Posted on 07/18/2011 4:30:41 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
The Department of Justice is trying to protect its political appointees from becoming embroiled in the broadening Fast and Furious gun-tracing scandal by refusing to release an internal "smoking gun" report that acknowledges the role of top officials in the program that allowed guns to flow illegally into Mexico, according to the head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Kenneth Melson, the ATF acting director, earlier this month also told congressional investigators examining the role of top officials in the ill-fated program that affidavits in support of wiretaps used in the operation are inconsistent with what Justice Department officials have said publicly.
Melson told the investigators that when he raised his concerns with the Justice Department about "institutional problems" with the Fast and Furious operation, department officials resisted his desire to share his thoughts with Congress.
"It was very frustrating to all of us," Melson told congressional investigators over the Fourth of July holiday, "and it appears thoroughly to us that the department is really trying to figure out a way to push the information away from their political appointees at the department."
Not only was the department slow to react, Justice officials even indicated to him they did not want him to cooperate with Congress, Melson said.
His comments appeared in transcripts released by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the top GOP member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"The Deputy Attorney General's office wasn't very happy with us" at ATF, Melson said, "because they thought this was an admission that there were mistakes made. Well, there were some mistakes made."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
7/17/11 - LA Times
Family of U.S. agent slain in Mexico demands to know gun source
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guns-cartel-20110718,0,1003846.story
Richard A. Serrano
—
Five months after U.S. immigration agent Jaime Zapata was shot to death by a Mexican drug cartel, his family is demanding to know whether the weapons were purchased in the United States and smuggled into Mexico under the now-defunct Fast and Furious operation.
The family complains that U.S. authorities in Washington and Texas have refused to answer crucial questions about the Feb. 15 ambush on a four-lane highway in northern Mexico.
“What happened with Jaime needs to come out,” the family’s lawyer, Raymond L. Thomas of McAllen, Texas, said in a telephone interview Sunday. “And the likelihood that these were Fast and Furious guns is certainly plausible.”
Mexican authorities have announced nine arrests in the high-profile case. Among them was Jesus Rejon Aguilar, a Zetas cartel leader who was captured near Mexico City this month.
In Washington, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is seeking information on the Zapata slaying.
Nelson Peacock, assistant secretary for legislative affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the immigration and customs agency, told Issa in a letter Friday that investigating Zapata’s killing was a priority.
-snip-
Who would have thought!
The Most Open Administration in History™
Guess Melson doesn’t want to be thrown under the bus.
Impeach. There are dead Americans because of Obama’s actions.
Time for folks to come clean.
You ain't seen nuthin' yet.
Need you ask? They're rotten to the core - stink like fish off ice. We know that the top of the pyramid is rotten but it remains to be seen concerning AFT field agents. The moment of truth will be when the next incident such as Branch Davidian or Ruby Ridge occurs - and one will occur. Will ATF field agents walk away and/or refuse to participate? Or, will they do as in the past, fall in line and blindly obey the Obama administration's fascist/statist orders? Folks, what's your prediction? Interested in the opinions of my fellow Great Unwashed aka Joe and Jane Six Pack - you know, we folks that the Obama'kins fear and distrust but say they're here to help, lol....
My guess is this was an Obama/Holder scheme to try and force the passage of gun control laws that the American people would not normally support, they were attempting to show how lax gun laws allowed guns into Mexico which were used in crimes against Americans but it all backfired on them when the Republicans won the House and started to investigate it.
Not one single reporter has ever asked Obama if he would ask for a Special prosecuter to take up the Gunwalker probe.
“Not one single reporter has ever asked Obama if he would ask for a Special prosecuter to take up the Gunwalker probe.”
Obama: Yes, Come investigate my sorry ass and then prosecute me.
Our federal law enforcement agencies have become extensions of union thuggery.
The most serious threat to our 2nd Amendment will come from those in or out of power who will push a false flag operation that will kill or injure many innocent Americans to advance their agenda of removing all firearms from the hands of average Americans.
Governments and politicians the world over use these type (false flag) operations, i.e. contrived terrorist events to get political support for an action that otherwise would be difficult to carry out.
These operations have been used the world over by slimy politicians of all flavors. They almost used it within the USA with Operation Northwoods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Don’t tease...Drop me some links..
I can see right through the emperor’s new clothes.
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