Waco Hearings - DAY 1
Waco Hearings - DAY 1
WACO HEARINGS: 7:00-8:03 PM - Master Number 10910 - INTRODUCTION; The following footage from the Waco Hearings consists of questioning of the third group of panelists. Questions were presented from Representative Schumer and Ehrlich, and were directed to the following men: David Aguilera; ATF Special Agent, Chuck Saraben; former ATF Special Agent In Charge from Huston, Texas, Earl Dunagan; former ATF Special Agent In Charge from Houston, Texas, Bill Johnston; Assistant US Attorney in Waco, Texas, Ed Owen; ATF Firearms Expert and Dr. Bruce Perry; Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences at Baylor University Medical College in Waco, Texas. 19:00:00 - 19:14:50 The Sub-Committee Chamber is shown in recess. 19:14:51 Chairman Zeliff calls the Chamber to order. 19:15:06 Congressman Schumer begins his 15-minute line of questioning by making a statement about the search warrant. He states that in recent House votes the Republican Party voted in favor of the Good Faith Rule, but are now contradicting their position by fussing over David Koresh's warrant not being perfect. Rep. Schumer then poses a question to Mr. Aguilleria by asking him to estimate how many warrants he has issued during his career, and if any have been dismissed. Mr. Aguilera states around 30 warrants, and that none of them have ever been questioned. Rep. Schumer then asks what provoked him to become involved with the Branch Davidians. Mr. Aguilera states that he was prompted by a call from the local Waco Sheriff's Department. Congressman Schumer then asks him if it is normal for people to order grenades and explosive chemicals. He stakes that it is not normal. Continuing on, Congressman Schumer asks Mr. Aguilera what else confirmed his suspicions about illegal armaments. He states that he interviewed former BD members, and the neighbor, a Mr. Schvinka, who had heard machine gunfire. Rep. Schumer turns then to Mr. Johnston, and asks him how many search warrants he has reviewed during his career. He states several hundred. Rep. Schumer then asks him if Mr. Aguilera's investigation was creditable. Mr. Johnston states it was sufficient enough for him to write the warrant that also included the findings of DCFS Agent, Ms. Sparks. Continuing on, Rep. Schumer asks Mr. Johnston about other evidence the search uncovered. Mr. Johnston shows several books that detail how to manufacture weapons. Rep. Schumer then turns to Mr. Owen, and asks him if he is an expert on firearms. Mr. Owen agrees that he is an expert. Congressman Schumer then asks him to describe his role in identifying the weapons seized from the compound. Mr. Owen replies he assisted the FBI and the Texas Rangers in the collection of evidence several days after the fire. Congressman Schumer asks one of the Texas Rangers sitting in the Chamber to show examples the converted weapons seized from Mount Carmel. Mr. Owen identifies the weapons, and details their conversion to rapid fire. Rep. Schumer then turns to Dr. Perry, and asks him about the 21 children who were released from the compound during the siege, and to specifically tell of the conditions they were exposed to, and if they understood who their families were. Dr. Perry states that he, and other experts, lived with the children for the two months after they were released to determine their condition. He details that children were groomed begin at the age of 4 to become sex objects. He goes on to state the children were also overtly physically abused, and that the statements made by Carrie Jewel paralleled his team's conclusions about the BD's belief system and ideas on suicide. Continuing on, Doctor Perry states that Mr. Thibideaux's testimony concerning the children is not accurate, because BD men were often isolated away from them. He also describes his team's testing of the childrens' heart rates, and discovered them to be abnormally high which signifies server anxiety and distress. 19:31:01 Congressman Ehrlich begins his questioning by asking Mr. Johnston about the details surrounding the ATF's use of a "dynamic entry." Mr. Johnston states he was not involved in the actually planning of the raid, only in the issuing of the search warrant. Rep. Ehrlich then asks Mr. Owen if the weapons used by the ATF in the raid were of military grade. Mr. Owen states the weapons were not of military grade. Mr. Sarabyn interjects to state that in an early request by the ATF to the National Guard, several Bradley Fighting Vehicles were asked for. Rep. Ehrlich then asks any of the panelists to comment on the loss of secrecy prior to the start of the raid. Mr. Dunagan replies by presenting a formula of event involving local Waco news outlets and the ATF. A culmination of negotiations between local papers and the ATF lead reporters from one newspaper to inform David Jones, a BD member and the Mount Carmel area mailman, who, in turn, tipped off David Koresh about the raid. Mr. Dunagan then poses the question as to what point was the element of surprise actually lost. Congressman Ehrlich presses Mr. Dunagan about how was it possible to have not known the element of surprise was lost when the media was on the scene prior to start of the raid. Mr. Dunagan states the ATF didn't recognize the fact the media was actually there. 19:45:50 Chairman Zeliff recesses the Chamber for two votes. 19:46:00 The Sub-Committee Chamber is shown in recess. 20:02:30 TAPE OUT.