Posted on 09/03/2011 5:25:11 AM PDT by marktwain
CBS News has obtained a series of emails that show the White House had more information on ATF's controversial Fast and Furious operation than previously disclosed. But administration officials insists nobody at the White House knew specifically that ATF was allowing guns to "walk" into the hands of suspected gun traffickers for Mexican drug cartels.
ATF allegedly allowed more than two thousand assault rifles and other weapons to fall into the hands of suspects from late fall of 2009 through 2010.
The emails indicate three White House officials were briefed on gun trafficking efforts that included Fast and Furious. The officials are Kevin O'Reilly, then-director of North American Affairs, now assigned to the State Department; Dan Restrepo, senior Latin American advisory; and Greg Gatjanis, a national security official.
The White House officials were provided information on Fast and Furious and other border gun trafficking efforts through what an administration source calls "back channels" by ATF's then-Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix Bill Newell. "...don't want ATF HQ to find out, especially since this is what they should be doing (briefing you)," Newell wrote in an email to the White House's O'Reilly on July 28, 2010. Newell has since been transferred out of that post.
An administration source describes the emails as colleagues sharing information about a gun trafficking initiative. On July 28, 2010 O'Reilly emails Newell: "Just an informal 'how's it going?" Newell replied by reporting good progress in efforts to stop gun trafficking to Mexico, and gave specific anecdotes. "This is great; very informative," O'Reilly replies.
In another email to O'Reilly at the White House on Aug. 18, 2010, Newell expresses frustration with the US Attorney's request to have agents in trafficking cases "physically inspect the firearms (that turn up) in Mexico... to show the jury that (it) was part of a trafficking scheme." Newell complains, "Other districts don't require this but hey it's Arizona." Newell went on to explain the difficulties in getting Mexico to cooperate on its end. "...it won't take many more times of having doors slammed in (agent's) faces by the Mexicans before they give up..." The US Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke resigned this week. His lead prosecutor in Phoenix who had advised ATF on Fast and Furious has been moved out of the criminal division.
The emails taken alone neither prove nor disprove whether White House officials knew that ATF was monitoring as weapons were sold to suspected gun traffickers, then let on the street without interdiction. However, an administration source vehemently denies anybody at the White House knew the controversial tactic known as "letting guns walk," was being used. "These e-mails exchanges show nothing more than an effort to give local color to a policy initiative that was designed to give more resources to help with the border problem. They don't even contain the name 'Fast and Furious' until February 2011." The administration official adds: "The emails validate what has been said previously, which is no one at the White House knew about the investigative tactics being used in the operation, let alone any decision to let guns walk.."
The three email chains showing ATF made contact with White House officials are from: July 28- Aug. 11, 2010; Aug. 18, 2010; and Feb. 11, 2011. The third chain happened after the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona. Two weapons ATF allegedly let "walk" were found at the murder scene. That case is not referenced in the emails. The administration has not said whether the emails represent the only written White House communications on the case.
The email chains indicate there were also phone conversations between ATF's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell and the White House's Kevin O'Reilly. The content of those conversations has not been disclosed.
Correction: In an earlier version of this report, CBS News reported that an administration official claimed certain emails weren't related to Fast and Furious, then later acknowledged they probably were. In fact, the official did not change his representation: the emails discussed were two different sets of emails.
See BS must have really had a tough time reporting this....buh-bye holder, you POS racist...
Any rational person would conclude that the president had to have known about this.
Gunwalker ping.
Obama would know anything that anybody in his cabinet knew.
Tic-Toc; drip...drip...drip; Tic-Toc...
KABOOM!
Very good point.
Gunwalker ping.
How deep is Rahm Emanuel in all of this?
who cares? if obama always makes it bush’s fault, then obama is to blame for this one
What makes you say that. Obama almost never meets with or speaks to his cabinet Secretaries.
Jonty30 wrote:
Obama would know anything that anybody in his cabinet knew.
Here's what one "former White House strategist" said to NY Magazine back in January:
From The West Wing, Season II, in NY Magazine, Jan 23, 2011I'm not sure if Holder is in the "three or four people runnning the entire government," I think he is.
“What you had was really three or four people running the entire government,” says the former White House strategist. “I thought they put a pretty good Cabinet together, but most of those guys might as well be in the witness-protection program.”
I think these staffers are among those who might as well be in the witness protection program. Especially now.
This President doesn't hear from his cabinet members because he won't listen to them. They aren't important to him. He only cares about his idealogues and personal worshippers. He doesn't want advice, and he doesn't listen to anything that doesn't support/advance him.
Obama reminds me of all the software programers I met over the years who want to GET the job, feel they are so superior to everyone else in thatjob, but don’t ever actually DO the job, or know how to once they are hired
OR should it be..."Who at the White House didn't know?"
save for later
Once Obama’s “firewall” in the form of Eric (My People) Holder is gone, the likelihood that all of the “Obama” historical stuff that Holder has been running interference on will come out increases exponentially. Holder will be the last one to go before “Obama” does.
Note to investors: popcorn futures look bright.
If Obama didn’t know then Holder would already be gone.
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