Posted on 10/07/2011 7:35:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
As reported on these pages two days ago, Eric Holder lied in testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on May 3, 2011 when he said, "I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks." Documents now in the public domain indicate that Holder was extensively briefed numerous times months before the May 2011 Congressional hearing by DOJ officials and had received an official request for an investigation of the ATF gunrunning operation from the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on March 9.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has been under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice since 2003, and thus is Holder's direct responsibility. The Attorney General's assertion that he had only just learned of Operation Fast and Furious simply doesn't hold up against the facts. Further, it invites the obvious question; "What was he trying to hide, and why?"
Michael Walther, Director of the National Drug Intelligence Center, gave at least five weekly briefings to Holder regarding Fast and Furious beginning in July 2010 according to documents released by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). In the first memo, Walther told Holder straw gun buyers for Fast and Furious "are responsible for the purchase of 1,500 firearms that were then supplied to the Mexican drug trafficking cartels."
Serial numbers were used to trace some of those weapons to the assassination of ATF Agent Brian Terry on December 14, 2010 south of Tucson, Arizona.
In February of 2011, CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson blew the cover on Fast and Furious. (Video here) Aided by anonymous interviews with distraught ATF agents, and whistleblower Agent John Dodson, Attkisson explained the extent of the operation – 2500 weapons according to one agent, including 50 caliber and AK-47 type assault rifles. Repeatedly, agents and cooperating gun dealers raised concerns but were told by superiors to "stand down" and let the massive numbers of weapons "walk" across the border into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels.
Two of the guns found at the murder scene of Agent Terry were traced to the 575 AK-47 type rifles purchased by Jaime Avila for "personal use." Avila was on the ATF suspect list for a year before Terry's murder, but the ATF just watched as Avila kept moving loads of weapons. After Terry's murder, the ATF moved in and arrested Avila.
Attkisson's explosive series of reports prompted a strong rebuke from DOJ. In her February 23 exclusive she cites a letter in which the Justice Department claims the ATF "has never knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to suspected gunrunners." Apparently, by that date somebody at the DOJ was aware enough of Fast and Furious to deny that it existed.
Outrage quickly spread about Fast and Furious, and on March 9, 2011 the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith (TX) and thirteen other members of the Committee sent a letter to Holder asking for the Inspector General to investigate what had already become a scandal, and for immediate answers to the following questions from the Attorney General himself.
The Attorney General must not read his own mail – even when it's from Members of Congress with jurisdiction over his Department – because, two months after this letter was sent, the Attorney General told that same Judiciary Committee that he had only just learned of Operation Fast and Furious.
And, now his boss says he believes him.
During a White House press conference today, October 6, President Obama was questioned about Holder's contradictory testimony and the growing scandal. "I have complete confidence in Attorney General Holder," Obama said. "He's indicated that he was not aware of what was happening in Fast and Furious and certainly I was not, and I think both he and I would have been very unhappy if somebody had suggested that guns were allowed to pass through that could have been prevented by the United State of America." See video here
Obama's Fast and Furious Denial doesn't change the facts. Holder obviously did know at least five months before Agent Terry was murdered, and ten months before he perjured himself before a Congressional committee. And, contrary to the President's contention, what Holder knew about Fast and Furious didn't make him "unhappy" enough to do anything to stop the program. In fact, his only action regarding the operation seems to be to cover it up.
How far beyond Holder this scandal extends and how close it gets to the Oval Office is another question. Many members of Congress have already called for a Special Prosecutor to be appointed. That would require the Attorney General to appoint a prosecutor to investigate himself. We'll see how soon that happens.
What should happen immediately is that the heretofore silent Democrat Members of Congress, particularly the Leadership, demand Holder's firing. How can they support a President who continues to defend someone who is indefensible?
Holder may have had fingers in ‘Fast and Furious’ for years
Video shows aide discussing ‘Gunrunner’ in March 2009
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=352705#ixzz1a6d3IsfZ
THE most important words of the snoozer, --er presser. A blanket denial with no wiggle room. All it will take is but ONE instance.
According to a 2009 article from Stephen Dinan of the Washington times:
Mr. Obama said he wants to renew a ban on some semiautomatic weapons but that it is not likely to pass Congress. Instead, he called for the Senate to ratify a decade-old hemispherewide treaty that would require nations to mark all weapons produced in the country and track them to make sure no weapons were exported to countries where they were banned.
“I will not pretend that this is Mexico’s responsibility alone. The demand for these drugs in the United States is what’s helping keep these cartels in business,” Mr. Obama said at a joint news conference with Mr. Calderon. “This war is being waged with guns purchased not here, but in the United States. More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States, many from gun shops that line our shared border.”
(This tells me he knew. He was just trying to game the system but got caught.)
Obama is a liar!
How many Impeachable offences have been racked up to this point?
1. F,/F
2. Killn an american citzn
Sorry, there is NO scandal here, so give it up!!!!
A scandal, by MODERN definition, it that which the LameStreamMedia deems to be a scandal.
It has been “officially” decreed that the arming of Drug Cartels by an agency of the United States Government does not meet the Media’s definition of a “scandal”.
Move on, folks, nothing to see here.
Oh wait, the NY TIMES has learned that George Bush has once again mispronounced the word “NUCLEAR”. How could this man have ever been President? Film at 11.
Any word from the CBS reporter that claimed she was screamed at for asking questions about F&F?
When Obama told gun control groups that his administration was on on the issue “under the radar”, where was he?
A: The Department of Justice
This goes all the way to Obama himself. He will be given enough plausible deniability to never be touched, but I assure you this plan was not under the President’s radar.
Oooh! Please show me an article on this! I must get up to speed. That is the first time anyone has mentioned that to me. I am very eager to read about that. Can I find out more?
I specifically asked how ATF expected to trace these weapons once they "walked" into Mexico, since, unlike the "Wide Receiver" program in existence under Bush, these weapons were not wired with RF devices to track them remotely.
They all agreed that the only way ATF could have traced these weapons was that Mexico, which is a member of Interpol, would have traced the origins of the weapons via the INTERPOL Firearms Tracing System.
And the only way the authorities would have been able to get the serial numbers from these weapons would be if they were seized after a crime, or in a raid, because the ATF did not appraise the Mexican government that they were being "walked" there.
In other words, the ATF knew they would have to be used in a violent crime in Mexico and traced through Interpol in order to be traced back to US FFL dealers, if they were to be traced at all.
There was no pretext of tracing or seizing these guns prior to their recovery by Mexican authorities. And since the Mexican authorities only knew what they were receiving from Interpol about their origin, Mexican reports on their provenance would have matched the Obama administration's claims that "90% of guns used in Mexican drug violence come from gun dealers in the USA.
Exactly, Obama’s most likely scrambling to try and pin it all on Holder, so that it doesn’t get any closer to him than it already has.
People are cynical about this going nowhere, but they were back when this was still only a problem for the ATF.
or more out of touch then anyone guessed.
Hope Kevin O’Reilly sings like a canary.
Wow!!
!
Very interesting. Great post.
“...This war is being waged with guns purchased not here, but in the United States. More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States, many from gun shops that line our shared border.”...”
THis strains credulity.
He’s going to stand there and tell us that Drug Cartels, with virtually UNLIMITED money, are going to waste their time buying traceable American semi-automatic weapons, when they can buy fully-automatic military grade hardware from ANY country in Central america, and weapons supplied by the Mexican army, etc., etc.
Sure...yeah, right. Because we ALL know how easy it is to walk into ANY gun store in the US and buy RPGs, grenades, C4 plastique, etc.
This is nothing more than a blatant attempt by this criminally subversive organization to end-run around our gun rights - Period.
Remember some time back when the POS was asked about “gun control” issues - and he answered “We’re working on some things under the radar?”
Well, here it is - THIS IS FUBO’S “UNDER THE RADAR” OPERATION - and he got caught.
He and Holder and anyone else involved needs to go to JAIL as accomplices in the murder of Federal agents, as well as the deaths of Mexican nationals.
Nothing less will suffice.
Do I expect it to happen?
Well.....Maybe...it’s actually making the talk radio circuit now - the LOCAL talk radio guy has been all over it every day for the last two weeks now - even going so far as to have the CBS reporter Sharyll Atkinson on, talking about how the WH and DoJ SCREAMED at her for opening the worm can.
They can’t duck it forever. I’m WISHING the GOP candidates would bring it up in the next debate - give it a NATIONAL audience in spite of the media cover up attempts to protect Soro’s Shoeshine Boy.
“...In other words, the ATF knew they would have to be used in a violent crime in Mexico and traced through Interpol in order to be traced back to US FFL dealers, if they were to be traced at all....”
Bears repeating over and over again.
F***ing roque agency, working for a roque, subversive administration.
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