Posted on 12/11/2013 5:34:50 AM PST by rellimpank
There should be no question over whether Inspector General Michael Horowitz should expand his investigation into undercover storefront operations by the ATF to include rogue tactics exposed by a Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report investigation.
An official with the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that Horowitz "can and should" expand the investigation, and that's exactly right. The only question is why have things gone on this long without a proper investigation and what the government will do now to correct matters.
The Watchdog Report investigation by reporters Raquel Rutledge and John Diedrich found that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has used rogue tactics in storefront operations across the nation for years.
For example, the report noted, agents recruited mentally disabled individuals to promote their operations — including paying one to get a tattoo — and later arrested them. They also put stings near schools and churches, increasing arrest numbers and penalties — and attracting juveniles with free video games and alcohol, according to the report. And they overpaid for guns, encouraging break-ins and purchases from gun stores for a quick profit, the report said.
Horowitz already had launched an investigation into the ATF's use of undercover storefronts following a botched undercover sting in Milwaukee, reported by the Journal Sentinel earlier this year. In that operation, agents hired a mentally disabled man to promote the store and then arrested him. They damaged the rented building and then refused to pay for repairs. They also allowed an armed felon to leave the storefront, arrested four of the wrong people and had a government-owned machine gun stolen from an ATF vehicle. The automatic rifle has not been recovered.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Meaningless. The ATF has been a rogue agency for many decades and no one has ever seemed even remotely interested.
ATF has burned down a church and killed babies, nobody cares.
They have nice big tables to show their spoils.
Yep seems less like ‘rogue tactics’ and more like SOP
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