Monday April 24 12:36 PM ET
White House Blames Miami Relatives
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer -
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House today blamed Elian Gonzalez's Miami relatives for forcing the government into the armed seizure of the boy, asserting that ``none of this had to happen'' if they had respected the law and allowed him to be reunited with his father.
The administration also said it was proper for federal agents to carry weapons when they stormed the house. ``There was information that there might be guns in the house, out in the crowd,'' presidential spokesman Joe Lockhart said.
President Clinton felt the raid was ``the right thing to do and was the only alternative remaining,'' Lockhart said. ``All of this could have been avoided. None of this had to happen. This happened because the family did not respect the legal process here that dictated the father should be reunited with the young boy.''
Earlier today, Attorney General Janet Reno refused to second-guess the government's actions. ``I have no regrets whatsoever,'' she said.
``I tried my level best to make sure we avoided this situation and if I bent over backward, so be it,'' she said on NBC's ``Today.'' ``I'm satisfied with the result.''
Marisleysis Gonzalez, a cousin who looked after Elian while he was in Miami, and the boy's two great-uncles left a Washington hotel today ``to try to speak to whoever we have to speak to'' to meet with Elian and his father. She said the Miami relatives pose no risk to the father because ``we are in his territory now.''
Armed agents broke into the Miami home of the boy's relatives early Saturday only after negotiations with the family there produced mixed signals, Reno said. ``We were told we would have a deal if we did certain things and we did it and it evaporated.''
The White House accused Republicans - in particular House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas - of playing politics with the case and making ``wildly inaccurate statements.''
``Tom DeLay went on television yesterday and said there was no warrant in this case, that they didn't get a search warrant,'' Lockhart said. ``It's factually not true, and easily knowable, if you're not trying to play politics.''
The federal government worked hard to make sure the young Cuban refugee was reunited with his father in a peaceful and voluntary way, Reno said. ``We tried and tried.'' In the end, ``We did what we had to do and we now need to move forward and to give this little boy and his father a chance to heal.''
A longtime friend of Reno, Aaron Podhurst, was brought into the negotiations with the Miami relatives on Thursday and was on the phone with the attorney general just before the raid was carried out. ``I believe a deal was within minutes or an hour away,'' he told NBC. ``I was shocked, I was disappointed, I couldn't believe what I was looking at on TV.''
Podhurst said he talked to Reno shortly afterward and told her of his disappointment. ``She was as sad as I've ever seen her,'' he said.
Elian and his father are staying at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, where some of their Cuban relatives are demanding a meeting. The custody battle that has made headlines around the world is also getting renewed attention from members of Congress while the family awaits the next court action on the case.
But on Easter Sunday, the boy's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, tried to create a hometown aura at the Air Force base.
They shared a meal of black beans and rice, walked on the grounds of the base with Elian's stepmother and half brother, even got a visit from the base's Easter Bunny.
``We're trying to re-establish a more normal routine, a less tumultuous atmosphere,'' Gregory Craig, lawyer for Elian's father, told The Associated Press on Sunday. ``The relatives have got to respect that.''
Miami relatives pleaded Sunday to see the boy they virtually adopted after his rescue from an inner tube in the Atlantic last Thanksgiving. His mother drowned when the boat carrying them from Cuba sank off the coast of Florida.
``I will not leave until I see this boy,'' a tearful Marisleysis Gonzalez, told a Washington news conference. ``I know he's not OK.''
The little boy with the ready smile became a political, almost religious, icon for the Cuban-American community over the last five months. And when federal agents snatched him in the pre-dawn hours Saturday, Miami's Little Havana erupted into near riots that finally calmed on Sunday.
Craig questioned the tactics of the Miami relatives, saying he had thought they would ``establish a channel of communication'' with the father rather than hold news conferences and make public demands.
``I think it's unfortunately been something of a disruptive cloud,'' he said.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez and his immediate family are considering where to move while they await resolution of their appeal now pending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. But Craig said they have not made a final decision. He said they will stay in this country through the appeals, bound both by the father's word and numerous legal restraints.
Craig is still exploring the possibility of bringing some of Elian's classmates and their parents to this country to wait with the boy and his family. Craig said the request is still before the State Department, which he said has been a bit more receptive to the idea.
As the father was trying to calm the family atmosphere around Elian, the political climate on Capitol Hill heated up Sunday, with many lawmakers questioning the federal raid.
In a national CNN-Gallup poll taken after the seizure, nearly six in 10 respondents supported the government's actions to reunite Elian with his father. They were split on whether the government used too much force.
Miami fell quiet for the Easter celebration, but was still a city under tight police control with smaller scale demonstrations. Sergio Perez, a Miami neighbor of the family who had cared for Elian, said simply:
``We will celebrate in tears.''
EDITOR'S NOTE - Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Miami and Cal Woodward and Brigitte Greenberg in Washington contributed to this story.
------------------------------------
Yep, The relatives used their hypno-ray to warp Reno and her Jack Boots to storm the house.
White House Blames Miami Relatives
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer -
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House today blamed Elian Gonzalez's Miami relatives for forcing the government into the armed seizure of the boy, asserting that ``none of this had to happen'' if they had respected the law and allowed him to be reunited with his father.
The administration also said it was proper for federal agents to carry weapons when they stormed the house. ``There was information that there might be guns in the house, out in the crowd,'' presidential spokesman Joe Lockhart said.
President Clinton felt the raid was ``the right thing to do and was the only alternative remaining,'' Lockhart said. ``All of this could have been avoided. None of this had to happen. This happened because the family did not respect the legal process here that dictated the father should be reunited with the young boy.''
Earlier today, Attorney General Janet Reno refused to second-guess the government's actions. ``I have no regrets whatsoever,'' she said.
``I tried my level best to make sure we avoided this situation and if I bent over backward, so be it,'' she said on NBC's ``Today.'' ``I'm satisfied with the result.''
Marisleysis Gonzalez, a cousin who looked after Elian while he was in Miami, and the boy's two great-uncles left a Washington hotel today ``to try to speak to whoever we have to speak to'' to meet with Elian and his father. She said the Miami relatives pose no risk to the father because ``we are in his territory now.''
Armed agents broke into the Miami home of the boy's relatives early Saturday only after negotiations with the family there produced mixed signals, Reno said. ``We were told we would have a deal if we did certain things and we did it and it evaporated.''
The White House accused Republicans - in particular House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas - of playing politics with the case and making ``wildly inaccurate statements.''
``Tom DeLay went on television yesterday and said there was no warrant in this case, that they didn't get a search warrant,'' Lockhart said. ``It's factually not true, and easily knowable, if you're not trying to play politics.''
The federal government worked hard to make sure the young Cuban refugee was reunited with his father in a peaceful and voluntary way, Reno said. ``We tried and tried.'' In the end, ``We did what we had to do and we now need to move forward and to give this little boy and his father a chance to heal.''
A longtime friend of Reno, Aaron Podhurst, was brought into the negotiations with the Miami relatives on Thursday and was on the phone with the attorney general just before the raid was carried out. ``I believe a deal was within minutes or an hour away,'' he told NBC. ``I was shocked, I was disappointed, I couldn't believe what I was looking at on TV.''
Podhurst said he talked to Reno shortly afterward and told her of his disappointment. ``She was as sad as I've ever seen her,'' he said.
Elian and his father are staying at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, where some of their Cuban relatives are demanding a meeting. The custody battle that has made headlines around the world is also getting renewed attention from members of Congress while the family awaits the next court action on the case.
But on Easter Sunday, the boy's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, tried to create a hometown aura at the Air Force base.
They shared a meal of black beans and rice, walked on the grounds of the base with Elian's stepmother and half brother, even got a visit from the base's Easter Bunny.
``We're trying to re-establish a more normal routine, a less tumultuous atmosphere,'' Gregory Craig, lawyer for Elian's father, told The Associated Press on Sunday. ``The relatives have got to respect that.''
Miami relatives pleaded Sunday to see the boy they virtually adopted after his rescue from an inner tube in the Atlantic last Thanksgiving. His mother drowned when the boat carrying them from Cuba sank off the coast of Florida.
``I will not leave until I see this boy,'' a tearful Marisleysis Gonzalez, told a Washington news conference. ``I know he's not OK.''
The little boy with the ready smile became a political, almost religious, icon for the Cuban-American community over the last five months. And when federal agents snatched him in the pre-dawn hours Saturday, Miami's Little Havana erupted into near riots that finally calmed on Sunday.
Craig questioned the tactics of the Miami relatives, saying he had thought they would ``establish a channel of communication'' with the father rather than hold news conferences and make public demands.
``I think it's unfortunately been something of a disruptive cloud,'' he said.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez and his immediate family are considering where to move while they await resolution of their appeal now pending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. But Craig said they have not made a final decision. He said they will stay in this country through the appeals, bound both by the father's word and numerous legal restraints.
Craig is still exploring the possibility of bringing some of Elian's classmates and their parents to this country to wait with the boy and his family. Craig said the request is still before the State Department, which he said has been a bit more receptive to the idea.
As the father was trying to calm the family atmosphere around Elian, the political climate on Capitol Hill heated up Sunday, with many lawmakers questioning the federal raid.
In a national CNN-Gallup poll taken after the seizure, nearly six in 10 respondents supported the government's actions to reunite Elian with his father. They were split on whether the government used too much force.
Miami fell quiet for the Easter celebration, but was still a city under tight police control with smaller scale demonstrations. Sergio Perez, a Miami neighbor of the family who had cared for Elian, said simply:
``We will celebrate in tears.''
EDITOR'S NOTE - Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Miami and Cal Woodward and Brigitte Greenberg in Washington contributed to this story.
------------------------------------
Yep, The relatives used their hypno-ray to warp Reno and her Jack Boots to storm the house.
