Posted on 09/03/2011 5:25:11 AM PDT by marktwain
CBS News has obtained a series of emails that show the White House had more information on ATF's controversial Fast and Furious operation than previously disclosed. But administration officials insists nobody at the White House knew specifically that ATF was allowing guns to "walk" into the hands of suspected gun traffickers for Mexican drug cartels.
ATF allegedly allowed more than two thousand assault rifles and other weapons to fall into the hands of suspects from late fall of 2009 through 2010.
The emails indicate three White House officials were briefed on gun trafficking efforts that included Fast and Furious. The officials are Kevin O'Reilly, then-director of North American Affairs, now assigned to the State Department; Dan Restrepo, senior Latin American advisory; and Greg Gatjanis, a national security official.
The White House officials were provided information on Fast and Furious and other border gun trafficking efforts through what an administration source calls "back channels" by ATF's then-Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix Bill Newell. "...don't want ATF HQ to find out, especially since this is what they should be doing (briefing you)," Newell wrote in an email to the White House's O'Reilly on July 28, 2010. Newell has since been transferred out of that post.
An administration source describes the emails as colleagues sharing information about a gun trafficking initiative. On July 28, 2010 O'Reilly emails Newell: "Just an informal 'how's it going?" Newell replied by reporting good progress in efforts to stop gun trafficking to Mexico, and gave specific anecdotes. "This is great; very informative," O'Reilly replies.
In another email to O'Reilly at the White House on Aug. 18, 2010, Newell expresses frustration with the US Attorney's request to have agents in trafficking cases "physically inspect the firearms (that turn up) in Mexico... to show the jury that (it) was part of a trafficking scheme." Newell complains, "Other districts don't require this but hey it's Arizona." Newell went on to explain the difficulties in getting Mexico to cooperate on its end. "...it won't take many more times of having doors slammed in (agent's) faces by the Mexicans before they give up..." The US Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke resigned this week. His lead prosecutor in Phoenix who had advised ATF on Fast and Furious has been moved out of the criminal division.
The emails taken alone neither prove nor disprove whether White House officials knew that ATF was monitoring as weapons were sold to suspected gun traffickers, then let on the street without interdiction. However, an administration source vehemently denies anybody at the White House knew the controversial tactic known as "letting guns walk," was being used. "These e-mails exchanges show nothing more than an effort to give local color to a policy initiative that was designed to give more resources to help with the border problem. They don't even contain the name 'Fast and Furious' until February 2011." The administration official adds: "The emails validate what has been said previously, which is no one at the White House knew about the investigative tactics being used in the operation, let alone any decision to let guns walk.."
The three email chains showing ATF made contact with White House officials are from: July 28- Aug. 11, 2010; Aug. 18, 2010; and Feb. 11, 2011. The third chain happened after the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona. Two weapons ATF allegedly let "walk" were found at the murder scene. That case is not referenced in the emails. The administration has not said whether the emails represent the only written White House communications on the case.
The email chains indicate there were also phone conversations between ATF's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell and the White House's Kevin O'Reilly. The content of those conversations has not been disclosed.
Correction: In an earlier version of this report, CBS News reported that an administration official claimed certain emails weren't related to Fast and Furious, then later acknowledged they probably were. In fact, the official did not change his representation: the emails discussed were two different sets of emails.
I was talking about his inner cabinet. Hilary, Biden, and Holden and whomever else.
Even though he might not speak to them much, they probably still keep him informed of things like FAF, at the very least to provide cover.
IMHO, AG Holder, with his imperial majesty, concocted and hatched a plan to traffic guns to the Mexican drug cartels and then were going to seize those guns and trace them back (not a big deal since you were the source to begin with) to shady (immunity covered) gun dealers in an effort to convince the public that despite the explicit guarantee of the 2nd amendment, the time had come to stop the manufacturing, sale and transfer of guns in these violence proned, United States. But damn it, those stupid cartels, instead of killing innocent Americans (acceptable collateral damage), they used the guns to kill their rivals. In other words, their well laid plans figuratively, blew up in their face. Now that they have been caught, a cover up that makes Watergate seem like the 3rd rate burglary that it was, is being full court pressed. Yet to be determined is whether a John Dean can be found to spill the beans and tie it directly to the oval office. No doubt the leftists in this administration have stronger loyalty to their messiah than they do to the Truth or the Law. The only thing sadder than the original sin and cover up will be the fact that they will never be held accountable for every death their damnable plan permitted.
The president knew.
I think that’s basically what happened, but I also believe this was more than a scheme to undermine the 2nd Amendment. I think that because they apparently provided miltary grade weaponry to the drug cartels, too.
If a picture was found of Obama signing the order to proceed with the operation nothing would happen.
It’s the half black race card.
They posted His birth certificate on the Whith House web site full of sloppy Adobie Illustrator cover ups that every one saw.
Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen.
Sharyl Attkisson of CBS news has done by far the best mainstream media coverage of this story since early this year, well before Eric Holder even knew about the gunwalking (if you believe Eric Holder).
(Hoping no sarcasm tag is needed)
The way he knew what was said in that church he attended for 20 years?
FYI..Politico has a story today about the WH emails and 3 who may ahved known something ( I won’t link to that POS)..but it does sound like the story is gaining legs..traction..all the MSM see themselves as Woodward/Bernstein..and as Obama weakens in the polls, and it looks more likely that he can’t win..then he becomes fair game..and they start to pile on..
“...we’re going to pursue gun control under the radar...”
This Obama statement tells all you need to know about how high the gunwalker scandal.
NIXON!
It made me wonder if there were some things bubbling under the surface that had turned him into a praying man, as in "Holy *bleep*, we're in big, big trouble".
Related to that is the fact that Obama made claims which ended up being false, but would have been "true" if things had gone according to plan. What basis would Obama have had for believing it, if he didn't know according to the plan? The only way one could defend Obama would be to say that he's such a liar he made his statements without needing any basis, and--had whoever's plan worked--he would simply have gotten "lucky". Not exactly a roaring endorsement of Obama, and I'm not sure it should be sufficient to constitute "reasonable doubt", but it would be a vaguely plausible defense.
You’re probably right, but this crew is pretty inept. As his presidency slides into the abyss, Obama becomes a liability to the left. It seems as if they just keep digging the hole deeper on Fast and Furious. They’re already making transfers and sideways promotions. Remember, nobody died because of the bad vetting on the birth certificate. Bodies are stacking up for this scandal. CBS and the LA Times are, uncharacteristically, keeping the story alive in the MSM. One thing for sure, it isn’t helping the Democrat cause. Now that the NRA has started the drumbeat for a special prosecutor, we may have a game changer. Should Holder be by passed as the investigatory gatekeeper, everything is up for grabs. A “picture” probably would be explained away, but lots of underlings turning state’s evidence to save their own hides is another matter. I intend to pop up some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Bump
Precisely. It was Obama’s very own damn Reichstag Fire with the goal of ending 2nd Amendment Rights for Americans everywhere. Too bad the little Kenyan Stalinist sh!tstain isn’t going to get away with this.
Who knew?
Holder, Napolitano, Clinton, Omullah, and twinkle toes Emmanuel. And Calderon, and the Mexican Marines. And ATF, FBI, DEA drones taking the fall for it.
This is a Barack Hussein Obama directed marxist nationalist socialist attack on the creator-endowed-right of the people to keep and bear arms in this republic.
That 2nd amendment attack on the Constitution was Obama’s idea. American government causing illegal sales of arms to mexican criminal narcotrafficantes: no low level ATF or FBI or DEA guy is going to think up something like that and do it as a rogue operation - it has to be ordered from the top to be so widespread with no repercussions now that we have a dead border patrol agent, and congressional investigation block and coverup by Obama’s goons.
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