Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: “we are calling today on Secretary Ridge to uncover the cover-up. What have you got to hide? On May 11, 2003, Mr.…”

“we are calling today on Secretary Ridge to uncover the cover-up. What have you got to hide? On May 11, 2003, Mr. Speaker, a number of Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives absented themselves from the floor of the State House in Austin, Texas, in a proper procedural move to defeat a quorum in that body. Subsequently, on that same date, the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Tom Craddick, ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety, the troopers, to locate the absent legislators and return them to the capitol. The DPS thereupon took steps to locate the lawmakers and contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, charged with defeating terrorism, and asked for Federal assistance. They have now had to admit and acknowledge that they contacted the Air and Marine Interdiction Coordination Center, a department within DHS, seeking information; and they acknowledge they used Federal resources to respond to this request in spite of the fact that it is a State political matter. In fact, in violation of the law, a criminal tracking system was used. The Department of Homeland Security has now admitted that the department has in its possession certain audiotapes, transcripts, and other documents concerning its contacts with Texas DPS officials. In spite of this admission, the department has failed and refused and still fails and refuses to release this information.”