President Joe Biden traveled to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to meet with those grieving the loss of their loved ones after last week’s attack on Robb Elementary School that took 21 innocent lives.
According to one report, however, he wasn’t willing to visit with many of the men and women who responded to the May 24 shooting — and risked their lives to kill gunman Salvador Ramos.
On Sunday, Breitbart reported that administration officials had rescinded invitations to many Border Patrol agents who had initially been invited to the event. The officials reportedly cited space as a concern, although the event was being held in a large open-space venue.
(If accurate, this was hardly the only indication that the president’s visit was more of a photo op, and an attempt to push the Democratic agenda, than a serious attempt to heal the country. Here at The Western Journal, as the administration keeps on trying to use the tragedy as a springboard to advance liberal goals, we’ll keep bringing readers the truth. You can help by subscribing.)
The Breitbart report was written by Randy Clark, a 32-year veteran of the Border Patrol. Before retiring from the agency, according to his Breitbart bio, he served as “Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. “
Clark wrote that the invitations were retracted at the last minute — late on Saturday evening.
“Law Enforcement officers who responded to the Uvalde school shooting at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday morning received an invitation to meet with President Biden during his planned visit to Uvalde on Sunday afternoon,” he wrote.
“According to a senior Customs and Border Protection source, the officers received the invitation late last week. Many had accepted and were scheduled to attend the private address from the president. Most are now being informed they are no longer invited.”
Thus, Clark wrote, only seven of the 80 members of the BORTAC Border Patrol tactical team who were at the scene of the Ulvade attack could meet with the president on Sunday.
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This was in spite of the fact that the outlet reported the meeting was meant “specifically to address the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting.”
“Although the meeting is planned at a location that can accommodate hundreds, more than 90% of the Border Patrol agents who were invited are now being told time and space are limited and they cannot attend,” Clark wrote.
The report didn’t make it clear what other law enforcement officers were originally invited and which were turned away. However, the source for the story told Clark that similar limitations likely applied to other law enforcement agencies that responded, like the Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol.
“These agents are still traumatized by the incident; the venue is large, and they are not going to buy this excuse,” the source said, according to Clark.
Mid-level managers with the Border Patrol were tasked with deciding who would be left out of the event, the source told Clark. Those who were disinvited will feel as if they were having their roles in the rescue minimized, the source said.
“It appears now as if this planned meeting was nothing more than a photo opportunity with the law enforcement community,” the source said.
The Western Journal reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday.
It’s difficult to understand why the administration would choose to limit the number of law enforcement officers who would attend, although one could assume that reports faulting the police response that emerged during the week had something to with the decision.
However, even if the Biden administration doesn’t want to be seen as giving plaudits to police officers who don’t deserve it, almost all reports have indicated that agents with BORTAC acquitted themselves well during the response. Not only did they neutralize the shooter, reports indicated they did so on their own accord after becoming frustrated with police inaction.
New: Border Patrol tactical agents who breached the classroom and killed the shooter acted on their own initiative after mounting frustration, sources tell @JuliaEAinsley
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) May 27, 2022
One of the BORTAC agents who killed Ramos suffered a graze wound on his head and a shrapnel injury in his leg.
WARNING: The following tweet contains graphic imagery that some readers will find offensive.
— Alex Plitsas ?? (@alexplitsas) May 27, 2022
Other Border Patrol members on the scene evacuated teachers and students from Robb Elementary School and provided emergency medical attention to the survivors.
In short, this isn’t a case where snubbing law enforcement is going to end up looking good for the Biden administration — particularly since the Border Patrol rank-and-file have had a testy relationship with the administration over the White House’s mismanagement of the border crisis.
If this is report is accurate, it means that on the one day everyone could agree the president should be meeting as many Border Patrol agents as possible, over 90 percent of BORTAC responders to the Uvalde shooting were disinvited by the White House.
That’s not a good look at all.
