Posted on 11/01/2011 12:27:48 PM PDT by neverdem
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said top-ranking officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) should have taken action when he told them about controversial “gun walking” used in a gun-tracking operation.
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism on Tuesday, Breuer attempted to take a large portion of the blame for allowing the tactics to be used in Operation Fast and Furious, saying that he regretted not taking more action.
But Breuer — the highest level Justice Department official to admit to knowing about the “gun walking” tactics before the press exposed them — stressed to the committee’s ranking Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) that he failed to inform Attorney General Eric Holder about the controversial methods because he had told ATF leadership of the potential problem.
Before Tuesday’s hearing, Breuer acknowledged knowing that the ATF used “gun walking” — the practice of allowing criminals to take possession of firearms — in a previous operation, Wide Receiver, under President George W. Bush’s administration from 2006 to 2007.
“I wish that at that time that I had said clearly to the deputy attorney general and the attorney general that in this case Wide Receiver, we had determined that in 2006 and 2007, guns had walked,” said Breuer in testimony before the committee.
“At the time, I thought that dealing with the leadership of ATF was sufficient and reasonable … If I had known then what I know now, I, of course, would have told the deputy and the attorney general.
“I thought we had dealt with it by talking to the ATF leadership,” he said.
While largely refraining from naming who in the ATF leadership would have been involved, Breuer indicated the former ATF deputy director William J. Hoover would have taken part in conversations about whether action should be taken with regards to the tactics.
Hoover was reassigned within the ATF in response to his involvement with the Fast and Furious Operation, which oversaw the sale of thousands of firearms in the Southwest border region to known and suspected straw buyers for Mexican drug cartels.
Former Acting Director of the ATF Kenneth Melson was also reassigned in August, and former U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke, who oversaw many of the legal aspects surrounding the operation, stepped down from office.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been investigating the botched gun tracking operation for most of the year. Issa has long pointed to Breuer as one of the top-ranking DOJ officials who knew about the controversial tactics used in Fast and Furious.
Holder is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week and will likely be asked a series of detailed questions regarding his role in the operation, which may have contributed to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Holder is also scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee next month.
Fast and Furious and its predecessor Wide Receiver were launched in an attempt to track and dismantle gun trafficking routes and rings that brought firearms purchased in the U.S. into Mexico.
Breuer said about 350 guns were allowed to "walk" under Operation Wide Receiver, which resulted in nearly a dozen prosecutions and no known U.S. deaths.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Tuesday pointed to U.S. gun laws as the largest impediment to the ATF and the DOJ combating illegal firearms trafficking.
“I think this hunt for blame doesn't really speak about the problem,” said Feinstein, referring to Congress’s investigation of Fast and Furious.
“And the problem is anybody can walk in and buy anything — .50 caliber weapons, sniper weapons — buy them in large amounts, and send them down to Mexico.”
Breuer agreed and said that “the number one tool would be if ATF were given the ability to know when guns are purchased.” Breuer also recommended that Congress grant the ATF and DOJ the ability to require gun dealers who knowingly sell firearms to criminals to forfeit their weapons and inventories.
“If I go into a dealership today and I want to buy 50 or 60 semiautomatic weapons, there is nothing that requires that to be in any way notified to ATF,” said Breuer.
Okay (the situation, not the grammar).
Do they expect us to believe this wasn’t the implementation of Obama’s “under the radar” gun control objective?
Holder, Napi, and Barack are knee deep in this.
The mistake in the questioning has been narrowing the subject to specific titles such as “Gun Walker” or “Fast and Furious”. The questions need to be broad enough to cover the entire practice.
Feinswine is also BS.
DOJ head knew of ATF “gunwalking” in April 2010 [CBS]
Do a search for the above and watch the YouTube found on post #28.
Mistake?...or a way for TPTB (The Powers That Be) to limit the damage? I agree the questions should be broad enough to cover the entire practice. This investigation needs to be opened up from day 1. If it goes back to the previous administration so be it. These are potentially treasonable offenses. Everybody's head should be in the noose on this one, especially the current administration. Agents died.
We won’t be fooled again. The socialist democrat frauds are trying to spin a smokescreen to cover obama and withholder’s rear ends. It ain’t gonna work. The democrat frauds in the senate have had their heads buried in the sand hoping it would blow over. Since it turn worst for withholder and the obama appointees, suddenly an investigation. The operation under Bush was totally different. Bad guys were arrested and guns were confiscated. I DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING COMING FROM THE SOCIALIST DEMS OR THE MSM.
I'm not surprised to see his head popping up again. Probably at Hillary's orders.
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
...Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Tuesday pointed to U.S. gun laws as the largest impediment to the ATF and the DOJ combating illegal firearms trafficking....
Uh is she refering to the US Constitution? Or gun laws she helped write?
....“I think this hunt for blame doesn’t really speak about the problem,” said Feinstein, referring to Congress’s investigation of Fast and Furious. ....
Hunt for blame? Uh Senator don’t you realize this problem relied on finding where the guns ended up when the would be found at criminal death scenes?
...“And the problem is anybody can walk in and buy anything — .50 caliber weapons, sniper weapons — buy them in large amounts, and send them down to Mexico.”...
Thats exactly what ATF FBI DEA facilitated and did, it’s called a conspiracy to commit numerous violations of law, terrorism, murder, export laws and common sense. Senator do you want them to be absolved of guilt for killing innocent US Agents and hundreds of innocent Mexican citizens while trying to deprive US citizens of their 2nd amendment rights?
Senator apparently you are part of the problem. are you a co-conspirator?
By trying to deflect attention from what actually happened Sen. Feinstein has made herself a material accomplice to the actions taken by those she is trying to protect.
That spin makes me dizzy...
The program under Bush involved very few weapons and they actually tracked them.
Obama flooded the system with over 3,000 weapons AND MADE NO EFFORT TO TRACK THEM!!!
see the difference?!?!?!?
Bush program legal and rational.
Obama program ILLEGAL & IRRATIONAL!!
I’m not disagreeing, G Larry. All I’m saying is that the entire program needs to be examined from its origins to the present day. Any investigation should include all of it, all emails, correspondence, whistleblowers, coverups, percentage of weapons tracked, drug members apprehended, coordination with Mexican officials, intergovernment agency involvement (State Dept...what did they know and when did they know it), deaths, etc., etc., etc., etc. The entire scope could very well show how much it has been turned on its head by the current administration. A broad investigation would put everything into its proper context. Let the chips fall where they may.
well....I hate to disagree, but since Ozzie & Harriet have gone off the air, I’m less optimistic about the possibility of objective reporting, irrespective of the facts uncovered.
The MSM will never make the distinction I presented in my prior post.
They will paint it as “all the same”....
Ozzie & Harriet? What about the Beav?
G Larry...I’m still not disagreeing with you...
http://www.videosurf.com/video/leave-it-to-larry-134132261
:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.