Texas DPS Lies To Get Homeland Security Help In Tracking Democrats

Newsday -- The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said yesterday that it tried to locate the small private plane at the behest of the Texas Department of Public Safety, which told the feds the aircraft was missing and had possibly crashed.

In fact, the plane belonged to State Rep. Pete Laney, one of 53 Democrats who secretly left the state to prevent a vote on a Republican redistricting plan. And officials at the federal agency, which is part of the new Department of Homeland Security, said they were unwittingly embroiled in Texas politics by the state law agency as it sought to track down the missing legislators.

"When you get a call from a fellow law enforcement agency to assist in a location of a plane that appears to be missing or potentially crashed, you respond to that request," said one federal law enforcement official. "And you can only take what they say at face value."

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said officials at the federal agency believe "they acted appropriately and are miffed at apparently being misled and dragged into this scandal unwittingly."

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), one of the original sponsors of the bill creating the Homeland Security Department, said he was "outraged that Homeland Security resources are being used to help settle partisan political scores" and demanded an explanation from Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

At the White House, Deputy Press Secretary Scott McClellan said he was unaware of the circumstances of the incident, adding, "There should never be inappropriate use of any federal resources."