'Fast & Furious' gets hotter for Holder

New York Post ^ | 07/07/2011 | Michael A. Walsh

[safetysign]

Don't look now, but the real action in Washington this week isn't the parti san wrangling over the debt ceiling but something -- literally -- even more incendiary: Operation Fast and Furious, which seems about to explode right in the face of Attorney General Eric Holder -- and maybe other administration officials, too.

Also known as Project Gunrunner, the Arizona-based operation was supposed to be a sting, under which the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which is part of the Justice Department, allowed "straw purchasers" to transfer weapons from gun shops in Arizona to Mexican drug cartels to trace and halt crossborder arms-trafficking.

That's the official version, anyway -- but it's crumbling, fast.

The ATF's acting director, Kenneth Melson, has been singing like a canary to congressional investigators as he pushes back against administration pressure for him to resign and take the fall for something that, at the very least, had to include the US Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and possibly the Homeland Security Department.

In a letter to Holder released yesterday, Rep. Daryl Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley accused the Justice Department of blocking their investigation into the burgeoning scandal (which has resulted in the deaths of at least two American agents and countless Mexican civilians), muzzling the ATF and involving other federal agencies, including the FBI and the DEA, in funding the crackpot scheme.

[Georgia Girl 2]

What a treasonous bunch of Jacka@$$s.

[Piranha]

That one probably had a different purpose: to let the Honduran Strongman Zalaya’s people buy weapons to use in overturning law and order in that country — which seems to have been the Obama regime’s official policy.

[Erik Latranyi]

Gotta wonder about Chicago.

As I have posted elsewhere, it is alleged that this program was taking place in multiple BATFE field offices around the country.

The border offices were allowing the weapons to flow into Mexico and Honduras, but it is alleged that the interior field offices (like Philadelphia and Chicago) were facilitating the weapons to flow to inner-city gangs.

If this can be proven, it becomes far more insidious and evil while pointing to being orchestrated at the highest levels of government.

[Roccus]

So that we don’t get caught up in a CF over terminology like what happened during the “Whitewater” hearings, I’d like to get something straight. It is my understanding that;

1) Project Gunrunner was the Bush era operation which was designed to catch straw purchasers in the US and resulted in about 1200 arrests.
2) Operation Fast and Furious was the Obama era plan to allow straw purchasers to transport weapons across the border into Mexico to see where they ended up. (supposedly)
3) Operation Castaway was the same as F&F only Honduras was the (first) destination.
4) Gunwalker was a term coined by some media hack and has no true basis as the name of a gov’t. operation.

Ya can’t know the players if ya don’t have a scorecard.

Please correct me if I’m wrong on any of this.

[Charlespg]

Padding gun control statics

This is a attempt to violate the US constitution under color of law

not to mention accessory to murder

[MurrietaMadman]

It is also alleged that such programs were being conducted in cities like Philadelphia, where firearms were allowed to get into the hands of inner city gangs unimpeded.

Certainly Mike Fitzpatrick will find out for sure.

Message Subject: Fast and Furious
Message Text:
With the currently unfolding Fast and Furious scandal bringing a similar case in Florida to light, I'd like you to find out if any agency of the Department of Justice ran a similar second amendment scam here in the Philadelphia region. If so, I expect to hear from your office about it and then I'd like to read a press release from you condemning all such unConstitutional actions committed by the Executive branch

[AD from SpringBay]

So the agents sold the guns in order to track them. But they didn’t track many of the guns. Sounds like somebodies made some money off this little project. AND - it would have been a perfect set-up for more gun laws in this country. Wouldn’t it be funny and wonderful if this little project was Great Leader’s downfall? Will Holder take the fall for Obama? Probably...

[DManA]

many suspect that "Fast and Furious" was a backdoor attempt to smear domestic gun aficionados as part of its stealth efforts on gun control by executive fiat.

Count me among the many.

[spokeshave]

Breaking News: Source claims ATF's Tampa SAC walked guns to Honduras

Gun Rights Examiner ^ | 6 July, 2011 | David Codrea

Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2011 4:52:14 AM by marktwain

Part of 'Operation Castaway'?

Exclusive Special Report by Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea

Virginia O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Tampa Field Division, ran a gun-running investigation that was walking guns to Honduras using the techniques and tactics identical to Fast and Furious, it was reported to these correspondents this evening via private correspondence from a proven credible source.

On 21 September, 2010, A. Brian Albritton, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued a press release on Operation Castaway:

Welcome to the party pal

[DocH]

JBT scumbag Holder likely does NOTHING without Obama’s orders or approval, so I hope this thing blows up in the Halffrican’s face as well and we can impeach his ass.

[RummyChick]

I am stunned. I shouldnt be because it figures they would do this elsewhere.

Now, what about those Black Panthers in Philadelphia. Do they get some of these guns, too?

[Mouton]

“If this program was taking place in Tampa and other Field Offices, separated from each other, it becomes clearer and clearer that someone far higher up was orchestrating this.”

This point needs to be emphasized. If anyone believes some renegade field office in ATF was doing this on their own, they have little concept about how the bureauracy operates.

I believe the head of the Tampa office was promoted to DC to coordinate similar activities in ATF. So, connect the dots...an idea to track illegal sales domestically somewhat strickly controlled prior to 2010 evolved into a program to get arms to Honduras under ATF in Tampa and a similar program to get guns to Mexico by way of Phoenix ATF. My guess is the head of the Tampa office got promoted to DC to coordinate an ATF national program as part of an interjurisdiction task force under the Department of Justice. For all this coordination to happen amoungst the various US attorneys and between different offices of DOJ and other agencies means it was run higher in the DOJ, probably right under Holder who presumably was informing his majesty all along the way. My further guess is one of the reasons for such an international project was to undermine the second amendment but the little trap being set by Obama and his minions may end up snaring them.

[freeangel]

“...most corrupt, biased, racist, hack Attorney General in my 67 years on Mom Gaia, will get his comeuppance and be (at the very least) forced to resign in disgrace.”

And take his think alike king with him

[StonyBurk]

Holder— Isn’t this the guy who said Americans are cowards when it comes to race? Wonder if he thinks the same about the
Mexicans? The way this Administration has been packing the fudge of the Mexican Govt. officials I’d think Holder might be a bit afraid of Mexican prison— Or does he have enough money to buy his way out?

[Josephat]

I have to think it might be very dangerous for anyone looking to prove it. Pray for them and us.

[rdcbn]

Incompetent? Naw. They were very successful, insofar as they achieved their goal of exporting thousands of arms thru the most RKBA-damaging way possible. You can’t keep such a large productive project secret indefinitely.

They did exactly what they intended to.
They just forgot one little thing: _somebody_, _someday_, would talk.

(Hence the big problem with most conspiracy theories: they assume that a project that big with that many involved would suffer no whistle-blowing.)

---

The Obama Administration thought that after the 2008 election they would be in power for the next 20 years and Pelosi and Reid would be able to keep a lid on this and suppress any investigations until well after the new gun they envisioned were in effect. As is is , they were able to stonewall for a pretty long time.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[SaraJohnson]

I hope you are right, but I doubt it.

[okie01]

See related article re Operation Causeway, related gunrunner operation out of Tampa.

To Honduras.

And what was the point of this scam, do you suppose?

It may have had no relation to Fast & Furious. Or the 2nd Amendment.

More likely, it was an attempt to arm Manuel Zelaya's supporters -- a dictator whom the Obama administration still wants to see in power, as against Honduras' legal government.

Thus, it may constitute a second impeachable offense...

[SaraJohnson]

There were three purposes for the gangsta government doing this operation.

First, to arm Obama’s American inner city criminals for the coming uprising when budget cuts hit welfare due to a financial collapse crisis orchestrated by Obama;

Second to assist the Muslim brothers who are partners with the drug lords in Mexico;

and third to give the gangsta government fodder for violating the second amendment and banning guns from Obama’s enemies - law abiding Americans.