ATF Manager says he shared Fast and Furious Info with White House

CBS News ^ | 7/26/11 | Sharyl Attkisson

[Nachum]

At a lengthy hearing on ATF's controversial gunwalking operation today, 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. Newell said the two are longtime friends. The content of what Newell shared with O'Reilly is unclear and wasn't fully explored at the hearing.

It's the first time anyone has publicly stated that a White House official had any familiarity with ATF's operation Fast and Furious, which allowed thousands of weapons to fall into the hands of suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels in an attempt to gain intelligence. It's unknown as to whether O'Reilly shared information with anybody else at the White House.

Congressional investigators obtained an email from Newell to O'Reilly in September of last year in which Newell began with the words: "you didn't get this from me."

"What does that mean," one member of Congress asked Newell, " 'you didn't get this from me?' "

"Obviously he was a friend of mine," Newell replied, "and I shouldn't have been sending that to him."

Newell told Congress that O'Reilly had asked him for information.

[Jess79]

It’s working.

[drypowder]

The Obozo has stated publicly that he is working behind the scenes on gun control. The Obozo, Hitlery, Babs Boxer, and other gov officials have stated publicly that 90% of the weapons in Mexico come from the US. The reasoning that the DOJ has given for the Fast and Furious program was so the ATF could tract those weapons to drug cartels in Mexico as to build evidence for prosecution. It could be just me but that reasoning is weak at best but more likely an out right lie. I surmise the whole operation was to build data in order to sway public opinion because the Obozo administration was planning to push for mandated registration for all firearms in the US. The last bastion of freedom we have in this country is our right to bare firearms. This current government, through UN treaty, fabricated data and scare tactics obviously wants to change that. More of that Hope and Change folks.

[LegalAlien1949]

CBS has been on this from the start. Atkisson virtually broke it.”

Not quite true. CBS was only the first MSM outfit to get on the bus.
THis whole story was brought to the front by two online bloggers, Mike Vanderboegh of SipseystreetIrregulars and David Codrea or Gunrights Examiner, wayyyyyy back in December of 2010, shortly after the murder of Border agent Brian Terry.
Other ‘traditional’ news agencies, including CBS, were dragged kicking and screaming into the fray, with some still in full denial.

[blackie]

Go get ‘em!!

[mrmeyer]

Watergate didn’t get anyone killed either. Nothing short of treason charges will do for this tyranny.

[bayouranger]

BTTT!

[rdcbn]

After Melson’s testimony and this Newell testimony, a lot of mid level appointees who have been covering this thing up are going to realize

1) The facts are going to come out one way or another
2) A lot of very serious laws have been broken by their misconduct
3) As a result of their misconduct a lot of people were murdered including American and Mexican law enforcement agents, Mexican politicians, Mexican prosecuting Attorneys and a lot of innocent civilians
4) Their misuse of Executive Privilege to to cover up is digging them a deeper and deeper hole for obnstrtion of justice.
5) Their co workers are stupid enough to document their misconduct in official correspondence so there is an evidence trail.
6) To avoid criminal prosecution and career destruction they better follow Melson’s lead and get a lawyer of their own and cut a deal to turn states evidence in return for immunity

Issa is going to start squeezing the mid and high level people to get the guys at the top - and this goes straight to the top. No way could low level people approve this kind of operation on their own.

This has a distinct Janet Napolitano / Eric Holder never let a good crisis go to waste feel to it.

As an interesting aside, anyone notice how the much of the violence in Mexico has trailed off since the new Republicans were sworn into office and the Issa investigations on Fast and Furious started getting traction. it's still bad but not like it was earlier and a lot of the , especially the headline grabbing types of brazen bloody atrocities we were seeing while this administration was on it's big “US guns are driving the violence in Mexico” PR offensive.

Very unusual

[Beaten Valve]

*

[Nachum]

Popcorn time!

[mad_as_he$$]

My take is Issa already knew that and let the word out so the ATF bastards aren't willing to take the rap for perjury.

[yarddog]

This has the potential, no this is the biggest scandal in history of the nation.

It is bigger than Teapot Dome, much bigger than Watergate, Iran Contra was not even a real scandal, but a manufactured one.

This is just the opposite. The media is sitting on this one and basically trying to ignore it.

Unfortunately, I think they are going to succeed. If the average American doesn’t see it on news, it didn’t happen.

[Go Gordon]

Now you know why Obama is toying around with the debt ceiling, credit rating, default rumors, threatening SS check recipients, etc. It’s all a smoke screen to keep the media pre-occupied so Obama doesn’t get impeached, and the entire democratic party get tarnished with this.

[MurrietaMadman]

If the average American doesn’t see it on news, it didn’t happen.

Take out some advertising space in the local newspaper. It wouldn't be the first time paid advertising brought an issue to light.

[Dead Corpse]

Not sure actual Treason charges would stick. Specific conditions would have to be met.

If you can make a case for it, let's get the paperwork rolling.

Yes, I'm dead serious.

[Noumenon]

I surmise the whole operation was to build data in order to sway public opinion because the Obozo administration was planning to push for mandated registration for all firearms in the US.

For many of us, that's a line in the sand issue. A butcher's bill payable in blood.

[B4Ranch]

>>I am smiling. Yes. Grinning even.<<

Why?

[Liz]

NOTE This nails all of them.....0bama, Clinton, Incompetano, and Holder.

AG Holder discussed "Project Gun Runner" in April 2009 in Mexico.
FR POSTED Friday, July 08, 2011 by Glock The Vote
SOURCE: DOJ release | April 2, 2009

US Attorney General Eric Holder at the Mexico/United States Arms Trafficking Conference CUERNAVACA, MEXICO ~ Thursday, April 2, 2009 Remarks as prepared for delivery.

ATTY GEN HOLDER: First, let me express my thanks to (Mexican) Attorney General Medina Mora and Secy of Government Gomez Mont for making this conference possible. This is my first trip to another country as Attorney General.

I wanted to come to Mexico to deliver a single message: We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this fight against the narcotics cartels. The United States shares responsibility for this problem and we will take responsibility by joining our Mexican counterparts in every step...

And, together, we will win – thanks in large part to the courage of my Mexican colleagues here today, who are on the front lines every day, and with whom I am proud to collaborate.

The topic that has been addressed over the past two days could not be more important – the development of an arms trafficking prosecution and enforcement strategy on both sides of the border.

I would like to thank the Mexican and U.S. experts who have worked so hard on this issue. On our side, Secretary Napolitano and I are committed to putting the resources in place to increase our attack on arms trafficking into Mexico.

Last week, our administration launched a major new effort to break the backs of the cartels. My department is committing 100 new ATF personnel to the Southwest border in the next 100 days to supplement our ongoing Project Gunrunner, DEA is adding 16 new positions on the border, as well as mobile enforcement teams, and the FBI is creating a new intelligence group focusing on kidnapping and extortion.

DHS is making similar commitments, as Secretary Napolitano will detail. But as today’s conference has emphasized, the problem of arms trafficking will not be stopped at the border alone. Rather, as our experts emphasized, this is a problem that must be met as part of a comprehensive attack against the cartels – an attack in depth, on both sides of the border, that focuses on the leadership and assets of the cartel.

This is the type of full-bore, prosecution-driven approach that the U.S. Department of Justice took to dismantle La Cosa Nostra – once the most powerful organized crime group operating in the United States. With partners like those we have here today, I am confident that together, we will defeat these narcotics cartels in exactly the same way. I am proud to stand with you, and to join you in this fight.

Thank you again for inviting me here. ####

======================================

REFERENCE----WHAT IS THE MERIDA INITIATIVE? The US Congress passed legislation in late June 2008 to provide Mexico with $400 million and Central American countries with $65 million that year alone, for the specific purpose of "fighting drug wars." The initiative was announced 22 Oct 2007 and signed into law June 30, 2008.

========================================

REFERENCE America's Third War: Is the U.S. Arming Mexican Cartels?
FoxNews.com | May 31, 2011 | William La Jeunesse
FR Posted on Thursday, June 02, 2011 by neverdem

If you ever watch video or look at pictures of Mexican drug wars, you see some pretty heavy weapons. It is a war being waged with rockets and plastic explosives, not pea shooters and Saturday Night Specials.

Consider these incidents:- A M26A2 fragmentation grenade used against a U.S. Consulate in Mexico in 2008 - Explosive projectiles and 21 grenades found during a raid in Guadalupe - An unexploded grenade and pull ring used to attack a TV station in Monterrey - Automatic weapons, including U.S.-made M16s, found at a cartel crime scene in May 2009- U.S. military-issued ammunition found in a cartel raid in Reynosa in November 2008. You can't buy this stuff at a U.S. gun store. So where do the cartels get it?

According to leaked diplomatic cables, there are three sources.

1. US Defense Department shipments to Latin America, known and tracked by the US State Department as "foreign military sales."

2. Weapons ordered by the Mexican government, tracked by the State Department as "direct commercial sales."

3. Aging, but plentiful arsenals of military weapon stores in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Even though these facts were well-known by the Obama administration, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder, it blamed much of the violence in Mexico on US gun shops. "More than 90% of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States, many from gun shops that line our border," President Obama said in February 2009.

That was contested, but few listened to gun store owners and former vets like Lynn Kartchner, owner of Allsafe Security, a gun shop in Douglas, Ariz...(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com

CHART PROVIDED BY FREEPER DR PIX

The above chart (of firearms seized in Mexico) shows Mexican cartels illegally acquired tens of thousands or firearms from either the Mexican Military or Central America, that are seized every year, according to more reliable source than the propaganda organs of the Obama Regime.

[Nachum]

Why smile?

Because it is another piece of the puzzle that keeps the story growing and directly connecting it to the White House.

(note to self: buy more popcorn)

[no dems]

FOX News needs to be all over this....relentlessly. This needs to be brought to light. I agree; this is bigger than Watergate and the Teapot Dome scandals. Watergate was a 2nd rate burglary and Teapot Dome involved bribes for Government Contracts but no government officials, law enforcement officers and many others we killed in those scandals like this one. This could be really, really BIG!!!
Where is Bill O'Reilly on this?

[Gaffer]

“So....WHO DID YOU TELL, WHEN DID YOU TELL THEM and WHAT DID YOU TELL THEM? These three questions should echo through every government hearing and chamber until Obama and Holder are charged.