Waco Hearings - DAY 10
Waco Hearings - DAY 10
WACO HEARINGS: 2:09 - 2:59PM - Master Number 11010 - INTRODUCTION: The following footage of the Waco Hearings consists of the questioning of panelist Attorney General, Janet Reno. Questions, and or statements are presented to the panelist from the following Representatives: Condit, Bryant, Brewster, Heineman, Jackson-Lee, Shadegg, Blute and Barr. 14:09:06 Fresh footage immediately begins by showing Chairman McCollum reconvening the hearings. 14:09:21 Congressman Condit begins his time by making general statements concerning law enforcement. He then asks Attorney General Reno if there should be, as Vice President Gore advised, a consolidation of federal law enforcement agencies. She replies by stating that coordination between agencies has improved. Pressing the issue, Rep. Condit asks if any of the 140 federal law enforcement agencies have any been eliminated in accordance with the Vice President's recommendations. Attorney General Reno replies that none of those for which she is responsible have been. 14:14:58 Congressman Bryant begins his time by asking Attorney General Reno had she known that the Davidians were spreading gasoline, would the raid have been called off. She replies yes, and is then asked about the messages heard via the surveillance taps. Attorney General Reno replies that agents were not able to hear the messages due to background noise, and then asserts that measures have been implemented insuring better taps in the future. Rep. Bryant then asks what questions did the President ask when told of the plan. Attorney General Reno answers they concerned the Davidian children, the raid's timing and alternatives to the presented plan. Pressing the issue, Congressman Bryant asks Attorney General Reno what she told the President in reply to his question about timing. She replies by repeating previous testimony. 14:20:28 Congressman Brewster begins his time by asking Attorney General Reno if she knew of the conflicts that were occurring between the negotiators and tactical officers and the pressure tactics that were used against the Davidians. She replies that she was aware of both situations. Rep. Brewster then inquires whether or not changes have been made at the FBI to insure a repeat of Waco does not occur. Attorney General Reno answers that there is now increased training and cooperation between all federal law enforcement agencies. She is then asked if the FBI plans to consult more religious experts in the future if a situation like Waco occurs again. Attorney General Reno replies yes. 14:25:37 Congressman Heineman begins his time by asking Attorney General Reno if all high-ranking officials were in agreement to proceed with the April 19th raid. She replies by stating she directly spoke with Mr. Clarke and Potts, and that both agreed to proceed. Rep. Heineman then asks what was the role of the expert from Syracuse University. Attorney General Reno answers he was consulted on Koresh's Seven Seals letter. Pressing the issue, Rep. Heineman asks if he felt the letter was a "dodge." Attorney General Reno replies yes, and is then asked if he approved of the gas insertion plan. Attorney General Reno states she doesn't know. Rep. Heineman then asks her if she ever spoke with Mr. Smerick. She replies no, but adds his concerns were communicated to her. Attorney General Reno is then asks what changed her mind in approving the raid. She replies multiple factors had. 14:30:45 Congresswoman Jackson-Lee begins her time by making a series of statements concerning the hearings. She then enters the "Wacmur" / Briefing Report document into the record. Rep. Jackson-Lee then references through several sections of the report before asking Attorney General Reno if agents were given enough information to make proper decisions, and secondly, did the President use any communication system to encourage the raid to proceed. Attorney General Reno replies upon reading the report she developed additional questions, which was why the meeting on April 14th was called. Continuing on, she restates previous testimony concerning how she followed up on all questions and how the President took no direct roll in the events at Waco. 14:37:33 Congressman Shadegg begins his time by stating to Attorney General Reno that it impressive him that she is taking responsibility for Waco. He then makes several statements about past testimony. - 14:40:06 A VERY GOOD PICTURE OF THE MOUNT CARMEL COMPOUND BEFORE ITS' DESTRUCTION. Rep. Shadegg then asks Attorney General Reno a series of questions back to back. First, had she considered abandoning her lunch time speech in Baltimore due to the escalation of the gas insertion. Second, did she know that the compound's telephone line had been cut. Third, had she agreed to the crushing of the gym? Attorney General Reno replies the FBI did advise her not to conceal her speech in order to avoid speculation planning had not proceeded as planned. Continuing on, she asserts that the FBI Negotiators had told the Davidians they would get their phone back if they agreed to reestablish talks. Concerning the destruction of the gym, Attorney General Reno replies the action was "inadvertent." Pressing the issue, Congressman Shadegg asks Attorney General Reno had she known the gym was going to be destroyed, would she have allowed it. She replies by stating the plan called for the making of holes in the front and the back of the compound so as to increase the flow of gas into all its' areas. 14:47:34 Congressman Blute begins his time by stating that besides Koresh, the government is also responsible for Waco. He then asks Attorney General Reno to comment on Doctor Stone's assertion that she was misinformed and mislead about the affects of CS-Gas. She replies that Doctor Stone was asked to look at the events at Waco from the perspective of what could have been done differently during negotiations, and asserts that his recommendations concerning CS-Gas were forwarded to actual toxicologists. Rep. Blute then inquires why Mr. Smerick's recommendations where not considered. Attorney General Reno answers she is not familiar with his testimony. Congressman Blute then asks if the White House retracted their request about being kept informed about changes in the negotiations after Acting Attorney General Gershen relinquished control. Attorney General Reno replies by stating she would have kept the President informed under any circumstances. 14:53:26 Congressman Barr begins his time by eventually asking Attorney General Reno how can situations like Waco be avoided, not necessarily dealt with more intelligently. She replies by asserting that a Critical Incident Response Team has been developed which increases the level of coordination between federal law enforcement agencies. Attorney General Reno then discusses how events following Oklahoma City Interjecting, Rep. Barr asserts that he isn't interested in Oklahoma City, but Waco 14:59:28 TIME OUT.