Posted on 07/06/2011 7:39:55 AM PDT by DrNo
http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/melson-sick-to-stomach-over-gunwalker
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
No thanks. The examiner blog is toxic. Creepy crawly things all over it.
Care to post a synopsis if you’re afraid of the author suing? (The examiner blog isn’t on the excerpt-only list).
Be sure to follow the link in the post to the Issa/Grassley letter to AG Eric Holder.
“On Monday, July 4, ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson testified before investigators for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee about Operation Fast and Furious,” a Committee press release reports.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Melson ‘sick to stomach’ over Gunwalker - National gun rights | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/melson-sick-to-stomach-over-gunwalker#ixzz1RKqSK8RO
Here, do everyone a favor. I turned up my antivirus and fetched the text myself (like I said, it’s not excerpt-only).
****************
On Monday, July 4, ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson testified before investigators for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee about Operation Fast and Furious,” a Committee press release reports.
Following this interview, Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, expressed their deep concerns about the involvement of the DEA, FBI, and other agencies – including the possibility that they were aware of and even working with people connected to Fast and Furious suspects.
In addition to these concerns noted in the letter to the Attorney General, Acting Director Melson made key assertions to investigators:
•Contrary to denials by the Justice Department, Acting Director Melson acknowledged the agents had in fact witnessed transfers of weapons from straw purchasers to third parties without following the guns any further.
•The ATF group executing Operation Fast and Furious had been placed under the direction of the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s office.
Click here for a copy of the letter from Rep. Issa and Sen. Grassley to Attorney General Holder.
From the letter:
He appeared with his personal counsel, Richard Cullen of McGuire Woods LLP. His interview had originally been scheduled through the Justice Department to occur on July 13 in the presence of DOJ and ATF counsel. As you know, however, under our agreement Department witnesses who choose to attend a voluntary interview with their own lawyer are free to exercise that right rather than participate with counsel representing the Department’s interests.
After being made aware of that provision of our agreement, Acting Director Melson chose to exercise that right and appeared with his own lawyer. We are disappointed that no one had previously informed him of that provision of the agreement. Instead, Justice Department officials sought to limit and control his communications with Congress. This is yet another example of why direct communications with Congress are so important and are protected by law.
Also:
Acting Director Melson’s cooperation was extremely helpful to our investigation. He was candid in admitting mistakes that his agency made and described various ways he says that he tried to remedy the problems. According to Mr. Melson, it was not until after the public controversy that he personally reviewed hundreds of documents relating to the case, including wiretap applications and Reports of Investigation (ROIs). By his account, he was sick to his stomach when he obtained those documents and learned the full story. Mr. Melson said that he told the Office of the Deputy Attorney General (ODAG) at the end of March that the Department needed to reexamine how it was responding to the requests for information from Congress.
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Also see:
A Journalist’s Guide to ‘Project Gunwalker’ Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four for a complete list with links of independent investigative reporting and commentary done to date by Sipsey Street Irregulars and Gun Rights Examiner.
Note to newcomers to this story: “Project Gunrunner” is the name ATF assigned to its Southwest Border Initiative to interdict gun smuggling to Mexico. “Project Gunwalker” is the name I assigned to the scandal after allegations by agents that monitored guns were allowed to fall into criminal hands on both sides of the border through a surveillance process termed “walking” surfaced.
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By David Codrea
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David Codrea is a long-time gun rights advocate and writer. A featured columnist for Guns Magazine, his articles and his online journal, The War on...
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Continue reading on Examiner.com Melson ‘sick to stomach’ over Gunwalker - National gun rights | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/melson-sick-to-stomach-over-gunwalker#ixzz1RKrRplnU
Here is the direct link to the Holder letter you reference in #3. It will open a PDF.
http://oversight.house.gov/images/stories/Letters/2011-07-05%20ceg-dei%20to%20ag.pdf
Ya beat me! :-)
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I appreciate your efforts. It’s important to get this out. Codrea has been bird-dogging this from the gitgo!
What I believe will happen in this Gunwalker-Fast and Furious crime will be:
“Broom, meet carpet,carpet meet broom!”
Watch and see!
My first thought was, “I wonder how distressed he was about it before it became public knowledge.”
He could have shut it down at any time.
Melson’s testimony does not align with the information that he requested a live video feed of firearm transactions, so he could be a voyeur to the fiasco.
Now, he is trying to say he was trying to stop this?
I smell male bovine waste.
A rat is a co-perpitrator who turns his comrades in to save his skin; a witness is someone who turns in/identifies criminals s/he sees committing a crime!
Now, he is trying to say he was trying to stop this?
I smell male bovine waste.
As long as it doesn’t affect his memory, fine.
Way to stay on top of your agency there, bub.
Its called CYA. LOL!
Excellente!
Melson brought his own lawyer and is singing like a canary. Determined to do whatever he has to to save his smelly hide.
The Mexican authorities are mad as hell and demand satisfaction.
This is NOT going to be swept under the carpet.
In addition to these concerns noted in the letter to the Attorney General, Acting Director Melson made key assertions to investigators:
- Contrary to denials by the Justice Department, Acting Director Melson acknowledged the agents had in fact witnessed transfers of weapons from straw purchasers to third parties without following the guns any further.
- The ATF group executing Operation Fast and Furious had been placed under the direction of the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s office.
Melson is admitting that the guns weren't being tracked and that the Justice Dept. was overseeing the operation.
IOW what most of us have seen as obvious all along is being officially acknowledged by the head of the ATF.
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