Operation Gunrunner was funded by the 2009 Stimulus Package

7/7/2011 | Domandred

[Domandred]

Something about Project Gunrunner (gunwalker, fast and furious) has been bugging me but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

This morning when I woke up I remember seeing Project Gunrunner in a bill that was discussed here. The original thread about it was a rumor thread that HR45 had been rolled into the stimulus package.

In that thread I scanned the text of H.R.1 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for gun, firearm, etc and came up with a hit.

I posted in the thread: "Only time “gun” or “firearm” appears is in the part that give $10,000,000 to the ATF for Project Gunrunner. That was H.R. 495, asking for 15,000,000 for Gunrunner".

H.R. 495 that I mentioned never made it out of committee, but it looks as it was to specifically fund Gunrunner.

Instead portions of it were rolled into the stimulus package a month later. That text found in H.R.1 is:

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.

Notice that's $40,000,000 for Southern border enforcement, $10,000,000 of which specifically for Project Gunrunner. What does $10 million pay for here? It didn't hire any new agents that I am aware of.

What this tells me is that several congressmen also had knowledge of what Gunrunner was going to entail. This isn't just the ATF and DOJ. This is all levels and areas of government. Even members of the House and Senate knew what Project Gunrunner was.

[Liz]

I, for one, do not believe any of the propaganda that comes over the border.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

GREAT CATCH!!!!!

I’ve zapped this to Drudge and hope he’ll post it!

[Fresh Wind]

We need a means of having this sort of investigation conducted by people outside of Washington and that doesn’t mean people chosen by politicians.

Maybe the media can help us with this. They did such a good job with Watergate, after all.

[Liberty Valance]

bttt

[sweetiepiezer]

Could you add me to your list.
Thanks for all your hard work.

[Iron Munro]

The “Shovel Ready” shovels will be out now as the Obama’s minions work hard to bury this before it lands on his desk.

[shotgun]

700 mistaken congressional districts... There are only 435 districts to friggin begin with! The extra 700 must be in the extra 9 states that Obama was talking about (”been to all 57 states with a couple more to go”)

[presently no screen name]

Did you send it to Rush, Mark, Sean?

[toolman1401]

Hey, they had to pass it to know what was in it (heavy sarcasm intended). If they knew funding for it was in the bill, then aren’t they complicit? This is why they will not be screaming for further investigations nor the indictments of the administration that are neck deep in the scandal.

[USNBandit]

What does $10 million pay for here? It didn't hire any new agents that I am aware of.

It went for above budget costs of running the operation. Per diem, travel expenses, overtime/night/Sunday premium pay, undercover costs, etc.

That being said, even before it came to light that ATF was dumping guns on the streets, their inspector general had already started investigating the use of these funds. I think one of the big offices spent $1.5 million in these funds and netted 6 arrests and 12 guns total. A complete waste of money.

[stephenjohnbanker]

shovel-ready corpses......

[HammerT]

And undertakers

[RhoTheta]

Full auto ping

[opentalk]

For some reason Drudge seems to be ignoring, or holding off on this issue.

[Liz]

There are 57 Muslim states.

[mickie]

Great work. Thank you FReepers.....you are wonderful!

[publiusF27]

F&F only let them go up until Agent Terry was killed. After that, the straw buyers were rounded up and the stonewall erected.

[Arrowhead1952]

Here is the thread.

[Durus]

Where is your proof for this statement.

[publiusF27]

As reported in February by Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News, who has done great reporting on this from the beginning. I follow her on Twitter.

Then, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered. The serial numbers on the two assault rifles found at the scene matched two rifles ATF watched Jaime Avila buy in Phoenix nearly a year before. Officials won't answer whether the bullet that killed Terry came from one of those rifles. But the nightmare had come true: "walked" guns turned up at a federal agent's murder.

"You feel like s***. You feel for the parents," one ATF veteran told us.

Hours after Agent Terry was gunned down, ATF finally arrested Avila. They've since indicted 34 suspected gunrunners in the same group. But the indictment makes no mention of Terry's murder, and no one is charged in his death.

Agent Terry was killed and they decided it was time to fold the tents, round up the straw buyers, declare the operation a success, and stonewall, stonewall, stonewall.