Posted on 04/12/2011 6:04:38 PM PDT by neverdem
A top Senate Republican is trying to find out whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives intentionally blocked its employees from cooperating with his inquiry into a gunrunning sting which authorities suspect may be connected to the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the bureau Friday complaining about the contents of an ATF email he obtained. The email, he said, contained guidance regarding his investigation telling employees they "are in no way obligated" to respond to Congress' questions and urging employees to refer congressional staffers to a particular office.
Though it was unclear whether the email was ever sent out, Grassley wrote in the letter to Acting Director Kenneth Melson that the instructions were "of grave concern." He suggested it would be illegal for the main office to prevent other employees from dealing with Congress and expressed concern that ATF was trying to filter information through a liaison.
"If people have concerns they should be able to express themselves without feeling pressure from their bosses," Grassley said in a statement.
The Iowa senator has been trying to investigate a controversial program known as Project Gunrunner and its Phoenix offshoot, Operation Fast and Furious. Under the program, agents allowed straw buyers to illegally buy and export guns to track where they surfaced in Mexico.
Whistleblowers say the guns were allowed to "walk" across the border, and records show more than 1,700 guns ended up being trafficked to Mexico under the program.
The program has come under increased scrutiny followed the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Authorities are trying to determine whether the gun that was used to kill Terry was originally sold under the auspices of Operation Fast and Furious.
President...
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It is amazing that this has happened. I never knew how little respect for human life Federal bureaucracies have. It is like each one is a pillar of evil that has an agenda.
No wonder we bombed Libya!!!!
“Committing acts of war against Mexico, in an attempt to subvert the constitution (Treason).”
Makes Watergate look like a third rate burlary, by comparison. (Which it was.)
Sometimes you wag the dog...Bill Clinton.
Sometimes the dog wags you...Barak Obama.
Who knows maybe they (the power brokers) decided that we are going to have to ‘capture’ Mexico to get the North American Union off to a boisterous start.
Abolish the ATF!
They got away with murder whats a little thing like runnings some guns going to do.
Sometimes you get caught in an act of war against a sovereign nation.
Sometimes you get caught conducting illegal operations in an effort to subvert the Constitution for the purpose of disarming the populace.
“...Sometimes you wag the dog...Bill Clinton.
Sometimes the dog wags you...Barak Obama...”
And every once in a while, if we’re REEEEAAAALLLLY lucky, the dog turns around and bites them on the arse, in public, under the spotlight, and exposes them for the corrupt little marxist POS’s that they really are.
Hopefully, this is one of those moments. All depends on the amount of testicular fortitude (or lack thereof) the GOP will display. So far, Grassley seems to be the only one running with this ball.
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