Texas Reporters Who Broke Cheney Story Say Facts Not Being Withheld

By: Joe Strupp The two Texas newspaper reporters who broke the story of Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting last weekend say they are satisfied that all of the key information on the incident, which has been questioned by politicos and pundits across the country for days, has now emerged.

Kathryn Garcia and Jaime Powell, whose Web story for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on Sunday launched the non-stop reporting of Cheney's hunting accident that sent Austin attorney Harry Whittington to the hospital with pellet wounds, downplay speculation that facts are being withheld by law enforcement officials or investigators. Both claim that they have been able to get information on the incident they have sought, with few problems.

The reporters point to several stories the paper ran Thursday, including a timeline of the Secret Service actions the night of the shooting, the sheriff's department incident report, and an interview with Sheriff Ramon Salinas--who revealed that he did not go to the shooting scene Saturday night because he wanted to spend time with his family at an ongoing barbecue.

"That is not unusual in a small town," Garcia, 25, said about the sheriff's excuse. "I think the questions are being answered."

The sheriff, in that article, had explained why he did not rush to the ranch that night. "We've known these people (witnesses) for years. They are honest and wouldn't call us, telling us a lie," Salinas said. "I talked to an eyewitness who said it was a definite accident. We knew Mr. Whittington was being cared for."

Powell, a four-year veteran of the paper, told E&P Thursday, "So far, I haven't seen anything else [that is being kept secret] and I know how to look, particularly around here. Everything I have been seeking, I have gotten."

Garcia, who has been at the paper for a year, agreed. "I feel like they've been awfully helpful here," she said of local law enforcement and hospital officials. "I am able to contact the hospital officials and sources."

The only missing element of coverage, both contend, is getting Whittington's version of events. But, they said he has declined requests for interviews. "I don't think the story is complete until we interview Whittington," Garcia said.

Powell, 39, said the newspaper was continuing to report on the shooting, but she finds no glaring holes in the information being brought forth, including details on alcohol consumption. "I am still looking like anyone else, but I am not going to speculate," she said when asked if she believes any information is being kept from the press. "People are talking to me."

Garcia and Powell also believed that Cheney's recent television interview helped to ease some of the suspicions. "I'm glad he talked; not talking wasn't a good idea," Powell said. "If I would have been sitting down with him could l have come up with some other questions? Probably. But it would not have been good if he had never talked about it." Garcia echoed that view about the Cheney sit-down. "I think he helped answer questions," she said.

When asked about the White House press corps' continued grilling of Press Secretary Scott McClellan, the pair supported the ongoing interest, but disagreed with the harsh approach. "We need to ask every question we can think of," Powell noted. "But until someone has proven themselves untrustworthy, I don't think we need to act like pit bulls. That makes us look bad."

For Garcia, the job of the Washington reporters is "to get to the bottom of things." But, she added, "I don't understand why they are so upset about it."

She also had a message for those larger news outlets who have hinted that the Caller-Times should not have been the first called with the story, and perhaps could not cover it completely: "Sometimes it seems that they think we can't handle it, but we can and we did everything right."