Biden promised an investigation of that border ‘whipping’ incident. It’s not happening

“To see people treated like they did, horses barely running over, people being strapped — it’s outrageous,” Biden said on Sept. 24. “I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences.”

Nope.

More than a month after the White House defamed those Border Patrol officers and promised a complete investigation, the Department of Homeland Security has revealed that its inspector general declined to investigate the incident — most likely because there is nothing to investigate.

Footage supposedly confirming that Border Patrol agents used whips on Haitian migrants shows that nothing of the sort happened. The images from Del Rio show only that mounted officers used their reins to steer their horses and corral refugees. There is nothing to suggest law enforcement officials used whips or struck the illegal border-crossers.

The photographer who took the most commonly cited photo of the border incident even said that no one used whips.

“Some of the Haitian men started running, trying to go around the horses,” Paul Ratje said in an interview with a local New Mexico news outlet. “I’ve never seen them whip anyone. He was swinging it … but it can be misconstrued when you’re looking at the picture.”

By the way, immigration officers aren’t issued whips.

“They do not have whips,” reported Fox News’s Bill Melugin from Del Rio. “They have split reins to control the horse. They are long and have slack and flop around while riding. They sometimes spin them like a propeller to signal the horse to move forward.”

He added, “There has been zero photographic or video evidence showing any migrants being physically struck by the split reins. The horses were used as a physical tool to drive migrants backward as they were attempting to cross illegally into the U.S.”

An immigration official likewise told Townhall’s Julio Rosas, “Agents use their reins for a lot of reasons. Primarily, it’s used to steer the horse, but agents will also spin them sometimes to deter people from getting too close to the horse. If they get too close, the horse can step on them, breaking bones or causing other [injuries]. Agents also need to maintain control of their reins so they don’t lose control of the horse, which can cause injuries to immigrants, the agents, and the horses.”

The source added, “We are not aware of anyone being struck with the reins.”

None of this mattered to the Biden White House. Biden and his administration, always eager to placate angry leftists, just jumped on a story invented and pushed on social media by lunatics.

“What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were was horrible,” Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sept. 21. “And I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there. But human beings should never be treated that way.”

DHS revealed this week that U.S. Customs and Border Protection referred the requested investigation to the Office of Inspector General but that the latter declined to investigate the matter and instead referred it back to CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

“The OPR is currently reviewing videos and photographs, as well as interviewing witnesses, employees, and CBP leadership in relation to the Sept. 19 incident,” Fox News reported. “Once the OPR completes its investigation, the results will be provided to CBP management to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate and, if so, the specific discipline to be imposed.”

After DHS’s own inspector general declined to review the incident, my best guess is the OPR likewise declines to take action against the Del Rio Border Patrol agents — because they did nothing wrong.

Thank goodness not everyone involved in immigration enforcement is beholden to kooks on Twitter.