More federal agencies implicated in gun-trafficking controversy (FBI, DEA, Oh My...)

The Los Angeles Times ^ | July 6, 2011, 3:27 p.m. | Richard A. Serrano

[Smogger]

Reporting from Washington— The embattled head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has told congressional investigators that the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration kept his agency "in the dark" about their dealings with Mexican drug cartel figures linked to a controversial gun-trafficking investigation.

Kenneth Melson, the ATF's acting director, has been under pressure to resign over the agency's handling of the gun-trafficking operation, known as Fast and Furious. But in two days of meetings with investigators, Melson disclosed that other law enforcement agencies had a connection to the operation. His statements sharply ratcheted up the affair, and strongly suggested that House and Senate investigations, as well as an internal review by the Justice Department, will widen.

"Our investigation has clearly expanded," one source close to the investigation said Wednesday. "We know now it was not something limited to just a small group of ATF agents in Arizona."

[Lil Flower]

>>>>HMMMMM....we need to find this video! Obama is giving aid and comfort to the drug cartels in Mexico! This is an impeachable offense.<<<<

I’m not as up to date on this as I should be, so this may deem like a dumb question but, do we know if this started during the Obama Administration or did this start with Bush?

[Lil Flower]

Deem = seem.

[FlyingEagle]

Yes, and now the head of CIA is now Defence Secretary.

[TLI]

Can anyone explain what they possibly hoped to accomplish with this exercise?

Issa is ON it!

So finally, Congressman Issa came out and asked Special Agent Forcelli if the real objective might not be much more sinister (also in sidebar video):

Issa: I am going to follow a line of questioning I think I have been seeing develop throughout here with law enforcement experts. You have two points, you know the old expression, you connect the dots. The first point is the straw buyer; the last point is the scene of the crime. You've said, each of you, Special Agents, that in this case, as soon as you got to the next point of connect the dots, you were generally sent the other direction. You were not allowed to go beyond that next point. You weren't even allowed to follow that next point, even when they headed north with the weapons.

Now, if an operation like Fast and Furious seems to have a pattern, a consistent pattern, that you're only looking for two points--the beginning and the end--it's not a criminal prosecution. It's not an effective one. Plus, of course, if you take the logic that you can't prosecute a straw purchaser if the gun is in Mexico, if you take that point, then that part of it was frivolous from the start, even though today, every one of those straw purchasers has been charged, oddly enough, with the evidence that was available before that gun ever walked beyond the first step.

So let me just ask a question for your supposition, but I think it's a very well educated one. If you only look at the beginning and the end of the dot, isn't the only thing you've proven is that guns in America go to Mexico? Now could that be a political decision? Could that be a decision that basically, we just want to substantiate that guns in America go to Mexico--something we all knew, but would have considerable political impact, as Mexico began complaining about these, and they could say, "Well, yeah--we're even rolling up the straw purchasers." It wouldn't change the fact that Mexicans were dying at the behest of the United States, but wouldn't it ultimately meet a political goal?

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-st-louis/issa-asks-the-question-at-gunwalker-hearing-anti-gunners-scramble-for-excuses?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Darrell Issa...

.

[SaraJohnson]

I really wonder if Obama is not feeding the cartels with this move. He armed them and he opened the borders wide for them to come into the US and set up shop.

He’s crooked and so is Holder. Republicans will make sure no one goes to jail or loses their jobs for doing this...as usual.

[RummyChick]

I wonder if he could have ever dreamed..at the time of this statement..just how his role would play out in American History.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/02/AR2011010201493.html

He could bring it all down....if he has the guts to try to take down this Presidency.

I hope they go all the way with this..there is no way Obama didn’t know about it.

I hope Obama is practicing his LBJ speech.

[OregonPatriot2010]

I don’t believe he’d involve Congress. More likely he’d sign an Executive Order under some sort of “national emergency”

[TLI]

I hope Obama is practicing his LBJ speech.

It starts with a bang!

The Republican congressman who is taking over responsibility for congressional oversight called President Obama's administration "one of the most corrupt administrations"

Like songbirds in the spring...

.

[MurrietaMadman]

The corruption among law enforcement in this country is rampant, from the smallest city PD all the way up to the Dept of Justice...

Wait a minute... The three strategic goals listed in the department’s 2008 Citizens’ Report are: prevent terrorism and promote the nation’s security; prevent crime, enforce federal laws and represent the rights and interests of the American people; and ensure the fair and efficient administration of justice.

Sez so right here
http://www.whorunsgov.com/Institutions/Justice

[Monorprise]

Im tempted to just want to turn the whole lot over to Mexico for whatever Mexico wants to do to them.

As far as I’m concerned while theses officers are not guilty of the crime Mexico causes them of, they are guilty of un-constitutional activity inherit in their unauthorized job.

If our corrupt courts wont try them for their crimes at least Mexico might try some of them for other crimes.

I am after all, in the FBI’s own tradition, not above sending Al Capone to jail for tax evasion.

[GladesGuru]

“Ruh-oh!” is an English level of understatement.

What we are seeing is a conspiracy of the uniformed, acting under color of law and authority, to infringe upon the guarantees of Constitution.

Felony time ! ! !

[ponygirl]

Where can I find the White House insider articles? I remember seeing them once, but can’t seem to track back to them.

[ponygirl]

It would be nice if this investigation eventually brought down the entire Oval Office occupant’s edifice before November... of 2011. Impeach now. Biden ‘11. Live the dream - a one year Biden presidency.

They would martyr their own messiah before they would allow that to happen. And blame it on the Republicans.

[MestaMachine]

The blowback/cya from doj has begun:

http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/07/justice-department-snipes-back-at-issa-grassley/

Justice Department snipes back at Issa, Grassley

Attorney General Eric Holder’s deputies hit back at allegations of investigation stonewalling made by House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, late Wednesday.

Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich accused Issa and Grassley of ginning up controversy and claims their allegations of the Department of Justices ’s transparency failure aren’t true.

[tallyhoe]

Goes all the way to the top! Where the buck stops! This was all about pinning this on Gun Dealers and Gun Shows to shut them down!

[MestaMachine]

Crossposted to TM:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2714998/posts?page=296#296

[Enchante]

"That letter was a 16 inch shell over the DOJ’s bow. Issa and Grassley are playing a very complicated game of chess with the Obama (mal)administration, not a game of checkers, and that requires, to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, that you talk softly and carry a big stick."

LOL, a few more metaphors needed, please!

Just teasing, thanks for your explanations on these threads, what an amazing (and awful) case which ought to be at least Holder-gate before we are through.....

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

“Mierda Initiative?”

Maybe you are making a joke. “Mierda” means “s==t.” Maybe you already knew that?

[caww]

HEADS UP!... in case folks missed this Wed.

“LANDMARK US-MEXICO TRUCKING AGREEMENT SIGNED WEDNESDAY”.....

Mexican truckers will now be rolling from Mexico all across our country.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2011/0706/Landmark-US-Mexico-trucking-agreement-resolves-15-year-conflict

Just what we need....guns will roll now as well.

[Aroostook25]

“What did the President know and when did he know it?”

Impeach!

Maybe the Democrats doing it to Obama will be the only way they can rescue themselves.