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ATF Gunwalker: Who at the White House knew?
cbsnews.com ^ | 2 September, 2011 | Sharyl Attkisson

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.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; fastandfurious; gunwalker; holder; whitehouse
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More information on the gunwalker scandal.
1 posted on 09/03/2011 5:25:15 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain

See BS must have really had a tough time reporting this....buh-bye holder, you POS racist...


2 posted on 09/03/2011 5:28:48 AM PDT by God luvs America (63.5million pay no federal income tax then vote demoKrat)
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To: marktwain

Any rational person would conclude that the president had to have known about this.


3 posted on 09/03/2011 5:31:54 AM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified Decartes))
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To: marktwain
There is a simple what-if scenario that strongly suggests the White House knew and probably authorized it. Let's suppose the WH had no knowledge. That this was all some local stuff cooked up by some ATF field agents and otherwise shielded from higher ups. The day the story exploded, Holder would have been fired, and the WH would have put all their resources into finding the culprits who brought this scandal and total embarrassment to the Oval Office. Heads would roll. As of yet, none of that has happened. Instead potential whistle blowers have been kicked upstairs and laterally to further insulate them from legal scrutiny and buy their silence.
4 posted on 09/03/2011 5:36:34 AM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: MestaMachine

Gunwalker ping.


5 posted on 09/03/2011 5:39:55 AM PDT by marktwain (In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
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To: SumProVita

Obama would know anything that anybody in his cabinet knew.


6 posted on 09/03/2011 5:40:23 AM PDT by Jonty30
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To: marktwain

Tic-Toc; drip...drip...drip; Tic-Toc...

KABOOM!


7 posted on 09/03/2011 5:41:44 AM PDT by CharlesThe Hammer
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To: SpaceBar

Very good point.


8 posted on 09/03/2011 5:42:19 AM PDT by Grut
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To: MestaMachine

Gunwalker ping.


9 posted on 09/03/2011 5:42:47 AM PDT by marktwain (In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
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To: God luvs America
Curiously, CBS is the only MSM outlet that has consistently provided coverage of this debacle.
10 posted on 09/03/2011 5:43:40 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (I want a Triple A president for our Triple A country)
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To: SpaceBar

How deep is Rahm Emanuel in all of this?


11 posted on 09/03/2011 5:43:40 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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Comment #12 Removed by Moderator

To: marktwain

who cares? if obama always makes it bush’s fault, then obama is to blame for this one


13 posted on 09/03/2011 5:47:14 AM PDT by bestintxas (Somewhere in Kenya, a Village is missing its Idiot.)
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To: marktwain; Jonty30
So, they've picked out the "Fall guys" and See-BS is now putting out the hit on these three low level whitehouse staffers.

Jonty30 wrote:
Obama would know anything that anybody in his cabinet knew.
What makes you say that. Obama almost never meets with or speaks to his cabinet Secretaries.

Here's what one "former White House strategist" said to NY Magazine back in January:

From The West Wing, Season II, in NY Magazine, Jan 23, 2011
“What you had was really three or four people running the entire government,” says the former White House strategist. “I thought they put a pretty good Cabinet together, but most of those guys might as well be in the witness-protection program.”
I'm not sure if Holder is in the "three or four people runnning the entire government," I think he is.

I think these staffers are among those who might as well be in the witness protection program. Especially now.

This President doesn't hear from his cabinet members because he won't listen to them. They aren't important to him. He only cares about his idealogues and personal worshippers. He doesn't want advice, and he doesn't listen to anything that doesn't support/advance him.

14 posted on 09/03/2011 5:54:14 AM PDT by cc2k ( If having an "R" makes you conservative, does walking into a barn make you a horse's (_*_)?)
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To: cc2k

Obama reminds me of all the software programers I met over the years who want to GET the job, feel they are so superior to everyone else in thatjob, but don’t ever actually DO the job, or know how to once they are hired


15 posted on 09/03/2011 5:56:29 AM PDT by Mr. K
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To: All
"ATF Gunwalker: Who at the White House knew?"

OR should it be..."Who at the White House didn't know?"

16 posted on 09/03/2011 5:58:36 AM PDT by harpu ( "...it's better to be hated for who you are than loved for someone you're not!")
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To: marktwain

save for later


17 posted on 09/03/2011 6:02:58 AM PDT by submarinerswife (Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results~Einstein)
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To: SpaceBar

Once Obama’s “firewall” in the form of Eric (My People) Holder is gone, the likelihood that all of the “Obama” historical stuff that Holder has been running interference on will come out increases exponentially. Holder will be the last one to go before “Obama” does.

Note to investors: popcorn futures look bright.


18 posted on 09/03/2011 6:03:30 AM PDT by Flotsam_Jetsome (If not you, who? If not now, when?)
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To: marktwain

If Obama didn’t know then Holder would already be gone.


19 posted on 09/03/2011 6:06:07 AM PDT by Flag_This (Real presidents don't bow.)
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To: marktwain
Obama told Sarah Brady that he was working on gun control "under the radar". He must have been referring to Gunwalker.

Fox News link

20 posted on 09/03/2011 6:07:27 AM PDT by Spirochete (Sic transit gloria mundi)
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