Posted on 06/15/2011 10:19:05 AM PDT by jazusamo
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released copies of redacted emails on Wednesday that detail the involvement of the head of the ATF in a controversial gun-tracking program as early as March of 2010.
The emails strike a stark contrast to letters the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) have sent to lawmakers in which they denied selling assault weapons to known and suspected straw purchasers for drug cartels and claimed that they made every effort to prevent weapons from going to Mexico.
In one of the emails, released by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), with the subject heading, “Director’s questions,” the supervisor of the “Fast and Furious” operation wrote to the assistant special agent in charge of Phoenix field operations with an Internet Protocol address for one of the video monitoring units in a gun store which was authorized to sell guns to the suspects.
The emails seem to indicate that ATF acting-director Kenneth Melson had asked for this information.
“With this information, acting Director Melson was able to sit at his desk in Washington and – himself – watch a live feed of the straw buyers entering the gun stores to purchase dozens of AK-47 variants,” said a Republican committee statement.
Earlier this year, in response to a letter from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to Melson asking him about his knowledge of the gun-tracking operation, the Justice Department wrote the senator and denied knowingly selling assault weapons to straw purchasers and stated that it made every effort to prevent weapons from going to Mexico.
In another email on March 10, 2010, the assistant special agent in charge of Phoenix field operations wrote to the supervisor of the “Fast and Furious” operation and said, “Not sure if you know, but Mr. Melson and Mr. Hoover are being briefed weekly on this investigation and the recent success with [redacted] so they are both keenly interested in case updates.”
The release of the emails come as Issa was holding a hearing on the gun-tracking program with ATF agents.
He had the technical data to be able to watch live feeds of straw purchases? Kinda cuts deep on the question of “What did he know and when did he know it?”.
This isn’t a leak, this is a flat-out shot across the bow. Fire for Effect, Rep. Issa!
Did WaPo, NYT and the LAT send reports and enlist the public to read those emails showing our own Government sent arms to the cartels?
No, that’s not a story. Sarah’s e-mails are.
We are in Bizarro World and I fear this will not end up in a pretty place.
That’s gonna leave a mark.
Amen!
Feds trying to set up the 2nd amendment for demise—plain and simple. Create and execute a gun-running crisis—blame it on your right to bear arms. Cut the citizens’ legs off, disarm them and then slap them around like the slaves they are. Mission accomplished. Except the fraud blew up in their faces. Yeah—trust them. They love you.
Time to send these jack boot traitors to jail, IN MEXICO!
The answer is ‘No, of course not!’. The media in this country isn’t about reporting/investigating what happened, its about propaganda and making news (lying).
That this is the case is just about beyond question. However, I'd like to see emails and/or testimony about who came up with the idea and who gave the orders to sell guns to the cartels in order to use the "American guns are supplying the drug cartels" meme to disarm American citizens. The only question is whether it was Obama or Holder - my money is on Holder, because Odumbo doesn't get involved in any details of anything, except golf and b'ball games.
Issa has testicles? Who knew?
The ATFE is a very sick and dangerous agency.
I’m kind of surprised the ATF survived Waco. Their victims didn’t.
I’m plain to see that the Real United States is being governed by governed by the Bizzaro World.
What gunstore would agree to this?
Store owner: So, you want me to sell guns to illegals, and you promise you won’t prosecte me?
ATF agent: Yes, we promise.
Who would go for that?
It is gonna get crowded under the Re-Elect Obama Bus!
The real question is the following, “will holder or the head of the ATF fall on their sword for Obama?”
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