A primer on the "Fast and Furious" scandal

cbsnews.com ^ | 26 June, 2012 | Sharyl Attkisson

[marktwain]

"Gunwalking" is law enforcement vernacular for the concept of allowing criminal suspects to "walk" off with guns, without police interdicting or tracking them. It's widely considered taboo, since "walked" guns may be used in violent crimes, including murders.

What is "Project Gunrunner"?

[marktwain]

A reasonable summation from Sharyl Attkisson. She gives credit to Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea.

[marktwain]

Gunwalker / Murdergate ping.

[Travis McGee]

Recounting a March 30, 2011 meeting between Brady, her husband Jim and White House Press secretary Jay Carney, The Post reports:

During the meeting, President Obama dropped in and, according to Sarah Brady, brought up the issue of gun control, “to fill us in that it was very much on his agenda,” she said.

“I just want you to know that we are working on it,” Brady recalled the president telling them. “We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”

[Travis McGee]

What law enforcement agencies were involved in "Fast and Furious"? Records show that in addition to ATF; Immigration and Customs (ICE) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Arizona US Attorney's office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) played roles in Fast and Furious.

F&F was a high-profile OCDETF (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force) investigation. These joint task forces are always approved and run out of the DOJ. It's laughable to suggest that some low-level functionaries in Arizona dreamed up and ran a joint ATF/FBI/DEA/ICE investigation without DOJ approval and supervision.

[MestaMachine]

http://www.examiner.com/article/a-journalist-s-guide-to-project-gunwalker-part-one

The following is a summary and time line of articles appearing on the Sipsey Street Irregulars blog and Gun Rights Examiner, reflecting original reporting on the developing “Project Gunwalker” story by Mike Vanderboegh and myself. ***That’s the purposely ironic name I assigned it, a parody of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive’s “Project Gunrunner,” and it refers to allegations by whistleblowing ATF insiders*** that:

Excerpt. More at link

[shove_it]

It's too bad Sharyl Attkisson’s investigative reports are buried in the bowels of the cBS website, never to see the light of day on TV news.

[MestaMachine]

How sweet of her.

[Hojczyk]

Review form Amazon Fast and Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and the Shameless Cover-Up [Hardcover]
Katie Pavlich (Author) Everyone must read this book!, April 5, 2012 
By Aeronaut
This review is from: Fast and Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and the Shameless Cover-Up (Hardcover)
Everyone must read this book! It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, whether you believe in more or less gun control, or are conservative or liberal. Government scandals such as this must not be allowed, especially when they cost people their lives. Reading this book will cause you to experience a wide range of emotions. You feel sadness and frustration at the situation surrounding the death of Agent Brian Terry. This is followed by disbelief and outrage as the facts are presented regarding Operation Fast and Furious. Most shocking was seeing proof as to what the administration, at the highest levels, is doing for political purposes. It is frightening to realize, as the book points out, the incompetence, deceit and unlawful behavior with which the current DOJ and other government agencies operate and the great lengths they will go to cover it up. I was appalled to learn of their lack of concern for human lives. I had to ask myself while reading the book, “Could this really have happened?” But the facts and sources are thoroughly documented throughout the book to prove its validity. The introduction by an ATF Special Agent sets the tone for the book in a realistic manner. After finishing the “body” of the book, don’t put it down until you have looked at the appendices. There is a helpful timeline of events and further proof of the administration’s efforts to conceal the truth.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[Sudetenland]

Ms. Attkisson misses the actual purpose of Fast and Furious; to give the illusion that there was a massive problem of guns being transported from sales in the US, into Mexico so that Obama and the Dems could then argue strongly for more stringent gun laws. That is why “Gun-runner” was set in motion.

[shove_it]

Agreed but proving it’s another matter.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There was a time, many years ago, when CBS was the gold standard in broadcast news. Now and then, there’s a glimmer...

[woodbutcher1963]

“White House officials have said there is no evidence that Newell and O’Reilly ever discussed the controversial tactic of gunwalking and, on those grounds, have blocked the attempts of Congressional Republicans to interview O’Reilly, who has since been sent on assignment to Iraq for the State Department”

I hope O’Reilly keeps his head down in Iraq. I sure hope he does not become the victim of FRIENDLY FIRE.

[Hotlanta Mike]

[Carriage Hill]

Here, too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal

[In Maryland]

"What is "Wide Receiver"?

"Wide Receiver" is the name ATF assigned to a group of gun trafficking cases investigated out of the Tucson, Arizona office beginning in 2006. Like Fast and Furious, it was supervised by ATF Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell. Sources indicate it involved about 275 "walked" guns. According to sources who worked directly on the case, the vast majority of guns were not tracked and Mexico's government was not fully informed of the case. Apparently worried that the gunwalking tactics could be viewed as inappropriate, federal prosecutors in Arizona abandoned the case. Then, in fall of 2009, Justice Department officials decided to go ahead and prosecute the case.

Is this correct? I thought various ex-ATF had testified that guns were stopped at the border?

[kidd]

"Wide Receiver" is the name ATF assigned to a group of gun trafficking cases investigated out of the Tucson, Arizona office beginning in 2006. Like Fast and Furious, it was supervised by ATF Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell. Sources indicate it involved about 275 "walked" guns. According to sources who worked directly on the case, the vast majority of guns were not tracked and Mexico's government was not fully informed of the case.

Wrong.

Wide Receiver guns WERE tracked, they were just not tracked effectively. And the Mexican government WAS appraised of the program.

These are KEY distinctions between F&F and WR that cBS is trying to bury

[WKUHilltopper]

See-BS just now getting around to this??

[davius]

"Ms. Attkisson misses the actual purpose of Fast and Furious; to give the illusion that there was a massive problem of guns being transported from sales in the US, into Mexico so that Obama and the Dems could then argue strongly for more stringent gun laws. That is why “Gun-runner” was set in motion."

She accepted the initial premise that the objective of Fast and Furious was to track weapons; an assertion that fails the smell test, in that no provisions were made to track, and/or retrieve the weapons. If you recast the objective as being to flood the Mexican market with US purchased arms, why then the project was a resounding success.

Every official who touted the meme that US weapons constituted the majority of cartel arms; should be indicted, either as co-conspirator or an imbecile.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Attkisson has covered F&F developments for over a year.
CBS is probably the only network to have a first line reporter on the beat.