How Well Did Inez Casanova Know Barton Middleton?

Inez Cassanova

How well can you really know a person – especially one to whom you would occasionally allow access to ride in your personal vehicle? In the case of Inez Casanova, the Senate panel was satisfied that she was not directly accused of involvement – but to a man they had trouble with the seeming casualness of the relationship between the Immigration officer and car salesman moonlighting as an agent working with the likes of Patrick Tillett to secure visas for Chinese nationals. Casanova contended, however, that Middleton would never have discussed his plans with her, and had he done so, the veteran of twenty-five years’ service in the Department would have immediately dissuaded him from going through with them.

Elena Smith, Senator for Trade Unions and Civil Society

“You don’t know anything about him except that you gave him a lift. For me to give a person a lift twice a month for an hour of travel, it would have to be somebody I have some details about – I know he has a wife, I know he has a family, I know he works at the Post Office – I would know certain things about him for me to feel comfortable traveling with him that often. Do you see the difficulty of us believing your testimony?”

Inez Casanova, Immigration Officer

“If Mr. Middleton would have been doing something with visas, he would never discuss it with me.”

Aldo Salazar, Chair, Senate Special Select Committee

“When they mentioned your name, they knew exactly who Middleton was – so that is why we are having problems with your testimony.  I think I can say that, because he said, automatically, when they said Miss Casanova, they knew exactly who it is. So that seems to suggest that it was common knowledge that the two of you were closer than what you are saying in terms of a familial relationship or a personal relationship; so that gives me the impression that you may know more than what you are admitting. I must confess that when somebody says automatically, ‘once I know its Miss Inez, oh, I know who it is – it’s Middleton that she’s always with.’ So if it somebody who you bring [down] twice per month, I don’t see how Mr. Tench could have made that connection, instantaneously. So that is the difficulty that I am having, because Mr. Tench didn’t say, ‘Oh, let’s talk to his brother;’ he didn’t say let’s talk to his brother, he said we need to talk to Miss Casanova; he didn’t go and see his brother – he went to see you. So obviously he knows that you knew [Middleton] very well, which is different from what you are saying here.”

Inez Casanova

“But being friendly with somebody doesn’t mean I know everything about that person.”

Aldo Salazar

“But the impression you’re giving us is that it was a casual relationship. You didn’t know anything about [Middleton]; you didn’t know what he did; you didn’t ask him any questions; you didn’t know where he lived, and that doesn’t seem to be the nature of what Mr. Tench understood, because he made that connection immediately.”

Inez Casanova

“I didn’t know he was involved in anything.”

Aldo Salazar

“I’m not saying that you knew he was involved in any Immigration stolen visas; I think that the impression you’re giving us of the nature of that relationship – I don’t know. I think you know more than you are letting on – I have to be honest with you. That is the impression that I have.”

At the end of Casanova’s testimony, several Senators said they intended to more closely read her testimony transcript in an attempt to separate the truth from any misdirection, intended or unintended.