Show 1 Chenev Cheney Lacked Proper Hunting Credentials Nicholas Riccardi and James Los Angeles Times Although he broke no laws Vice President Dick Cheney Chency did not have proper hunting credentials when he accidentally accidentally accidentally tally shot a fellow hunter at a private ranch last weekend authorities said Monday Cheney an experienced out- out who had a valid out- out state of-state hunting license will receive a warning citation for failing to purchase the required 7 stamp for bird hunting the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife said in a statement The stamp is a new requirement requirement requirement require require- ment and the department has issued verbal warnings to many hunters who were unaware they needed it In a statement Monday night Cheney's office said his staffers had not known about the stamp requirement and that Cheney had sent a 7 check to Texas to cover the cost The accident occurred Saturday when the vice president president president dent wheeled to shoot at a covey of quail and accidentally sprayed his hunting partner er year old attorney Harry Whittington with bird shot authorities said Whittington was moved out of the intensive care unit at a hospital here Monday a n d rII reported to be in goo good d spirits This was a hunting acci- acci ace i- i Veep Cheney d den e n t a said Gilbert San Miguel chief deputy of the Kenedy County Sheriffs office There was no alcohol or misconduct But the incident has reverberated reverberated reverberated rever rever- berated worldwide Cheney bags a lawyer was the headline headline headline head head- line in the Gla Glasgow gow Scotland- Scotland based Herald And it has forced a White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House already under fire for secrecy to explain why it made madeno no mention of the shooting until the ranch owner disclosed it to a local newspaper 18 hours after the incident White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday that the first priority was making sure that that Harry Whittington was getting the medical care that he needed And I think that's where everybody's everybody's everybody's every every- body's attention should have been focused and was focused when the hunting accident took place Still McClellan blamed Whittington for the accident noting that the attorney left the hunt line to retrieve a downed quail and was approaching Cheney from behind The protocol was not followed by Mr Whittington when it cameto came cameto to notifying the others that he was there McClellan said And so you know unfortunately unfortunately unfortunately these type of hunting accidents happen from time to time But hunting experts said that although Whittington should have made his location clear the vice president is also alsoto to blame for not keeping track of his companions Youre hunting together you need to know where everyone everyone everyone every every- one is said Larry Keane general general general gen gen- eral counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation Said Jeff Hart an Austin lawyer who hunts for quail in Texas If you pull the trigger youre you're responsible for it no matter what In hunting the shooter is responsible for knowing where the shot is going That's the bottom line Cheney well-known well for having testy relations with the media on Monday came under criticism from Democrats and Republicans who said the White House should have disclosed disclosed disclosed dis dis- dis- dis closed the incident immediate- immediate ly Its news and it reflects an attitude in this White House of holding back information of being too clever by half and being secretive conservative columnist Robert Novak saidon saidon said saidon on Fox NewsOn NewsOn NewsOn News On the face of it this looks like something the administration tion felt the public had no right to know Joe Lockhart who was President Clinton's press secretary said in an interview I dont don't think theres there's going to tobe tobe tobe be a bunch of people sitting around saying I I wonder why they waited to tell us But what they will be saying is Iwonder I Iwonder I Iwonder wonder what else they're not telling us Whittington a prominent Austin attorney and the vice president arrived for a week- week end hunting trip Friday night at atthe atthe atthe the acre Armstrong ranch a well-known well retreat for wealthy Texas Republicans 95 miles south of Corpus Christi The party of 11 hunters set setout setout setout out in two trucks Saturday morning driving around the mesquite-dotted mesquite property and shooting quail until about 1230 pm p.m. said Anne Armstrong owner co-owner of the ranch Then they broke for a lunch of antelope salad and camp bread washed down with Dr Pepper After lunch the group split up Cheney Whittington and Pamela Willeford a former Texas energy executive who is isnow isnow isnow now the US U.S. ambassador to Switzerland went with two of Armstrongs Armstrong's daughters and pursued quail for several more hours It was at dusk that Whittington shot his bird and went to retrieve it taking him behind the vice president The medical team that travels travels travels trav trav- els with Chene Cheney immediately began ministering to Whittington who was bleeding profusely from pellets in his face neck and chest according to witnesses They packed the wounded attorney into Cheney's ambulance and drove him to a nearby hospital It was evident that the injuries were not threaten life ing Armstrong said because the ambulance paused on the road for several minutes to allow Whittington's wife to join them After being stabilized at the hospital in Kingsville Whittington was evacuated by helicopter to a larger facility inC in C Corpus Christi where he was Yas placed in the intensive care unit The Secret Service reported the shooting to the Kenedy County sheriffs office although no one from that agency interviewed Cheney until Sunday morning When asked whether the Secret Service had prevented him from talking to the vice president right after the shooting shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing San Miguel said Id rather not say Anne Armstrong Armstrong- said that on Saturday evening Cheney spoke with her about disclosing disclosing disclosing ing the incident to the public We knew word would get out she said The vice president president president dent urged her to tell friends and family first before word leaked out to the media Late Sunday morning her daughter Katharine Armstrong called a reporter from the Corpus Christi Caller which then reported the shooting shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing on its Web site Peter Binko administrator of Christos Spohn hospital in Corpus Christi where Whittington waS waS' said the injured hunter was cracking jokes and was baffled baffled baffled fled by all the publicity Hes a true Southern gentleman Binko said of Whittington at ata a Monday news conference Hes really amazed I think atall at atall atall all the hoopla over this Whittington is a fixture in Texas politics having work worked d din in Republican campaigns dating dating dating dat dat- ing back to John Towers Tower's senatorial senatorial senatorial sena sena- run in the Hes He's best known nowadays for a a long decades-long battle to prevent the city of Austin from building building building build build- ing a parking lot over a downtown downtown down down- downtown town block that he owns The dispute is still stil being litigated Riccardi reported from Corpus Christi and Gerstenzang from Washington Times staff writers Lianne Hartin Hart Hartin Hartin in Corpus Christi and Peter in Washington contributed contributed con con- I to this report h 7 I 1 r x |