On the recordMarch 3, 2010
I was in Austin. I was driving, and I saw a bunch of smoke coming out of some Federal buildings where I used to work with the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI, right next door to the IRS building. I called the police chief that day, and I said, What happened? Police Chief Acevedo said that a plane had flown into the Federal building, and I said, Well, do you know if it was an accident? He said, No, Congressman, it was intentional. And at that point in time, we knew that this was not just some accidental mishap, airplane getting off course, mechanical problems, but rather an intentional act of violence. What I saw at the scene was quite astounding, and I'm sure the gentleman from Austin saw it as well. The airplane was a rather small aircraft, yet the damage that was done was massive, almost bringing the entire Federal building down. As it was in flames that fateful day, it reminded me a bit of Oklahoma City. It also looked like a sort of smaller version of 9/11.
