Federal Judge Wants All Waco Evidence;
Threatens Government With Contempt!

DRUDGE REPORT
Thursday, September 02, 1999 22:04:02 ET

According to Friday's ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION, U.S. District Judge Walter Smith Jr. has ordered the federal government to turn over all evidence relating to the Branch Davidian seige at Waco by the end of the month or face a contempt of court citation!

The JOURNAL CONSTITUTION'S Mark England and Tommy Witherspoon are reporting that Judge Smith has dismissed Justice's strongly worded 19 page motion in response to his original August 9 order as an "unwarranted and substantial burden".

Justice argued that Judge Smith's original request for all the evidence was too demanding.

Writes Smith: "The court finds this argument somewhat disingenuous since the government has been in possession of this material for six and a half years and has been aware since 1996, when the civil suits were originally filed, that this material could very well be subject to discovery."

"Additionally, the court would have thought that the vast majority of the material now sought in this civil litigation would have already been compiled as a result of the various Congressional hearings held over the Branch Davidian matter."

Smith is set to preside over the Branch Davidians' wrongful death civil lawsuit scheduled to begin in late October.

Developing hot...