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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 08: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing about the controversial the 'Operation Fast and Furious' gun running program on Capitol Hill, on November 8, 2011 in Washington, DC. 'Operation Fast and Furious' was set up to be a sting set up by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that allowed weapons to be purchased from Arizona gun shops by Mexican drug cartels to trace cross boarder gun trafficking. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
A damning new congressional report on the government's controversial gun-smuggling investigation slams the Justice Department and continues a Republican-led assault on the Obama administration for allowing criminals to smuggle hundreds of firearms into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.
A draft report of "Fast and Furious: The Anatomy of a Failed Operation," released Monday by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, harshly concludes that "from the outset, the case was marred by missteps, poor judgments and an inherently reckless strategy."
The report lays out a detailed chronology of the investigation but offers no striking new revelations.
The 211-page report, based on more than 70 interviews and about 10,000 pages of documents, is the first of three planned by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. It comes out just one month after the GOP-controlled House held Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for withholding Justice Department records related to the case.
Although some lawmakers have sought to portray Fast and Furious, operated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a conspiracy devised by the Obama administration to build support for gun-control legislation, the congressional report places blame instead on mistaken priorities, leadership failures and flawed communications.
The report is especially critical of William "Bill" Newell, then ATF's special agent in charge for Arizona. It paints him as an instigator of the flawed gun-walking strategy -- a boss who did not understand firearms law, lacked field experience and assisted in an attempted cover-up.
"Bill Newell had the ability and the duty to end Operation Fast and Furious much sooner than it did," says the report. "Instead, it ended as a reaction to a foreseeable tragedy. Newell authorized, endorsed, and even encouraged this investigation."
As public criticism enveloped the case, the report says Newell advised a law-enforcement colleague, "I'm not taking the fall alone. If I go down, I'm taking Dennis Burke with me."
Burke, then U.S. Attorney for Arizona, resigned amid the congressional investigation and Newell was transferred out of Arizona. Neither man could be reached for comment after an embargo on the report was lifted late Monday.
Fast and Furious was a clandestine ATF operation that lasted from late 2009 until early 2011. During that time, authorities monitored low-level criminals who bought about 2,000 guns but failed to stop trafficking of them into Mexico because they were attempting to identify and arrest cartel bosses.
The case was shut down in January 2011 -- one month after assault rifles linked to the probe were found at the scene near Nogales, Ariz., where U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a shootout.
The report describes Fast and Furious as one of the worst scandals in bureau history: "Many people up and down the chain of command in ATF share the blame for the case's tragic failures," it says, adding that no one in the agency has been held accountable.
Among the findings:
-- Justice Department officials, from field agents to prosecutors and administrators, were predisposed to the "gun-walking" strategy in Fast and Furious because of criticism that the government too often arrested gun-trafficking "minnows" while letting the big fish get away.
-- Senior Justice Department officials failed to control the smuggling case, even after they expressed alarm at the number of weapons crossing the border unlawfully. The report says Kenneth Melson, who was acting director of ATF at the time, was derelict in his leadership, and William McMahon, ATF director of field operations, "gave false testimony to Congress" about the case.
-- Communication failures beleaguered the investigation. Gun trafficking continued for months after key officials became concerned about the gun-walking strategy and called for the operation to be shut down. "The drafting of the exit strategy was delayed," the report notes, "and the (exit) strategy itself was ultimately ignored."
The report, which says ATF agents and prosecutors in Arizona set out to make a "big case" against narcotics cartels, contains no assertion that they were promoting a political agenda to justify gun control.
Some criticism appears to reflect differences of opinion on law, rather than factual findings. For example, the authors contend that federal prosecutors in Arizona misinterpreted criminal statutes governing straw purchases, and therefore instructed agents not to arrest suspects who could have been convicted.
"ATF used flawed legal advice from the U.S. Attorney's Office as an excuse to allow the transfer of weapons to take place," the report says, adding that Arizona prosecutors were "irresponsible and negligent in delaying the indictment(s)."
The House and Senate committees plan to issue two more reports. One will focus on failures in leadership at Department of Justice headquarters; another will address "the unprecedented obstruction of the investigation" by Holder and his staff.
How Did Obama Know About 'Fast And Furious' Before Holder?
He ordered it.... Here is the proof Obama knew before Holder and in fact ordered "gunrunner".
Obama attempted very early in his term as President to push gun control using the gun violence in Mexico to promote gun control. He claimed 90% of the guns used in Mexico violence could be traced to the US. This was proven to be completely false and the number was not even close to 5%. The proof was presented by a Bush program where guns used in crimes in Mexico were cross checked in the US to see if there was a gun smuggling problem. It turned out very few guns were coming from the US and the ATF had proof from the gun tracking program under Bush. Even the liberal funded sites like Fact Check put in place to make stuff up for Obama could not pull the number up above 17%
Gun control was taken off the "public" Obama agenda until he could increase the numbers of murders caused by US traceable guns and drum up support from Central American countries. Obama met with his entire cabinet to come up with a plan to increase the number of Mexicans killed by US guns.
Because there was already a gun tracking program funded Obama decided to use the program to increase the numbers by using the program to not only track guns, but to facilitate criminals purchasing guns and getting them to Central American countries.
Here without question the entire Obama cabinet knew of the program in March 2009.
Obama through Holder ordered "gun runner". Here is the announcement by Holders Assistant. No question Obama and Holder knew of the program and in fact ordered it. NOTE: he specifically states Obama ordered "gun runner". This was a press anouncement when the program was ordered speciffically by Obama.
ATF members even reported back to the White House National Security Staff on "Gun Runner". NSA under the Department of Defense was in on "Gun Runner" and explains how the drug gangs got military equipment. "A key ATF manager told Congress he discussed the case with a White House National Security staffer as early as September 2010. The communications were between ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office, Bill Newell, and White House National Security Director for North America Kevin O'Reilly." The report is here:
Nancy Pelosi financed it with Harry Reid's approval. $10,000,000 of stimulus money used for buying tens of thousands of guns. H.R. 495, was asking for 15,000,000 for "Gunrunner".
H.R. 495 that mentioned Gunrunner never made it out of committee, but it looks as it was to specifically fund Gunrunner. This means the Democrats including Pelosi knew of the program.
Instead portions of it were rolled into the stimulus package a month later. H.R.1:
For an additional amount for ‘State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance’, $40,000,000, for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10,000,000 shall be transferred to ‘Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Salaries and Expenses’ for the ATF Project Gunrunner.
Here is the link:
posts
Holder lied to congress about his knowledge of "Gunrunner"... Here is where is lied. Remember, the first link was an official press anouncement specifically stating the "Gunrunner" program was ordered by Obama and Holder.
Even the FBI had their hands in on this mess and were providing the "gun runners" and the funds to buy the guns. The only answer there was they ran out of the $10 million for running guns into Mexico and were misappropriating FBI funds for gun running.
Obama put guns in the hand of violent criminals in Central American countries including Mexico and Honduras (dozens of other countries are listed but these are known) This was not to track drug lords... This was to promote a small arms treaty that Secretary of State Clinton was pushing. (She knew of the gun runing too)
The ATF agents were ordered not to stop the illegal purchases, In fact the ATF even helped the criminals purchase the guns without the required waiting time or back ground check.
The ATF agents were ordered not to even attempt to follow the guns, but they did track or trace the guns and the number of people killed by US guns in Mexico once the guns were found at crimes and in the other countries where at least 2000 assault rifles were sent to do their most damage.
Secretary of State Clinton met with the leaders of the countries where the guns were being dumped. This was to arrange for a Central American Small Arms Treaty once the numbers were raised enough to garner US support. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r_M1g4wfzU
The Central American countries including Mexico knew of the plan and were using it to push for a Central American “Small Arms Treaty”. Here is the report:
The claim coming of the gun manufacturers and gun deals being to blame is clearly not true. Obama did increase the number of people killed by guns traceable to the US dramatically in just 2 years, so that now more than 50% of the weapons did come from the US, But the US government is 100% to blame for the Mass Serial Murders, not the gun manufacturers or dealers.
Obama is moving forward with gun control now as if he had no part in the Mass Serial Murders. This was Mass Serial Murder to promote gun control... I think it is very clear who should not have "control" of any guns...
OBAMA.
It is past time for a special prosecutor.
PS -*On a side note*
If you were a Democrat Representative in Congress and you became aware the Democrat President and the Democrat leaders of congress were having people killed randomly though the distribution of guns to known violent criminals, all to promote gun control who would you tell?
Remember, Congresswoman Giffords, a gun advocate, member of the NRA, had stood on the floor of congress and read the constitution with the Republicans as Pelosi looked on with disgust... just before she was shot.
I want to know if the Whistle Blower ATF agents located out of the Phoenix office reported this to Congresswoman Giffords and if Giffords was attempting to discuss the problem with the Chief Judge for the United States District Court of Arizona when the judge was assassinated and an attempt to assassinate Giffords occurred.
This is important to repeat. The President and his cabinet including the Justice Department, and all Democrat leadership in congress were aware of "gun runner" and its purpose to get guns into the hands of Mexican killers. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid funded it in the stimulus bill. The gun runner program was going to occur in the district of Representative Giffords, a strong second amendment, pro-gun advocate as well as a gun owner. She was to meet with the Chief United State District Judge for Arizona, John Roll a George W. Bush appointee, who was also blocking many of the Obama cases in his US District Court that covered all of Arizona. The Chief US District Judge controls the case assignements within his district. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roll
Giffords was shot in the head in an attempted assassination and John Roll the Chief United State District Judge for Arizona a judge appointed by Republican George W. Bush was assassinated, by a former Democrat volunteer that had worked for her office and had some connection with the military. Shooter recalls going into a MEPS...
"Every United States Military recruit at MEPS in Phoenix is receiving one mini bible before the tests,” he writes in one video. “Jared Loughner is a United States Military recruit at MEPS in Phoenix Therefore, Jared Loughner is receiving one mini bible before the tests."
Could all of this been a programmed shooter? Remember we now know NSA and the DOD was involved in "Gun Runner" and they are specialists at programing killers.
Another former Giffords office volunteer had said Gifford was "dead" just days earlier. A Russian agency reported the judge was “assassinated” because he opposed Obama’s agenda.
And one more thing... what ever happened to the guy that brought the shooter... never heard about that guy after the DOJ took over the case...
Some people are saying they would have just killed the whistle blower if it was that big of a deal, but that is not how the government works. Foot soldiers are fired and discarded as kooks or people with some vendetta against the government agency they worked for. I saw this happen many times and in every Government Department including DOD, DOT, and Treasury Departments. They soon fade away, broke, and broken. This time several came forward because one of their own was killed.
I believe Giffords knew of gun runner and was informing the Judicial Branch of gun runner... Pelosi was one of the very first people permitted in her room... WHY? Did she want to make sure she could not talk... Gifford now has partial amnesia...
It is well known where the short and long term memory is in the brain. A brain surgeon specialist was on duty when they were shot… And Jared Lee Loughner is in a federal prison mental facility locked away from view or questioning... A guy with partial memories of going into the Army that was dropped off by some unknown person just before the shooting
Maybe this is all a conspiracy theory and we should just trust the investigation done by the Department of Justice. After all, we can trust them can’t we? Don't forget Valerie Jarrett, with very close ties to William Ayers (domestic terrorist) Bernadine Dohrn, is in the White House and is very open to homeland terror and murder to get what they want.
If one of the ATF agents steps forward and says he told Giffords, I have no doubt Obama or one of his lackeys ordered her and that judge assassinated…
Now this is "Gangster Government”.
'I’ve extended my hand, and I’m waiting to hear back,' Holder said. | AP Photo
By TIM MAK and JOSH GERSTEIN | 6/12/12 11:31 AM EDT Updated: 6/12/12 1:44 PM EDT
Under threat of a House contempt citation over the botched Fast and Furious gun-walking operation, Attorney General Eric Holder spoke in a conciliatory tone Tuesday about his willingness for “compromises” to avoid what he called “an impending constitutional crisis” over the withholding of documents in response to a congressional subpoena.
“We are prepared to make – I am prepared to make - compromises with regard to the documents that can be made available,” said Holder in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I want to make it very clear that I am offering – I myself – to sit down with the Speaker, the chairman, with you, whoever, to try and work our way through this in an attempt to avoid a constitutional crisis, and come up with ways, creative ways, in which to make this material available. But I’ve got to have a willing partner. I’ve extended my hand, and I’m waiting to hear back,” he added in response to a question about the subpoenaed documents posed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.)
Holder’s remarks were his most aggressive public offer yet to wheel and deal with Congress to head off a dramatic contempt showdown — Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has scheduled a vote on the citation for June 20 in his committee.
After using the phrase “constitutional crisis” at least three times, Holder noted two hours into the hearingthat “constitutional conflict” might be a better term.
At issue between Republicans and Democrats are the withholding of Justice Department documents in response to a Congressional subpoena. The DOJ claims that previous administrations have reserved the right to withhold deliberative documents.
“There is a basis for the withholding of these documents… the tradition has always been, by members of the Justice Department, whether they were Republicans or Democrats, to withhold deliberative material,” argued Holder. “We have reached out to Chairman Issa, members of the leadership on the House side, to try to work our way through these issues.”
One possible area of compromise appeared to be the issue of wiretap applications related to Fast and Furious that are confidential because they are under a court-ordered seal.
“Will you seek the court’s permission to release the affidavit so that people can read them… and if there’s any problem with something sensitive, could the judge make a decision to remove any truly sensitive information before release?” asked Grassley.
THANK YOU SARAH PALIN FOR SPEAKING FOR AMERICANS.. Unlike the traitor in chief who "speaks" for the people without a clue as to what we'd say.
He hasn't gotten any of it right so far, and after three years, he's had more than enough time to find out what We, The People would say. Sarah Palin rocks, and she
Understands the American People. Not only does Mr. Obama not understand us, he misspeaks for us repeatedly, and we're beyond sick and tired of him making us sick and tired. Go away. Fire Holder or Resign in a two for one deal.. Two turkeys with one arrow, skewered and banned from the United Sates government, not even to clean the bathroom floors.
Fire Eric Holder
bySarah Palinon Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 2:14pm
It’s tempting to get distracted with the horse race aspect of electoral politics during a primary season. But as pundits talk about “who’s up and who’s down” in the 24 hour news cycle, we must keep our eye on the ball with the Obama administration. They rely on distraction to skirt responsibility, but we’re going to hold them accountable for their corruption and incompetence.
When the stories about Operation Fast and Furious first broke, it sounded too crazy even for this administration.
Why would any government official with an ounce of common sense think it’s a good idea to facilitate the smuggling of thousands of guns into the hands of violent Mexican drug cartels? That’s what Operation Fast and Furious did.
You might think Eric Holder’s Department of Justice was setting up a sting operation in which our federal agents would swoop down and arrest the bad guys the minute the guns traded hands. But that’s not what happened. Eric Holder’s DOJ had American gun dealers sell weapons to “straw purchasers” tied to drug cartels without actually following the movement of the guns as they were then sold to Mexican drug lords. They apparently thought this so-called “gun-walking” operation would help them chart the path of gun smuggling, but they didn’t have a plan to actually control the weapons’ movements as the guns were allowed to “walk” into Mexico. All Holder’s DOJ did was arm violent criminals. What manner of fools do we have working in this administration? What’s next? Supplying nuclear weapons components to the Iranians so we can track their activities?
Fast and Furious isn’t just your typical government incompetence. This is a deadly tragedy. U.S. border agent Brian Terry was gunned down with weapons connected to Holder’s debacle. At least 200 Mexican citizens were also killed by criminals using Fast and Furious weapons. We can only imagine how many more people will be murdered by criminals our government armed.
When an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives blew the whistle on this operation, the DOJ leaked sensitive information about him to the press. This week, the former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, who was ousted in the wake of the scandal, admitted to being the leaker.
And where is President Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder in all of this? When did he first know about the operation? In his testimony to the House Oversight Committee on May 3, 2011, Holder stated, “I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.” But the DOJ’s own documents prove that Holder had been receiving briefings on Fast and Furious for nearly a year before that date. In other words, our government’s top law enforcement official, Eric Holder, lied to the American public. He finally admitted this week to the Senate Judiciary Committee, “In my testimony before the House committee [on May 3], I did say a few weeks. I probably could have said a couple of months. What I said about a few weeks was inaccurate based on what happened.”
When the nation’s highest law enforcement official lies to the American people, he must go.
And if he claims that he didn’t lie, then how else do we explain this situation? He’s either lying or he’s so grossly incompetent and lazy that he didn’t read important life and death briefings from his deputy attorney general and didn’t know about this deadly operation run by people under him. So, which is it? Incompetent, lazy, or lying? No matter which explanation fits, he needs to go.
Holder conceded this week, “I have ultimate responsibility for what happens in the department.” He can prove it by resigning. And if he refuses to resign, then President Obama – with whom the bucks ultimately stop – can prove that he respects honesty, transparency, and accountability in his administration by firing Holder.
I stand with the members of Congress who are calling for Holder’s resignation. I stand with the family members of Brian Terry who are demanding transparency and accountability. Mr. President, where do you stand?
- Sarah Palin
P.S. It can be argued that some elements of this scandal give the appearance of perhaps being intended to be used to infringe on our Second Amendment rights. I invite our President to correct concerned Americans if they’re wrong on this.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 08: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing about the controversial the 'Operation Fast and Furious' gun running program on Capitol Hill, on November 8, 2011 in Washington, DC. 'Operation Fast and Furious' was set up to be a sting set up by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that allowed weapons to be purchased from Arizona gun shops by Mexican drug cartels to trace cross boarder gun trafficking. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
