The WACO Raid by the ATF: Timeline, Misinformation, and Coverup

From FBI image, public domain

he Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has posted a “history” of the botched service of a search warrant on the residence and buildings of the Branch Davidian religious sect, on unincorporated property near Waco, Texas on February 28, 1993.

This correspondent closely followed news of the botched raid and siege as current events. The research on this assignment refreshed emotions from three decades ago, when the nation reeled under a situation which exposed the Clinton administration’s use of naked force and its disdain for the Constitution and the rule of law. The events of the raid, its planning, botched execution, and the horrific handling of the aftermath by the FBI, have come to be known, as “Waco”.

Many books have been written about the events which resulted in over 84 deaths, most caused by a combination of governmental agency arrogance, incompetence, and lies, with heaping helpings of coverup in the aftermath.

The botched FBI response lead directly to an FBI armored assault on the Branch Davidian buildings after a 51 day siege.  The assault resulted in the destruction by fire of the buildings and the death of 76 Branch Davidians, including 25 children.  There is ample evidence the FBI deliberately used tear gas grenades which were notorious for their incendiary effects, and which had been banned from use because of the danger. The public was shown footage of armored vehicles battering the buildings as they blocked escape routes, while FBI loudspeakers bizarrely broadcast “THIS IS NOT an ASSAULT.”

“History” was placed in quotes because the timeline of events is hotly disputed. The ATF, FBI, and the Clinton administration Department of Justice were far from transparent about the events which occurred at the ATF warrant service/raid. To further complicate the situation, the FBI took over the standoff from the ATF. The FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) actively interfered with and sabotaged the FBI hostage negotiators, or, possibly, the FBI management was so incompetent they had different factions who failed to coordinate and work with each other.  The FBI and ATF actively refused to cooperate with investigators. Enormous amounts of evidence was destroyed during the siege, the assault and after the fire.

The ATF “history” timeline includes unproven assertions and leaves out uncomfortable facts, while including unrelated events to demonize the Branch Davidian sect.  Some examples:

The ATF warrant application is full of mistakes in law and in facts.

The Davidians had co-operated with local authorities.

The ATF “history” includes complaints of child abuse, but the ATF had no authority to investigate or prosecute child abuse. Child abuse is a state matter.

The ATF was widely regarded as a “rogue agency”. The motive for the Waco raid is highly suspect. The ATF’s reputation had suffered significantly during the Ruby Ridge episode. Congressional budget hearing were to commence shortly. The code selected for the beginning of the raid was “Showtime”.  From davekopel.org:

A BATF memo written two days before the February 28, 1993 raid explained “this operation will generate considerable media attention, both locally [Texas] and nationally.” [14] The BATF public relations director, Sharon Wheeler, called reporters to ask them for their weekend phone numbers. The reporters contend, and Wheeler denies, that she asked them if they would be interested in covering a weapons raid on a “cult.” Wheeler, on the other hand, states that she merely told them, “We have something going down.” [15] After the raid, the BATF at first denied there had been any media contacts. [16] Journalist Ronald Kessler reports that the BATF told eleven media outlets that the raid was coming. [17] The Department of the Treasury has refused to release the pre-raid memos which deal with publicity, asserting that they are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. [18]

The ATF asserts the Davidians fired on them first. This has been hotly contested by the surviving Davidians. Considerable evidence supports the Davidian version of events. At the ATF timeline, it is said the shooting started with Davidians firing at the helicopters used during the raid. (9:47). At the ATF “remembering Waco” page, it is asserted that David Koresh was waiting outside the double doors. The first shots were supposedly fired by Davidians, through the doors, at the ATF agents.  This may seem a small contradiction by the ATF.  Questions of who fired first and where, become critical in law.

ATF agents, after the disaster of the botched raid, were interviewed by Texas Rangers. Only a fraction of those interviews have been released to the public.

The double human and public affairs disasters of Ruby Ridge and Waco crystallized a building movement to restore Constitutional restraints on governmental agencies. The two obvious bungled disasters led to a significant drop in trust for the FBI and the ATF. The ability to easily transmit information was rapidly building. Ruby Ridge and Waco might have remained narratives controlled by the deep state and Media complex if email, Internet discussion groups, and talk radio did not exist.

This correspondent’s limited second hand information comes from a friend who talked to one of the high level FBI agents involved in the siege. When questioned about the siege tactics, the agent said all of the Davidians deserved to die because they “defied the government”.

As seems common in federal political prosecutions, numerous charges were brought against Davidian survivors on relatively flimsy evidence. This has been confirmed in the lawfare used against President Trump.

At the trial of the Davidian survivors, nine members of the jury wanted to dismiss all charges. Three members of the jury want to convict all eleven defendants of conspiracy. They settled on a compromise they believed would result in minimum sentences, including time served. The jurors were not lawyers. The judge used their decision, including some dubious interpretations of law, to impose very harsh sentences on the eight defendants who had been found guilty of what the jurors believed were minor charges. (The Ashes of Waco, P.297). In 2000, the Supreme Court found Judge Smith had acted in error. The sentences of five Davidians on firearms charges were reduced by Judge Smith from 30 years to five years. The sentence of Graeme Craddock was reduced from 20 years to 15 years. Craddock was deported to Australia after 13 years in a Texas prison.

The founding of the United States is based on legitimate defense against a government. Many states have provisions which allow citizens to use deadly force against police who they believe are illegitimately placing them in deadly peril.

There is no such direct provision in federal law, although it is implied.

The premises in the initial warrants for Waco were suspect from the beginning. The lack of any credible investigation into claims of justifiable defense by the Davidians was obvious to anyone watching the proceedings. The nightmarish behavior of the FBI, including deliberate destruction of evidence, called the legitimacy of the agency into question.  The Clinton administration was well on its way to becoming a one-term presidency. The Republicans won control of the House and the Senate in 1994, the first time in 40 years.

In 1995, the Oklahoma City bombing was seized by the Clinton administration and the old media as a way to discredit complaints about Waco and Ruby Ridge. The investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing has its own set of difficulties, muddled evidence, and weird circumstances. President Clinton, with massive amounts of aid from the deep state and media, won another term as President. o

In the trial of the surviving Davidians, Judge Smith essentially ruled, if federal agents are shooting at you, your only option is to lay down your arms and surrender.

Today, over thirty years later, with the second election of Donald Trump, the credibility of the ATF and the FBI lie in shreds.

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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Source: http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-waco-raid-by-atf-timeline.html