major national incident if I had been the investigating officer and I would have taken the Secret Service into custody if they threatened me and prevented me from merely questioning the Vice President.

[savemefromdumbya]

37. it says "so consumed' what a give away

[Botany]

40. Smell test?

No drug or alcohol tests?

[Dover]

41. We should create a thread that lists all the comedian jokes on this

topic tonight. Letterman, Leno, Conan, etc.

[hang a left]

46. The one in the OP is pretty good.

He would have had a better aim had he served in Viet Nam.

[ThoughtCriminal]

43. Hey, the SS was just following orders

from the trigger happy guy with a loaded shotgun.

[SammyWinstonJack]

69. Good point.

:hide:

[Joey Liberal]

47. Someone is hiding something

First of all, would someone in a car be close enough to see what happened? Why was it kept hush hush? Why wasn't it announced by the Cheney people? The whole thing is fishy.

My guess is that the lawyer gave Cheney some bad news, and Cheney flipped out.

[rateyes]

48. He needed time to sober up...nt

[jilln]

51. Isn't he immune from prosecution anwyay?

I mean except for serious felonies? I believe it was an accident, the bigwigs don't do their own dirty work. But any other person might get charged with reckless something or other, I would think.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, if you go out to shoot a living thing and get shot yourself, that's a good eduational experience.

[Peanutcat]

53. I wonder if we'd have ever heard about it

If it wasn't reported in that one newspaper? And I like this quote: "don't be surprised if you see lots of jokes about the vice president was trigger happy, or he might have had better aim if he'd served in Vietnam."

Heh. Too late, we already done been telling them here!

[cynatnite]

55. ABC reported a deputy spoke with cheney n/t

[Chi]

57. CBS has altered the article to omit the section about the authorities

S.O.P. these days.
Fekkers

On edit - That is a good indicator of what they are trying to hide.

[raggedcompany]

58. I was on my way to say just the same thing.

Bastards.

[peekaloo]

63. Their broadcast story was a "nothing to see, move along now" piece.

Showing cops saying no big deal.

Made the feeding frenzy on Puffy McMoonface seem comical.

:banghead:

[yurbud]

60. the sheriff is for the little people. the concierge at the club will...

sort this out for us...

[ClintonTyree]

61. What a crock of horse-shit.....

"Armstrong said no one discussed notifying the public of the accident Saturday because they were so consumed with making sure Whittington was OK". :eyes: Does she honestly expect us to believe that Cheney could a shit about someone else's life? :wtf:
There are 2,267 dead Americans because this son of a bitch lied us into a war in Iraq and not once, not once have I heard him say that he's "consumed" with grief over it. Cheney has no soul, he couldn't care less if someone dies because of his stupidity. That's the biggest pile of horse-shit I've ever heard..... "Cheney was consumed". :puke:

How can a man without a living heart be consumed about anything? I can't wait until this bastard is frogged marched off to jail. I haven't had a drink in 4 years but I'll celebrate that day. I absolutely hate that son of a bitch! :grr:

[tblue37]

62. Some telling remarks on the first page of the article:

Bush aide Karl Rove told the president just before 8 p.m. Saturday about Cheney's involvement in the shotgun accident, McClellan said, adding up to two and a half hours that no one told Mr. Bush the vice president had shot someone, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.

McClellan was informed Saturday night that someone in the Cheney hunting party was involved, but he didn't know that Cheney was the shooter until the next morning, the spokesman said.

McClellan said when he learned, around 6 a.m. Sunday, he urged the vice president's office to get the information out "as quickly as possible."

But decisions effecting <sic> who knew what, when, weren't being made at the White House by the president, Axelrod reports, but instead on the ground in Texas by the vice president.

I am reminded of the time our bicycling boy wasn't informed that a plane had breached the WH security perimeter. And what about the way the SS rushed President Cheney down to safety after the WTC was hit? Meanwhile, Bush sat in a grade school class,and no attempt was made to get him to safety, even though his well-known scheduel that day might have made him a target, too. He even did 20 more minuts of photo ops after leaving the classroom!

[BuelahWitch]

65. They probably had to sober Bush up too

Weekend and all y'know!

[Moosepoop]

68. What happened to Lt. Guzman??

In the OP, CBS news says that Texas authorities are complaining about being barred from speaking to Cheney right after the incident, and refers to a statement made by Kenedy County Texas Sheriffs Lt. Juan Guzman.

That was yesterday.

In today's NYT, it says this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/politics/14cheney.html?hp&ex=1139979600&en=ec4ccbac7ffcceec&ei=5094&partner=homepage

The local sheriff, Ramon Salinas III of Kenedy County, said the Secret Service called him shortly after the shooting occurred.

Sheriff Salinas said he sent his chief deputy, Gilbert Sanmiguel, to the Armstrong Ranch that night. He said Mr. Sanmiguel interviewed Mr. Cheney and reported that the shooting was an accident.

The sheriff said Sunday that they had yet to speak to "the victim." "But you could say it's closed," Mr. Salinas said of the case.

This implies that Cheney was interviewed by Sanmiguel on Sunday night.
Somebody's doing some mighty fast switching of facts and names.

Also have to love how the pair that wrote today's column used quotation marks for "the victim". :eyes:
This piece today was decidedly slanted.


:eyes: