Watchdog Says Bush Pal Ray Hunt May|Have Used Clout To Dodge Border Fence

WASHINGTON (CN) - A public watchdog claims the Department of Homeland Security's fence on the Mexican border may bypass land owned by Texas billionaire Ray L. Hunt because of Hunt's ties with President Bush. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says the DHS has blown off its FOIA request for documents.

"Decisions concerning the proposed location of the border fence in Texas have been controversial, and there have been allegations that wealthy and well-connected landowners may have influenced the siting process," the federal complaint states. "One published article asserted that land owned by Ray L. Hunt will be bypassed by the construction project, amid suspicions of undue influence."

Hunt donated $35 million to SMU, to help build President George W. Bush's Presidential Library. "In 2001, Bush made him a member of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, where Hunt received a security clearance and access to classified intelligence," the complaint states, quoting a Feb. 18 article by Melissa Del Bosque in "The Texas Observer."

CREW wants to see all correspondence between DHS, its creature the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, and Hunt and his companies; and all records discussing siting of the border fence.

CREW's lead attorney is David Sobel.

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