Donald Trump rushed to exploit the death of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent in southwest Texas earlier this month, appearing to blame Mexicans despite few available details. “We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible,” he tweeted. “We will, and must, build the Wall!" Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz quickly followed suit, both calling the incident an “attack,” and the latter saying that "this is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat that an unsecure border poses to the safety of our communities and those charged with defending them.” Except, one county sheriff’s claim could completely shred their Mexican bashing:
Agent Rogelio Martinez succumbed to traumatic head injuries and broken bones. His partner, who has not been identified, was seriously injured and hospitalized for several days. The agent has no memory of what happened that night.
Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo said he thinks a tractor-trailer may have accidentally sideswiped the pair, The Dallas Morning News reported.
I-10 is a heavily traveled route for truck drivers and accidents regularly occur, some due to wind drafts and others from drivers overcorrecting after drifting across lanes, Carrillo said.
“From the beginning we were radioed to assist in the incident as an injury, not an assault,” Carrillo told the newspaper. “That’s the way it was communicated to us.
“If this was an assault, believe me, as sheriff, I’d be the first one out there emphasizing safety in our community and with our deputies, pairing them up,” he added.
It could also explain why Customs and Border Protection has been nearly radio silent about the incident, although the National Border Patrol Council—a Border Patrol union that endorsed Trump during the election—continues to insist “the pair was attacked and struck with a rock or rocks.” According to the FBI’s El Paso office, investigators continue to treat the incident as a “’potential assault,’ but they could not rule out other scenarios.” So far, the investigators themselves have not confirmed anything. But if it does turn out Trump was wrong, don’t expect him to bring it up again. He’ll just move on to the next thing he can exploit for his political gain.