Chat Details

TWT investigative editor Jerry Seper 03-13-09

This chat will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 13, 2009.

Read the transcript of our live chat with TWT investigative editor Jerry Seper, who took questions on Friday, March 13.

Transcript

1. • Jerry Seper, investigative editor for The Washington Times, joins us a www.WashingtonTimes.com for a live chat. Good morning, Jerry. Thanks for being with us again. by Jilly Badanes
   • Answer: You bet, it's great to be here. by Jerry Seper
2. • You've been covering U.S. border security for many years. What would be your top 5 recommendations to the President on how to protect our border? by Crownsville, MD
   • Answer: Hard question, but I'll give it a try. I'm not sure there are five things, but a major thing would be to heavily fine employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens and put them in jail on a second or third offense. What attracts the illegals are jobs. So you have to take the jobs away if you want to try and control illegal immigration. More people on the border -- agents or the military in some fashion -- might help. Build real fences. by Jerry Seper
3. • That's a great picture Jerry! Where was it taken? by Washington, DC
   • Answer: That's me protecting the Arizona-Mexico border. It's called Border Road (pretty clever, huh?) and it's near Naco, Ariz. by Jerry Seper
4. • What do you think of President Bush's commutation of prison sentences for former U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean? Should Bush have pardoned them? If so, why didn't he? by Lanham, MD
   • Answer: Ramos should never have been charged in the case in the first place and the two agents should never have been charged with the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which resulted in their 10-year mandatory sentences. Once that happened, their commutations were appropriate, although late. I believe the agents should have been charged administratively for policy violations. Compean picked up his shell casings and he is accountable for that and should have been fired. Ramos should have been suspended and then placed back on duty. by Jerry Seper
5. • You recently reported on Sen. Orrin G. Hatch's ties to a drug firm. Did anything come from your exposure of this issue? by Washington, D.C.
   • Answer: Not much more than making Orrin Hatch and his office angry. But I believe the story brought some light to the ways elected officials can abuse the system -- particularly at a time the Obama administration and the Congress are talking about all this transparency in government. If the system can be abused it will be and it's our job to bring attention to it. There will be many more stories on this subject. by Jerry Seper
7. • Jerry, We have been hearing a lot lately about political upheaval, gangs, drug cartels, and general disintegration of society in Mexico. What is your take on the current situation south of the border? by Washington, DC
   • Answer: Chaos. Corruption within the ranks of the Mexican police and military will make it hard for the Mexican government to get control of the situation. And that's not to say that many brave Mexican law enforcement and military officials haven't died trying. But the drug cartels now on both sides of the border are better armed and better equipped than both Mexican and U.S. authorities. It is not a fair fight. Bush was right when he warned Obama that a first major priority he faced was tamping down a dramatic rise in violence and corruption that has overwhelmed the U.S.-Mexico border and spread an escalating turf fight between warring drug cartels into the United States. by Jerry Seper
8. • How is the Obama administration doing so far on the promises of transparency? by Washington, D.C.
   • Answer: On a scale of 1 to 10, would minus-3 be too harsh? by Jerry Seper
9. • The Obama administration recently said deploying the military along the border to help quell drug violence is not out of the question. Is that feasible? by Boston, MA
   • Answer: Indeed. The situation is rapidly escalating out of control and this administration is going to have to do something to get the upper hand. by Jerry Seper
10. • You covered the Clinton administration scandals (Whitewater, etc.) The Obama administration seems to be having trouble finding anyone for higher office who isn't also a tax or financial cheat. What's your take on a Whitewater-level scandal coming out of this Chicago-born administration? by Lansing, MI
    • Answer: What is interesting to me is that this Chicago-born administration has turned to so many former Clinton administration officials to staff very key positions. This administration has done a very poor job of vetting those it has picked to lead the way. by Jerry Seper
11. • What are some of the stories you are working on? by Washington, DC
    • Answer: Like in all previous administrations, there is no end to the potential of stories on misdeeds, mistakes, criminal wrongdoing and scandal in this White House or this Congress. by Jerry Seper
12. • How can we ever defend our boarder if we imprison any agent that actually takes his/her job seriously and goes after the illegals? by Maryland
    • Answer: The prosecution of Ramos and Compean hurt morale and didn't stop the Border Patrol's high attrition rate. I've ridden with many of the field agents and they do not believe their agency, their leadership or the administration (either party) stands squarely behind them. And they are probably right. by Jerry Seper
13. • Do you have any hobbies? by Washington, D.C.
    • Answer: Fishing. In the mountains, on a lake, alongside a river, at the beach or on the ocean. by Jerry Seper
14. • During the campaign both sides pandered to our distaste for corruption and greed by promising to tackle earmarks and lobbying. Given the deep seeded nature of both constituent-centric and factional influences in our political system, do you foresee a situation where either of these so-called ills can be eradicated from the process? by Washington, DC
    • Answer: Are you kidding me? No. by Jerry Seper
15. • In your reporting experience have any administrations been more transparent or less scandal-ridden than others? by Washington, D.C.
    • Answer: Reagan was fairly transparent but I still think the best White House in terms of transparency that I ever covered was George Washington. by Jerry Seper
17. • We are coming to the end of our session. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with our readers today. Do you have any final thoughts? by Jilly Badanes
    • Answer: Yep, keep electing those scoundrels. Without your help, I'd be out of a job. Thanks for the time. by Jerry Seper