Posted on 08/01/2011 8:22:36 PM PDT by neverdem
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the ATF's "Fast and Furious" or "Gunwalker" scandal, which appears to reach the highest levels of the Justice Department. Read the whole magazine article here, but the short version is that the Justice Department knowingly allowed thousands of weapons to fall in the hands of criminals in Mexico that were then used to kill U.S. law enforcement agents.
Well, today a bombshell dropped. It's not just the Justice Department that looks culpable -- it looks like the White House was briefed on the operation as well:
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.
For various reasons relating to the White House's gun policies and relations with Mexico, many have speculated that the White House was involved. (This involves a lot of political posturing on guns by the White House, which I explain in detail in my piece mentioned above.) But this is the first concrete proof that the White House knew what was going on.
If the White House knew what was going on, this is a very, very serious charge. Did the White House knowingly let guns fall into the hands of criminals to make the case for more liberal gun laws? I imagine GOP congressional investigators will proceed cautiously here, but Fast and Furious so far has been a slow-burning, if deadly serious scandal. But a deep exploration of the level of White House involvement now seems warranted. The scandal may have just become huge.
And the State-run, Lame-Stream media reaction is:
Not surprised. This was likely to be an example of why gun control is needed in this country. Didn’t turn out like Obama and his minions expected. In fact, nothing surprises me about the Obama administration.
Of course they did. But the ObamaMedia cannot tell the truth about their Obamessiah. More’s the pity.
Keep your powder dry.
No disrespect but a 3rd grader could figure this out - except that person hasn't had yrs of experience to follow the dots. 7-1 odds that you are correct. This is your corrupt America today, FReepers.
Yup, sorry to say ... you got that right.
I’d like to hear some commentary on this by Oliver North, Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.
Gunwalker: Smoking Gun Email?An internal ATF email seems to support the assertion that Fast and Furious was a PR stunt for gun control.
PJM’s Bob Owens has long speculated that the primary reason for Operation Fast and Furious was to perpetuate the lie that 90 percent of illegal firearms in Mexico were from the United States.
Owens’ assertion was buoyed on Wednesday by internal ATF emails obtained by Townhall.com. One email reads:
"Can you see if these guns were all purchased from the same FfL and at one time. We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales. Thanks Mark R. Chait Assistant Director Field Operations."
Bombshell? More like a dud.
If you are only reading/hearing about this here on FR, you really need to get out more...
Gun Control is a 3 inch group at 100 yards using iron sights.
It is easy to deduce even without the smoking gun that the White House not only knew but signed off on Fast & Furious, because if they were not, Obama and Holder would have come down on those responsible like a ton of bricks for being a political embarrassment and liability, and the agents and gun dealers involved would be out on bail awaiting trial for trafficking weapons under the color of law. But they aren’t so the White House knew.
Again, not only did the White House know about it, Obamajaad ordered it a funded it with stimulus money, not once, but three times. And Holder himself briefed el presidente Calderon himself on it in Cuernavaca in April 2009. In fact, bragged about it. This job was cooked up on the orders of the White House and DOJ and implemented by Panetta and Napitolano, after which Hillary Clinton got up along with Obamajaad stood at microphones blaming lax US gun laws for Mexico’s problems when in fact THEY sold and shipped 2500 guns into Mexico deliberately. And there’s an email from a DOJ operative to an ATF operative telling them to continue to sell the guns to support statistical data needed to affect regulation of gun sales.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZj6XMRzIB4&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090402.html
More like the start of a Vince Foster book.
Yeah; this is “old news” but I have no problem with someone posting old news as long as it’s good news. This is good news. This thing could make Watergate look like a Kindergarten field trip to the zoo.
Emails to White House didn't mention gun sting
In the LA Times story, not the excerpt I'm linking:
Newell did not mention Fast and Furious, but the goals he outlined to O'Reilly closely matched the intent of the program, which Newell oversaw.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/28/nation/la-na-fast-furious-emails-20110729
Then there's Operation Castaway to Honduras. These clowns need lawyers.
Thanks for the link. I saw that memo.
Threadwinner!
The “fox in the hen house” will not be prosecuted by another fox.
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