January 14, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H321 

That, I believe, Mr. Speaker, colored 

the way that they failed to completely 

report the entire incident that happened in that location. I believe that 

honorable people will see it differently 

if they believe someone has been shot 

in the altercation. I do not believe that 

Ramos and Compean believed that anyone had been shot, that the drug smuggler had received a bullet. I don’t believe that at all. I suspect that they 

would have filed a complete report had 

they believed or even, I’ll say, deeply 

suspected that they had hit the drug 

smuggler. 

There was no sign of which I know 

that there was any blood at the scene. 

The drug smuggler ran back to Mexico. 

All of his muscles seemed to work. He 

healed up. Apparently, they found the 

bullet, and matched it up to the gun of 

Agent Ramos’. Those are the facts as 

we know them. 

I’m not alone in calling for the pardon of Agents Ramos and Compean. 

There are many of us in Congress on 

both sides of the aisle who have stood 

with these officers and who have pointed out that the punishment is too severe and that they have paid their debt 

to society. Whatever was due is surely 

paid, Mr. Speaker. 

The compassion that I ask for out of 

the White House in these last days is 

the compassion that recognizes that 

the President has the power. The 

agents have served the time. 

When U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton 

made the statement that, when asked, 

would he make a recommendation to 

the White House for a pardon, he said 

this: ‘‘With regard to a pardon or a 

clemency, at some point, the Department of Justice will probably ask for 

my recommendation, and when that 

comes, we’ll make one.’’ That was May 

18, 2007 on CNN. 

Mr. Speaker, I would point out that I 

read to you at least six quotes from 

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton. Each of 

those referenced the harshness of the 

sentence, and the word ‘‘harsh’’ he uses 

himself several times over. The punishment was too high. It was too much. I 

have sympathy for that. I’ve said it 

often. It’s a harsh sentence. 

Johnny Sutton said he disagreed 

with the 11- to 12-year terms the border 

agents received. He said again, ‘‘I’ve always said the punishment in this case 

was harsh.’’ 

Well, I’ll follow that up with this response again: 

‘‘With regard to a pardon or a clemency, at some point, the Department of 

Justice will probably ask for my recommendation, and when that comes, 

we’ll make one.’’ 

I’ll submit that U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton has made his recommendation. He has made it many times over 

the national media. I’ve quoted him six 

times. There are many other quotes 

that reference the same thing. The 

punishment was too harsh. The man 

who led the prosecution, who succeeded 

in his job of seeking a conviction, has 

also many times over announced that 

it’s too harsh. 

We’re not arguing. Those of us in this 

Congress and across this country are 

not arguing guilt or innocence, Mr. 

Speaker. We’re arguing about a sentence that’s too harsh. We’re arguing 

that, for officers who have put their 

lives on the line and for officers who 

have no blemishes, that I know of, on 

their records that would be further 

strikes against them, this anomaly in 

their careers should not ruin their careers, their lives, their families. I believe that they are deserving of a pardon. There are those here who are asking now for a commutation of a sentence. 

Mr. Speaker, I don’t ask for the commutation. I believe that their records 

should be swept clean. I believe that 

they have served a time and that leaving it on their records does not serve a 

purpose. I believe they are deserving 

and that a just President would look in 

the last days and find a way to provide 

justice for the highest profile cases 

that we have in America that cry out 

for the sympathy of the entire Nation 

and of the world and for the action on 

the part of our compassionate, conservative President. 

I have covered this territory. I would 

point out there are 171 pardons by 

President Bush. There are eight 

commutations of sentences by President Bush. There are several days left 

in the Presidency. There likely will be 

other pardons and commutations and, 

perhaps, a whole rush of them that are 

queued up to go. 

Mr. Speaker, I pray that the pardon 

for Ramos and Compean is in that 

work stack that will be presented to 

the President for his signature between 

now and January 20 and that the counsel who is advising the President and 

the Department of Justice who have 

defended their prosecution so aggressively can understand clearly: 

They’ve made their point. They’re 

successful in their prosecution and in 

their conviction and in their sentencing. So now the point needs to be 

made—the point made by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton that the sentences 

are too harsh. Eleven and twelve years 

is too long. 

In these last days, I ask only one 

thing of our Honorable Commander in 

Chief, and that is to find the compassion in his heart to pardon Agents 

Ramos and Compean. 

Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate 

your indulgence and the honor to address you on the floor of the House of 

Representatives tonight. 

f 

SPECIAL ORDERS GRANTED 

By unanimous consent, permission to 

address the House, following the legislative program and any special orders 

heretofore entered, was granted to: 

(The following Members (at the request of Mrs. MALONEY) to revise and 

extend their remarks and include extraneous material:) 

Mr. CUMMINGS, for 5 minutes, today. 

Mr. ENGEL, for 5 minutes, today. 

Ms. WOOLSEY, for 5 minutes, today. 

Mr. DEFAZIO, for 5 minutes, today. 

Mr. SHERMAN, for 5 minutes, today. 

(The following Members (at the request of Mr. POE of Texas) to revise and 

extend their remarks and include extraneous material:) 

Mr. POE of Texas, for 5 minutes, January 21. 

Mr. JONES, for 5 minutes, January 21. 

Mr. WOLF, for 5 minutes, today and 

January 15. 

Mr. BOOZMAN, for 5 minutes, today. 

Mr. CAMPBELL, for 5 minutes, January 15. 

Ms. FOXX, for 5 minutes, today. 

(The following Member (at her request) to revise and extend her remarks and include extraneous material:) 

Ms. KAPTUR

f 

, for 5 minutes, today. 

SENATE BILL REFERRED 

A bill of the Senate of the following 

title was taken from the Speaker’s 

table and, under the rule, referred as 

follows: 

S. 60. An act to prohibit the sale and counterfeiting of President inaugural tickets, to 

the Committee on the Judiciary. 

f 

ADJOURNMENT 

Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I 

move that the House do now adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o’clock and 28 minutes 

p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, January 15, 2009, at 

10 a.m. 

f 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS, 

ETC. 

Under clause 8 of rule XII, executive 

communications were taken from the 

Speaker’s table and referred as follows: 

77. A letter from the Director, Regulatory 

Review Group, Department of Agriculture, 

transmitting the Department’s final rule — 

Farm Program Payment Limitation and 

Payment Eligibility for 2009 and Subsequent 

Crop, Program, or Fiscal Years (RIN: 0560- 

AH85) received January 7, 2009, pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Agriculture. 

78. A letter from the Congressional Review 

Coordinator, Department of Agriculture, 

transmitting the Department’s final rule — 

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia; Interstate 

Movement and Import Restrictions on Certain Live Fish [Docket No. APHIS-2007-0038] 

(RIN: 0579-AC74) received January 7, 2009, 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); to the Committee on Agriculture. 

79. A letter from the Congressional Review 

Coordinator, Department of Agriculture, 

transmitting the Department’s final rule — 

Change in Disease Status of Surrey County, 

England, Because of Foot-and-Mouth Disease 

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0124] received January 12, 2009, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A); 

to the Committee on Agriculture. 

80. A letter from the Acting Under Secretary, Department of Defense, transmitting 

notification of an Antideficiency Act violation, Army case number 08-05, pursuant to 31 

U.S.C. 1517(b); to the Committee on Appropriations. 

81. A letter from the Under Secretary for 

Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Department of Defense, transmitting a review 


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