-Caveat Lector-
FBI Agents Protest Possible Peltier Clemency
Fox News-Friday, December 15, 2000
Hundreds of FBI agents staged an unprecedented protest march on
the White House Friday to oppose a presidential pardon for an
American Indian activist in prison for killing two of their own.
A banner with the words "Never Forget" lettered in red was
carried by a line of women standing two-by-two for the march to
the White House gate. The demonstrators brought a petition to
President Clinton signed by 8,000 current and former agents.
Secret Service agents at the White House gate rejected the
envelope, however, telling their fellow federal officers that no
packages or documents can be accepted for security reasons. The
FBI agents planned to mail the petition.
Susan Lloyd, an FBI field-office spokeswoman who joined the
protesters, said the vast majority of those in the nearly
500-strong demonstration were active agents who applied for the
day off. Others were retired agents.
"None of this is on government time," she said. The officers were
escorted by about 30 District of Columbia police on motorcycles.
The protest supported FBI Director Louis Freeh's recommendation
against clemency for Leonard Peltier, who is serving two
consecutive life sentences in the federal prison at Leavenworth,
Kan.
"The premeditated execution of two young FBI agents is the most
vile disrespect for all that we cherish under the law and our God
for which moderation can only signal disrespect," Freeh wrote.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., and 21
other members of the U.S. House of Representatives backed Freeh's
statement Friday, forwarding a letter to Clinton opposing
clemency.
"There are situations in which mercy is warranted, but clearly
what this man has done puts him outside of the reach of any
presidential pardon," said John Sennett, president of the FBI
Agents Association, which has about 9,000 active and 1,000
retired members. Sennett, interviewed at the scene, is an FBI
agent based in New York.
Agents said they knew of no similar public display by active
agents in the past.
"FBI employees, like other federal workers and citizens, have the
right to express their views on issues they feel passionately
about," said bureau spokesman Mike Kortan at FBI headquarters,
noting that the demonstrators were on their own time. "While
today's event is unusual, it underscores the passion and depth of
feeling of FBI employees across the country and around the world
on this issue."
A handful of Peltier supporters shouted at the orderly line of
officers as they passed. "Peltier is a political prisoner," said
a man who identified himself as P.J. Smith of Washington.
The White House has refused comment on all questions about
possible pardons. A White House spokesman said Clinton would
review pending requests for executive clemency before he leaves
office in January, including that of Peltier.
"There are strong passions on all sides of the issue," White
House spokesman Elliot Diringer said Friday. "The president's
decision will be based on the facts."
Attorney General Janet Reno, asked about the prospect of an FBI
demonstration on Thursday, said, "I think we just have to see how
it unfolds," adding, "Everybody ought to be able to speak out
about something that they care about deeply in a thoughtful,
professional, dignified manner."
Peltier's story has become well-known on Indian reservations
across the country. FBI agents Ron Williams and Jack Koler were
fired upon and killed while searching for robbery suspects on the
Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota in June 1975.
Peltier, after fleeing to Canada and being extradited to the
United States, was convicted and sentenced in 1977 for the
killings, despite defense claims that evidence against him had
been falsified.
Peltier's supporters argue that there is little evidence that
Peltier fired the shots that killed the agents. They allege
Peltier was targeted by the FBI because of his vocal support of
reservation autonomy and have opposed the demonstration by FBI
agents.
"We are very disappointed with the FBI response," Jennifer
Harbury, an attorney for Peltier, said at a news conference
Friday. "We think it's inappropriate, and we think it's a sad day
for democracy when our armed forces march through the streets to
influence a decision for mercy and justice by a civilian
president."
Peltier, 56, is serving his terms at the U.S. Penitentiary in
Leavenworth, Kan. He has suffered from health problems in recent
years.
� The Associated Press contributed to this report
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