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Waco Special Report
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Waco tests may show shots, U.S. lawyer says -- One of the government's lead lawyers in the Branch Davidian case said for the first time Wednesday that an upcoming field test could capture flashes of gunfire on the type of infrared camera used by the FBI at the end of the 1993 siege. Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. Parties reach agreement on re-creating conditions of Waco siege -- The government and lawyers for the Branch Davidians agreed Wednesday on how to re-create conditions of the 1993 siege on the group, in hopes of putting to rest questions about whether federal agents fired shots at the compound. Connie Farrow writes for the Associated Press. Reno skirts Branch Davidian questions during Austin visit -- Attorney General Janet Reno fended off numerous questions Monday night about the government's role in the Branch Davidian tragedy, saying that special counsel John C. Danforth's investigation will provide the needed answers. Christy Hoppe writes for the The Dallas Morning News. FBI's Waco files yield surprises over what's missing -- When investigators for special counsel John C. Danforth and Congress recently combed through the 12 tons of evidence from the scene of the assault, their most interesting findings concerned things that were not there, according to informed sources. The most important item missing was the 44 mm pyrotechnic tear gas projectile that reignited the Waco investigation last summer — its disappearance could be evidence that a cover-up began shortly after the siege, investigators say. Terry Ganey and William H. Freivogel write for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Danforth's team gives FBI officials a taste of their own tough questioning -- FBI agents are accustomed to tough interrogations. But usually it's the agents asking the questions. Now the tables have been turned. For the past few weeks, current and former FBI officials have been summoned to St. Louis to be grilled by investigators working for John Danforth, the special counsel appointed to find out what happened to the Branch Davidians near Waco, Texas, in 1993. Terry Ganey and William H. Freivogel write for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Key Witness in Waco case gives evidence to Danforth -- The federal prosecutor who worked on the Waco case longer than any other government lawyer has told the special counsel's office about a "pattern of nonaccountability" in the Justice Department's handling of the investigation. William Freivogel and Terry Ganey write for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Judge Orders Justice Dept., FBI to Reenact Last Day of Waco -- A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department and the FBI to engage in a reenactment of the final day of the Waco siege, using infrared cameras to help determine whether any federal agents shot at the Branch Davidians inside their compound. Lorraine Adams and David A. Vise write for The Washington Post. Testing ordered to see if agents fired on Davidian compound -- Turning aside prolonged federal objections, a U.S. district judge on Monday ordered independent field testing to help determine whether government agents fired at the Branch Davidian compound in the last hours of a 1993 siege. Lee Hancock and David Jackson write for The Dallas Morning News. Filmmakers' tenacity brought the "dark questions" of Waco tragedy into the mainstream -- That Danforth made a moviemaker one of his first stops is a tribute to the impact that Gifford and his chief researcher, Mike McNulty, have had in raising the "dark questions" that Danforth is trying to answer. Their film premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival in Utah. It later won an Emmy Award and was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary. Terry Ganey writes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. FBI cameras encircled compound; Critics question lack of tapes in Waco siege -- The Branch Davidian compound was ringed with FBI closed-circuit cameras and secret government sensing devices during the entire 1993 standoff, and the cameras were used throughout April 19, the day federal agents launched a tank and tear-gas assault, government documents show. But despite written statements from FBI agents and technicians that recordings were made, no videotape from the surveillance cameras has ever been made public by the federal government. Lee Hancock and David Jackson write for The Dallas Morning News. Military advisers gave officers equipment and expertise. But did they go too far? -- The military was heavily involved in aiding government agents before and during the 51-day siege of the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas, providing tanks, helicopters and advice from Special Forces units and the supersecret Delta Force. Was the military used illegally by the government during the siege? William Freivogel and Terry Ganey write for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. See also: In the war on drugs, lawmakers have widened the military's power to police American citizens. Expert Concludes FBI Fired Shots During Waco Siege -- Bugging devices in the Branch Davidian compound clearly picked up voices of leader David Koresh and his followers preparing and starting fires that ended the deadly 1993 standoff, according to a now-retired U.S. Army colonel who assisted the FBI at the siege. Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. In lawsuit, Branch Davidians weave fire theories beyond tear gas -- For all the recent furor over the FBI's use of potentially incendiary tear gas canisters on the final day of the Waco siege, a lawyer suing the government on behalf of Branch Davidian survivors and relatives contends the inferno may have been triggered by other causes. Michelle Mittelstadt writes for the Associated Press. Six years later, Waco's horror is still hazy -- Nearly six in 10 Americans now say they believe the FBI lied about Waco, according to a ABC News poll — an indication of the skepticism that Danforth will encounter as he tries to answer Waco's dark questions, 6 1/2 years later. Jerry Schwartz writes for the Associated Press. Senate Democrats Balk at Waco Probe -- Senate Democrats are refusing to participate in a Republican-led task force that will investigate how President Clinton's Justice Department handled inquiries into the Waco standoff, campaign finance abuses and nuclear espionage. Laurie Kellman writes for the Associated Press. Tucson lawyer presses for truth about Waco -- "The military attacks, shoots, kills, destroys — law officers are supposed to talk to people and perhaps make arrests," says Arizona attorney David Hardy. "We're seeing too many law officers in black suits, calling themselves SWAT teams, with submachine guns, sniper rifles and an attack mentality, which is exactly what we saw at Waco." Hardy's efforts have resulted in the government turning over hundreds of documents and stacks of audiotapes and videotapes and forced the admissions that potentially flammable tear gas canisters were used and that elite Delta Force soldiers were on the scene. William Hermann writes for The Arizona Republic. Ruby Ridge sniper was at Waco -- The leader of the FBI sniper team at Waco, Lon Horiuchi, was the same FBI agent who shot the wife of white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, a few months earlier in 1992. Horiuchi has denied firing any shots at Waco but Texas Rangers said in a report that 12 .308 caliber sniper rifle shell casings and 24 Israeli-manufactured .223 casings were recovered from a house used by the FBI during the siege. Story by United Press International. Rangers' report doesn't resolve questions about gun use on last day of siege -- A Texas Rangers report on evidence from the Branch Davidian siege sent Friday to Congress indicates that the Rangers' evidence trove includes a dozen .308-caliber sniper rifle shell casings and 24 Israeli-made .223-caliber casings recovered from a house used by the FBI's hostage rescue team throughout the 51-day siege. It was the same house from which FBI documents indicate an FBI agent initially reported hearing shots fired on the final day of the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco. Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. Report: Texas Says Waco Report Contains Secrets -- Texas officials said a new report on evidence collected at the Branch Davidian compound could not be made public because it contained military secrets, The Austin American-Statesman reported. Story by Reuters. Military forces' role in Waco challenged -- In a sworn affidavit, a former sergeant first class in Army Special Forces said a noncommissioned officer told him that the Delta Force's "B" Squadron had been ordered to "take down" the Branch Davidians at Mount Carmel. Jennifer Autrey writes for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. FBI agent confirms comment Text of Johnston's letter to Janet Reno More Waco Disclosures Expended flares found among siege evidence -- "These flares are potentially a very important issue, inasmuch as the government had enormous spotlights trained on the compound throughout the standoff," said James B. Francis Jr., head of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. Documents on Waco Point to a Close Commando Role -- The Pentagon's elite Special Operations Command sent observers to the siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Texas more than a month before the final assault on the compound, suggesting that military commandos had a far longer and closer involvement in the disastrous 1993 operation than previously divulged, according to declassified Government documents. Clinton Administration officials, aware of the severe legal restrictions on the use of American troops in the United States, have long said that the military's role in the siege was purely advisory to law-enforcement agencies. Philip Shenon writes for The New York Times. Attorney General denies statement U.S. ordered to hand over siege evidence -- A U.S. district judge ordered government lawyers Thursday to turn over all evidence pertaining to the 1993 Branch Davidian siege by Oct. 1 or face contempt-of-court charges. Scott Parks and Lee Hancock write for The Dallas Morning News. FBI Tape Shows Tear Gas Decision Texas lawmakers say Reno should resign -- Two Texas lawmakers said Wednesday that Attorney General Janet Reno should resign to answer for conflicting statements about government actions in the 1993 Branch Davidian siege. Lee Hancock and Catalina Camia write for The Dallas Morning News. Marshals confiscate FBI siege video U.S. fights Waco evidence order Republican Lawmaker Hints At Reno Cover-Up On Waco -- A powerful Republican lawmaker said Sunday that he would not be surprised if Attorney General Janet Reno had been involved in a cover-up of the deadly fire that ended an FBI standoff with a religious cult in 1993. Story by Reuters. See also: Congressional Republicans lack faith in Reno, vow to investigate Waco. Delta Force had active role in raid, ex-CIA officer told -- A former CIA officer said last week that he learned from Delta Force commandos that members of the secret Army unit were "present, up front and close" in helping the FBI in the final tear-gas assault on the Branch Davidian compound. Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. See also: Ex-agent says two pyrotechnic devices fired at Branch Davidian compound. And see: FBI Admits Using Tear Gas at Waco.Anger over FBI's Waco revelations sparks new investigations -- Congressional ire was raised with the FBI's admission last week — after years of claims to the contrary — that a "very limited number" of incendiary tear gas grenades were lobbed near the Davidians' compound outside Waco, Texas, in the hours before the wooden structure erupted in flames. The acknowledgment came on the heels of a newspaper report challenging the earlier statements. Michelle Mittelstadt writes for the Associated Press. See also: Barr Grills Clinton on Military Involvement at Waco. Filmmaker says government admission is satisfying -- The government's admission that pyrotechnic devices were used the day the Branch Davidian compound burned is sweet satisfaction for a filmmaker who has said for years that authorities are lying about the Waco tragedy — a judge ruled in July that the FBI and ATF had "stonewalled" an attorney's lawful requests for specific documents about the standoff. C. Bryson Hull writes for the Associated Press. See also: Oscar-nominated filmmaker says goal is 'finding the truth' about Branch Davidian siege.
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Latest headlines on Waco investigation
The Danforth investigation Waco Re-examined Waco: What Really Happened? Assistant U.S. Attorney William W. Johnston spent five hours recently answering questions from special counsel John C. Danforth. In an interview with the Post-Dispatch, Johnston said he saw the Justice Department:
Rep. Dan Burton: "It would not surprise me if Janet Reno tried to keep a lid on this, because I think she's done that in other areas." How Reno's Court Action Helps Fuel Waco Fires A motion challenging a Texas judge's right to make Waco evidence available amplifies cries of 'foul' Janet Reno can't seem to stop stoking the fires of the Waco conspiracy theory. On one hand, she is reported to be pushing for an independent inquiry into the debacle; on the other, she appears to be trying to stop the facts from coming out. -- Tony Karon writes for TIME Daily. Fire engulfs the Branch Davidian compound near Waco. FBI Photo.(Dallas Morning News) Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, became one of the first members of Congress recently to urge Reno to resign over the Waco controversy. "I think the attorney general should step down," Gramm said. "This is another example of where she has either lied to the American people or allowed the American people to be lied to." "The stance has always been that they used no pyrotechnics out there that day," said David Byrne, a former Texas Ranger captain who headed the investigation of the 1993 tragedy and who retired from the agency in August 1996. "There are some serious criminal violations if they did. They have testified. They have done it before Congress. They've done it in court. They've caused other people to testify that there were no pyrotechnics used." -- Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. "For six years, they said no pyrotechnics were ever used on April 19. For six years, they said there was no recording of FBI radio traffic. For six years, no video recordings. For six years, the only infrared recordings still in existence from April 19 started at 10:42 a.m. For six years, they said we didn't know what David Koresh was planning inside Mount Carmel. Now we know that all of these were lies. The real question is, is there anything that they told us about Mount Carmel that was true?" — Michael Caddell of Houston, lead attorney for surviving sect members. -- Lee Hancock and David Jackson write for The Dallas Morning News. Introduction to the Branch Davidians Waco Holocaust Electronic Museum Waco: The Inside Story -- includes frequently asked questions, a chronology of the siege and a biography of David Koresh. From PBS Frontline.  FBI agent on tank. Photo by Gary Cameron (Reuters). Tear gas and the Branch Davidian standoff -- From U.S. Army data sheet and operating instructions on the M651 CS cartridge teargas grenade, the device that a former FBI official said was used at the standoff, and prior statements by federal officials and weapons experts that the CS tear gas used at Waco was nonpyrotechnic. Source: The Dallas Morning News. Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, on Wednesday became one of the first members of Congress recently to urge Reno to resign over the Waco controversy. "I think the attorney general should step down," Gramm said. "This is another example of where she has either lied to the American people or allowed the American people to be lied to." "The stance has always been that they used no pyrotechnics out there that day," said David Byrne, a former Texas Ranger captain who headed the investigation of the 1993 tragedy and who retired from the agency in August 1996. "There are some serious criminal violations if they did. They have testified. They have done it before Congress. They've done it in court. They've caused other people to testify that there were no pyrotechnics used." -- Lee Hancock writes for The Dallas Morning News. Janet Reno Must Go -- Editorial by Investors Business Daily. Official Accountability -- Editorial by The Dallas Morning News.
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