Waco: The Aftermath (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

1
[BILL] Agent Ballesteros,
can you walk us through what happened
as you approached the compound
on the morning of February 28th?
Yeah. Um
my team was assigned to approach
the, uh, front entrance, here.
[BILL] And what happened
as you approached?
As we got close,
David Koresh opened the door
and stood there in the doorway.
And it was a double door?
[BALLESTEROS] Yes, a double door.
The left one was shut,
Koresh had opened the right.
[BILL] Did you announce
yourself as you approached?
Yes. I yelled, "Police,"
and I said that we had a search warrant.
[HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING]
- [DOGS BARKING]
- [BILL] And-and what did he do?
There are women and children in here!
[BALLESTEROS] When I was
about 15 feet from the door,
he smirked,
then turned, went back inside,
and shut the door behind him.
[GUNSHOTS]
[BILL] And then what happened?
Then I heard a male voice say,
"Get that SOB off the porch."
Then they just started shooting.
Heavy, like someone took
a string of firecrackers
and dropped them all around me.
[GUNSHOTS]
Shots ripped through the door.
Splintered the wood.
One struck my right hand so I, uh
I dove over the fence
and into the dog pit, here.
So they shot first?
Meaning the Branch Davidians
shot through the door first?
Yes.
[BILL] Agent Ballesteros,
when you were in the dog pit,
were you alone?
Uh, initially, and then
I was joined by, uh
Agent Willis who had also been shot.
[BILL] And where had
Agent Willis been shot?
[SIGHS]
All over.
The wounds he had sustained
were bleeding heavily.
I pulled him over, trying
to get us both flat
to avoid the shots coming
from the second floor.
We couldn't move.
You were pinned there?
Yes.
The medic was trying to reach
us and pull Willis back
the gunfire was relentless
automatic, high caliber rounds.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
- [GUNSHOTS]
- [PEOPLE SHOUTING]
[BILL] And how long
were you pinned there?
How long were the Branch Davidians
firing on you?
Two and a half hours.
[PEOPLE EXCLAIM]
I eventually looked down
at Willis and he, uh
[SIGHS]
Um, so I yelled over to the medic.
I basically told him there
was no use coming any further.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[FAUCET RUNNING]
Oh.
["WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN" PLAYS]
[CLIVE SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
over there.
And we picked up the hoses and
[RUTH SIGHS] Welcome home! [CHUCKLES]
How was it?
It was wonderful.
[RUTH SIGHS] Oh.
Come here, you.
Oh.
Honey, I missed you.
Oh, you too.
Israel's beautiful.
Can't wait to show it to you someday.
[CHUCKLES]
- [SIGHS]
- When the Lord came. ♪
For to carry my love away ♪
We're glad you're back, you were missed.
You guys hungry?
[LOIS] Not really.
Thank you, though. Mm.
You seem different somehow.
[CHUCKLES] Boy, you sure
don't miss a thing, do you?
Oh, quit being humble.
Tell 'em.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Vernon started seeing visions
when we were in Jerusalem.
- Oh.
- Vernon has become a vessel for the Lord.
- Oh, that's incredible.
- Oh.
Yeah, well, I'm just grateful
that you gave me the opportunity to go.
Seemed like the right thing to do.
Well, tell us all about it.
Well, we're still working
out what it is exactly,
what it exactly means.
But when the time is right,
we'll share with everybody.
[SIGHS] You know, it was a
long flight and I sure am tired.
I think I'll, uh, go
lay down for a while.
Yeah, I'm I'm tired myself.
I think I'll do the same.
[SIGHS] Ruth.
Clive.
Will the circle. ♪
Be unbroken ♪
You ever wonder what
that would feel like?
By and by ♪
Hmm? What what would be like?
Have the gift of prophecy?
I bet it'd be scary at first.
How do you know you're not going crazy?
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, looks like Lois left her suitcase.
I'll just run it over to her.
I'll be right back.
Hide my sorrow. ♪
When they laid her. ♪
In the grave. ♪
- [LOIS MOANS]
- [SMOOCHING]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]
[SIGHS]
Are we sure there's anybody in here?
Well, Carol told us Wild
Bill and his buddies
stayed here the night
before the robbery.
And it figures there's still someone
in there who was helping them.
Well, I'm not sure why we had
to be here at the crack of dawn.
[SCOFFS] You got somewhere
else you gotta be?
Yeah, asleep.
Just like I'm sure
these knuckleheads are.
[DOOR SHUTS]
[GARY INHALES] Here we go.
[ATF AGENT 1] Hands up!
Get down! Freeze! Freeze!
- Freeze! Get down!
- [ATF AGENT 2] Down!
- [ATF AGENT 1] On the ground!
- [ATF AGENT 2] Get down!
[ATF AGENT 1] On the ground!
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
[POLICE DISPATCHER ON
RADIO] Roger on Unit 121.
[MAN] Clear!
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
[ATF AGENTS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
Hmm.
[DISPATCHER ON RADIO] Yeah,
you were clear. Were you clear?
Hey, excuse me. Do you mind?
Thank you.
[CAMERA CLICKS AND WHIRRS]
Ah.
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
Huh. Turner Diaries.
Well, well, well.
[ANGIE] Why would anyone
need six fax machines?
Beats me.
Maybe it's to, uh, help
spread propaganda, you know?
Something's queued up to print here.
Let's see.
[FAX MACHINE BEEPS, WHIRRS]
Taking Aim.
Militia of Montana.
[ANGIE] Why would bank
robbers in Arkansas
want a militia newsletter from Montana?
[GARY] That is a good question.
You know, the FBI's current position
is that these militia
groups don't get along,
so they don't communicate,
but maybe that's changing.
There's a whole box of them.
Hey, what's the oldest one in there?
- May '93.
- [GARY] Yeah.
That's right after Waco.
[GUNSHOTS]
[ANDY THE GERMAN] Pretty smooth.
You'll need help.
I cannot be involved
in something like this.
Not directly.
[MCVEIGH] Then maybe someone else?
No
no one here.
Then I can do it on my own.
No, you can't.
You need help.
One lone soldier never won a war.
Do you have any friends
that can help you?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
Hey, it's Tim.
McVeigh. I'm in your neighborhood.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
[ANGIE] "Let the Federal
government be warned.
True Patriots will refresh the
tree of liberty with your blood,
as you have spilled blood
at Ruby Ridge and Waco."
You think this is enough
to run his phone records?
Uh, no.
First Amendment, he's
got the right to say
whatever dumb thing pops into his head.
But that's not really my concern.
I keep thinking about that
bank of fax machines we found.
If this newsletter is getting out
to even a handful of these groups,
it could be amplifying
the message exponentially.
I wonder what kind of
readership this rag gets.
Well, we can just call and ask.
They put their phone number
out on the back of this thing.
[PHONE RINGS]
[JOHN ON PHONE] Taking Aim.
Yeah, I run a small arms
manufacturing business in Oklahoma
and I read your newsletter
at a friend's place the other day.
I wanted to commend you on your
support of the Second Amendment.
Uh, I also wanted to inquire
about advertising in your newsletter.
[JOHN] Yeah?
Uh, but the thing is,
my business partners,
they're not so keen on the idea of
advertising in such a local paper.
[JOHN] Local?
No. We have a broader reach
than your partners may realize.
That so?
[JOHN] We ship to 43
states and counting.
Well, you know, we have a fairly
sizable advertising budget.
We were looking to go
pretty small with you, guys,
but if you have that kind of reach
[JOHN] Offering a deal.
You take out an ad now
and keep it running,
we'll lock in the rate
based on today's readership.
We're doubling our
subscribers every six months.
Every six months? That's impressive.
So, uh, what's your readership at now?
Couple hundred?
[JOHN] No. Over 50,000
readers per issue.
[DAN] Well, Ballesteros hurt us,
there's no getting around that.
Which is why we should go at him,
get into his past cases.
Was there something in
his personal history, uh,
a domestic dispute or something?
- Slow down there, cowboy.
- [DAN] Careful, that's spicy.
Rocket, I love your enthusiasm,
but Ballesteros watched
his buddy die in his arms.
There's no way the jury is
gonna see him as the bad guy.
Agreed. Any air time we give Ballesteros
is just a loss for us, so
we should just
tell him to have a nice day and move on.
[DAN] Well, you know,
I'm not saying that either.
Ballesteros will never be the bad guy.
Not after what he's been through.
We're not gonna win that.
And our clients will never be
the heroes either 'cause
well, the jury doesn't like them.
Hell, the whole world doesn't like them.
We need to show the jury
that this is a story
about failed leadership,
on both sides.
How long did you train for
the raid on February 28th?
About a week.
And during that week,
did you ever prepare
for a peaceful entry
or-or ways in which you
might avoid violence?
I'm not sure what you mean.
Well, what I mean is that
the-the warrant you obtained
was a knock and serve warrant,
which means you're supposed
to knock on the door
and-and serve a search warrant.
My question is, is why wasn't
that part of your plan?
We had information that suggested that
the residents at Mount Carmel
might try to kill themselves
if Koresh was arrested.
We were trying to go in with
speed and force to avoid that.
- [SCOFFS] What?
- [PEOPLE MURMURING]
[DAN] And, uh, what was the operation
to raid Mount Carmel called?
Operation Trojan Horse.
Is that what you called it?
How did you refer to the raid internally
among the other agents during training?
Operation Showtime.
Operation Showtime?
Well, that's interesting.
Why Showtime? Were there
were there cameras there?
There was someone filming, yes.
Oh. Well, that's great.
Why are we even arguing
about what happened?
We, we should just watch the tape.
Can we see the tape, Agent Ballesteros?
No.
No? Why not?
Because it was lost.
- It was lost?
- [PEOPLE MURMURING]
Well, that's unfortunate.
Does the, uh does the
ATF film a lot of its raids?
I couldn't answer that.
Well, have you been involved in
other raids that were filmed?
Not that I remember.
And how long did it take
for the EMTs to arrive
to help your wounded?
- How long?
- Yeah. How long?
Hours. Not until after the ceasefire.
Didn't your leaders
make any contingencies
for you and your men in
case there was a problem?
No.
No?
No, there was no
contingency plan for us.
[DAN] Well, what about Happy Meals?
McDonald's Happy Meals.
Did your leaders make any plans
to have Happy Meals on hand?
Yes.
[DAN] And how many Happy Meals
were brought on this raid?
A hundred.
A hundred Happy Meals,
but not one ambulance, just in case?
Why the Happy Meals?
[BALLESTEROS] They thought
it would look good on camera
after the raid to-to show the world
that we were treating these kids.
- On camera?
- Yes.
The cameras that were lost
after everything went haywire?
Yes.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Now, you testified that
the Davidians shot first.
Yeah, I did. They, they did.
And then you and Willis
took cover in the dog pen?
Right.
Boy, those dogs must have been mad
the way you guys were
attacking their home.
Objection. Argumentative.
Sustained. Watch yourself, counselor.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Were
you scared of the dogs?
- No.
- No?
Why not?
The dogs were dead.
- They were dead?
- Yeah.
- They'd been shot?
- Yes.
So when you say the
Davidians shot first,
what you really mean is
that the Davidians shot
after you charged in
and started shooting,
killing their dogs?
- [SIGHS]
- You don't have to answer right now
because you already did
about ten months ago.
Uh, in an interview you
gave to the Texas Rangers
a few weeks after the incident,
you talked about hearing gunfire
as you approached the
front door, is that correct?
Well, I'm-I'm not sure.
I don't remember what I said in
that interview. It was a long time ago.
[DAN] Well, let-let me remind you.
It says here you heard shots
as you exited the trailer
and assumed it was the "dog team"
who went in first to shoot the dogs
so they wouldn't attack
anyone during the raid.
Does that sound about right?
I-I may have said that before,
but I don't believe it to be true now.
The first shots were the ones
that came through the door at us.
The shots you jumped
away from into a pit
that had dead dogs in it?
Yeah.
I wanna thank you for your service.
Thank you.
I'm just sorry you served
under the kinds of leaders
who thought of everything that
would look good on the news
and nothing about
their own men's safety.
- Objection!
- No need. I'm done here.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[MCVEIGH] Hey, Terry.
If I was gonna do something,
I mean something big,
would you help me?
Like, what kind of thing?
There's a couple more
depositions we found.
But don't work too hard.
We did good today, huh?
Do you know what this is?
It's discovery for tomorrow's witnesses.
In other words, it's all the evidence
the prosecutors have
pertaining to the witnesses
they're gonna call tomorrow in court.
Now, usually the defense gets
that weeks before the trial.
But in this case, I get it at 5:00 p.m.
the day before, which
means I have to stay up
until 2:00 a.m. every night
trying to find something
I can use in order to
do my job defending you.
But none of that matters if
the jury doesn't like you.
I don't I don't understand.
It means I need you to
tell your buddy Ruth here
to stop scoffing at the witnesses
and I need her to wear the damn dress.
Today, I have a special treat for y'all.
I have asked Vernon to lead the lesson.
Vernon?
The antediluvians were great sinners.
And they did everything they could
to misrepresent the image
of God, Paul tells us.
But then, God made a system
so simple, to be saved, that
all they had to do was get
on that ark to be rescued.
It was that simple.
Rachel, hand me my Bible.
And now, we look back
on that with amazement,
thinking how foolish
those antediluvians were.
But the thing of it is,
we're far greater sinners
than they ever were.
So how do we know we're
not missing our own signs,
our own opportunity to be saved?
When God tells us,
"Get in that ark, Clive Doyle!"
[ALL LAUGHING]
[VERNON] How many of us say, "Well,
maybe give me a minute there, God.
I got all these really
important things I'm doing here.
I got this laundry I'm doing.
The carburetor's leakin'.
Man, there's this real good episode
of Dukes of Hazzard on the TV.
Maybe I'll get on that ark after that.
Maybe I can pencil it
in for next Tuesday?"
[PEOPLE CHUCKLE]
When I had my vision in
Israel and God told me,
"Boy, get those dang
people into that ark,"
I'm paraphrasing here.
I told Him I'd do anything
for you people here.
Even die for you, if it came down to it.
[WHISPERING] He's
catching people's eyes.
Better be careful.
[WHISPERING] He has a
gift. It's nothing to fear.
- You moving?
- Didn't you hear?
They're shutting down
our undercover unit.
- Shutting you down?
- Yup.
After Waco, our bosses,
in their infinite wisdom,
decided that domestic terrorism
is no longer a primary concern
for us as an agency.
That we should focus on foreign enemies.
- Uh-hmm.
- Ironically,
Waco also fueled the very problem
they're trying real hard not to see.
You know, I would say, "No
offense intended," but I would be lying.
[GARY] Yeah. All right.
- Yeah, I got a question for you.
- Yeah.
Do you know who this fella is?
[SIGHS] Yup. That is Pappy Millar.
- Hmm.
- Scary dude.
Religious extremist,
founded Elohim City in Oklahoma,
mentored multiple people who
went on to kill cops, federal agents.
- I would steer clear.
- Uh-hmm.
Hey.
- You know where this photo was taken?
- Uh-hmm.
That is the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous.
Happened just after Ruby Ridge.
It was like a meeting
of the five families,
but white supremacist version.
Huh. [SNIFFLES]
Bunch of Nazis, KKK, all these assholes,
they got together for a picnic.
They decided on a new strategy.
Apparently, they didn't like the way
they were being portrayed in the media,
so they decided to start
calling themselves "Patriots."
Guess it sounded better
than Klansmen or Nazis.
Uh-hmm.
Well, you know what Patriots do.
They overthrow a tyranny.
I just had a bank
robber from Elohim City
who must have used that word 14 times.
I found this photo in his room.
He mentioned there's some kind
of payback for Waco coming.
I would take that one seriously.
[JOE] You coming, Cogdell?
[DAN] Uh, no. I'm gonna
work a little longer.
[JOE] Yeah. You wanna just talk
to that waitress, don't you?
[DAN CHUCKLES] Whatever
happens, happens.
[JOE] All right, man. Good night.
Good night.
Oh. Hey, Jocelyn, can I
get one more of those?
- Yeah. I got you.
- All right.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[GROANING]
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN]
- [DAN SIGHS]
- [DOOR CLOSES]
[LOCK CLICKS]
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
What you doing there, padre?
I've been watching the trial
and researching what happened at Waco.
You're doing a good job.
Always nice to meet a fan.
But you need to go
harder at the government.
[DAN] Listen, I, I
appreciate the critique,
but, uh, I'd like to get
a little privacy here,
- if that's all right.
- [SIGHS]
You need to pursue the cover-up
with the same energy that
you're pursuing the incident itself.
You're missing a big story here
because, ironically,
you don't believe your own argument.
Man, what are you talking about?
You are trying so hard
to make the Davidians look
like they were victims.
They were victims,
during the siege and every day since.
You're talking about
how the ATF shot first,
but you're not talking
about the bullet holes
in the front door that would prove it.
The doors burned up in the fire.
[CHUCKLES] No. No, they didn't.
Those were metal doors, the
Feds are just hiding them.
No, they were wood.
It's in all the reports
and I'm not having a
conversation about it
with some paranoid conspiracy theorist
- in the men's room, so
- William Colby,
former director of the
CIA told me personally
that US Federal Agents were
picking off Koresh's people
during the siege, and then,
he was found drowned, so
Okay.
Please unlock the door
and get out of the way
before I throw a punch
and embarrass both of us.
This is bigger than you think.
There is so much more I can tell you.
Information I have, photos, documents.
I I just wanna help.
[PEOPLE CHATTER]
While we enjoy this delicious meal,
I wanted to share
something with you all.
I received another message
a vision from God.
He told me I was to take a wife.
And he was specific, too,
with who that wife should be.
He showed me her face in the sky
with a million shining suns behind her.
And he told me that together,
she and I would birth the first of
the Elders spoken of in Revelation,
who will one day sit in
judgment over the end times.
And her name
was Rachel.
The Lord has commanded
I take you as my bride.
[GEORGE] You see it now?
You must be misinterpreting your vision.
She's just a girl.
The prophecy was clear.
Then your own desires must
be getting in the way.
[SCOFFS] Believe me,
I don't like this any
better than you do.
But God has spoken,
and I must follow His
dictates where they lead.
You used me.
You just think I'm an old fool.
Did you ever even love me?
- You snake!
- [LOIS] Oh!
- [GUNSHOT]
- [PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[VERNON] Clive, get the bus!
- [GUNSHOT]
- Get out! Get out! Quick!
- [GRUNTING]
- [SCREAMING CONTINUES]
[CLIVE] Come on!
- On the bus, let's go!
- [VERNON] Come on!
- Quickly! Get on the bus!
- [GUN FIRING]
- Go with them! Go with them!
- [CHILD CRYING]
[VERNON] Come on! Fast!
Vernon, you [PANTING]
- Don't!
- Come with us.
I can't. I can't leave Lois.
It's okay. God told
me I'll be back here.
All right, let's go.
- [ENGINE STARTS, REVS]
- [RUTH GASPS]
Put your heads down!
[CHILDREN SCREAMING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[PEOPLE CHATTERING]
[SOBS]
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
[ALL CHATTERING]
Thank you.
God will resurrect them.
David
everyone we lost.
We'll all be together again someday.
I don't wanna be in a jail
cell when that happens.
We'll do our best.
The, uh the front
doors to Mount Carmel,
they were wood, right?
No, metal.
All the doors were metal.
Why?
No.
[SIGHS]
[ALAN] What's this?
Well, that's a newsletter
from the Militia of Montana,
and this is a lovely book
called The Turner Diaries.
We found both of them at that.
Aryan Nation flophouse in Arkansas.
Now, we've also found
copies of this book in raids
in Florida, Nevada, Michigan,
Montana, and California.
Hm.
We're not the book police,
Gary. This is still America.
People can read what they want to.
You know what this book's about?
It's about trying to ignite
a new Civil War in America.
And the hero of this book begins
by using a truck bomb
to blow up FBI headquarters.
And by the end, they're
storming the US Capitol
to kill specific legislators
to overthrow the government.
[CHUCKLES] That's a little farfetched,
- don't you think?
- No.
Not to mention, this thing was
published almost 20 years ago.
So how is this suddenly an emergency?
Because I believe that these groups
are using this book to help
coordinate their efforts.
These militias, they
used to be separate,
you know, little pockets here
and there, we could deal with them.
But now, Waco
has done something to them.
It's it's united them.
And they're starting to look more
like a foreign terrorist network
than anything we've ever
seen in the US before.
All these separate individual cells
united by a common ideology
a common enemy, us.
Okay. Look, Gary
I know you feel shitty
about what happened at Waco.
Hell, we all feel shitty about it.
It was a shitty situation all around.
But it's done, you cannot undo it.
I'm not trying to undo it.
I'm trying to stop it
from happening again.
And so am I.
The decision's already been made,
Gary, above my pay grade.
The bureau is now gonna concentrate
all of its efforts on foreign terrorism.
Never mind. Okay.
You know what? I-I, uh
I kept quiet after Waco, you know?
I played nice. I kept my mouth shut.
But I'm telling you now,
Alan, in no uncertain terms,
if you won't let me look into
this new "Patriot Movement"
and they do something stupid,
I'm not gonna be quiet about it.
Not again.
If something terrible happens,
I'm gonna have to tell the world
that I warned you specifically today.
Two weeks.
But if you do anything
even remotely reckless,
I will not wait for the DOJ
review to come back, Gary.
I will fire you myself.
- Do you understand?
- Yes, sir.
So how's a nice girl like
you end up a neo-Nazi?
[CAROL] Oh. [CHUCKLES]
Wow, you get right to it, huh?
[GARY] Yeah.
Yeah, I was reading your file.
It looks like you went
to some good schools,
honor student, champion horseback rider.
A regular debutante.
I was also a pole
dancer at Lady Godiva's.
- Did it say that in there?
- Uh-hmm.
Well, that's quite a lateral move,
pole dancing to joining
the Aryan Republican Army,
isn't it?
I don't know.
I was mostly in it for Wild Bill.
What can I say? I guess
I like the bad boys
[GARY CHUCKLES]
and they just love me.
[GARY] I guess what I'm getting at is,
did you join just for Bill
or are you a true believer?
I'm not sure a true believer would
be having milkshakes with a Fed.
[GARY] Right.
What's this about, Gary?
How would you feel about
going back to Elohim City
for us?
- Like an informant?
- [GARY] Yeah, an informant.
[CHUCKLES]
Bad.
I feel bad about that.
Those guys are crazy.
They ever found out I
ratted out Wild Bill,
well, they'd kill me.
They found out I was
working with you all?
Well, they'd kill me real mean.
Well, what are they gonna
think if you disappear
now that Wild Bill has been arrested?
Hmm? That's gonna look
pretty suspicious, too.
If you help us, we can protect you.
You won't be on your own.
Just like you guys
protected Vicki Weaver?
Or like you protected
those people down at Waco?
No, thank you.
I don't need the FBI protecting me.
I've been on my own my whole life.
[SCOFFS] Don't try to find me again.
[JOHN ROBERTS ON TV] This is
a CBS News Special Report.
John Roberts at the CBS News
headquarters in New York.
Some six hours after the
FBI launched an operation
trying to bring the 51-day standoff
People like us were in that building.
The kinds of people nobody cares about.
If we burned right alongside them,
if your wife and son burned in there,
nobody would have given
a shit about them either.
[REPORTER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ON TV]
Nobody cares about us,
because they don't fear us.
[REPORTER] when the
main building caught fire
and flames quickly spread
leaving behind a
devastating aftermath
[MCVEIGH] But they will.
[REPORTER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
I'm in.
Whatever it is you're doing
I'm in.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYS]