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Gunwalker: Dems Abandoning Ship?
Pajamas Media ^
| October 8, 2011
| Bob Owens
Posted on 10/08/2011 9:14:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
The typical gun-control advocates don't have the president's and attorney general's backs this time.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has come under fire this week: evidence revealed he either ignored weekly reports in the summer of 2010 that discussed Operation Fast and Furious, or he committed perjury when he claimed he first found out about the program in early 2011. The former suggests incompetence, the later criminality — either would be legitimate reasons to see him removed from office.
Despite recent developments, the Department of Justice is publicly pushing back in favor of their boss, even as a key source claims career employees’ morale is at an all time low and that “Stalinesque complete control” over internal communications has been implemented to squelch leaks.
The White House is also publicly standing up for Holder, with President Obama providing unqualified support:
“He’s indicated that he was not aware of what was happening in Fast and Furious,” the president said in support of Holder, speaking at a White House news conference Thursday. “Certainly I was not. And I think both he and I would have been very unhappy if somebody had suggested that guns were allowed to pass through that could have been prevented by the United States of America.”
The President also touted the DOJ inspector general’s investigation of the scandal. He did not note that Cynthia A. Schnedar is an acting inspector general who has already been accused of using her office to obstruct the House Oversight Committee’s investigation, and who works for an administration that tends to fire inspector generals that do not report what the administration would like to hear.
However, it seems that the Obama administration’s allies are falling silent in regards to Holder, Obama, Fast and Furious, and allegations of other gunwalking programs.
When the story first broke early in 2011, Democratic lawmakers and leftist gun-control groups rallied to the administration’s defense, and they still provided support through midsummer. Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign wrote a typical screed of the type on June 29, attempting to blame Republicans for the plot:
If California Rep. Darrell Issa and other congressional members who are in lock-step with the NRA bosses want to get to the bottom of the ATF gun trafficking operation, they need to start looking at their own actions and lack of action. By blocking and loosening laws to prevent gun violence they, too, are culpable in ATFs Fast and Furious apparent debacle.
This poorly executed operation had agents skulking around gun shops to watch and possibly document numerous illegal firearms sales in Arizona. The unstopped gun runners then resold about 2,000 assault weapons to violent Mexican drug cartels. Further tragedy unfolded when two of the guns were found at the murder scene of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010.
Helmke would later testify at a dog and pony show organized by Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings that sought to be a rhetorical counter against Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa’s congressional investigation. Cummings and a handful of fellow Democrats then tried in July to use Operation Fast and Furious as an excuse to call for more gun control. This also fell flat.
Since that last effort the administration’s allies have fallen silent.
New York Democrat Carolyn B. Maloney hasn’t said a word about Operation Fast and Furious since she supported the doomed “Stop Gun Trafficking and Strengthen Law Enforcement Act” in mid-July. Neither has her even more zealously anti-gun collegue Carolyn McCarthy.
As pressure has increased on the administration this week, the silence from House Democrats has been deafening. And like House Democrats, Senate Democrats are quietly abandoning the White House and attorney general.
Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein have consistently pushed for gun control throughout their Senate careers. Along with Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, they fabricated a report in June that supported the administration with a walked-back version of the 90-percent lie.
Schumer in particular has been a strong ally of the president, and yet he has also been silent on Operation Fast and Furious.
How many major political scandals have there been in recent memory where an entire political party fell silent for months at a time — and how should we interpret that silence?
Democratic senators and representatives may feel they have nothing to gain by speaking out on behalf of the gunwalking scandals. It would be a logical position to adopt if they’re assuming that Operation Fast and Furious is a serious political liability.
Regardless of the specific reason, the Obama administration’s usual allies of gun-control groups and Democratic members of the House and Senate seem to have abandoned the executive branch to sink or swim on its own.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: atf; banglist; buttweight; buttweighttheresmore; castaway; cia; dea; dealing4devils; dhs; doj; fastandfurious; fbi; gunrunner; gunwalker; holder; ice; obama; slushfund4campaign12
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1
posted on
10/08/2011 9:14:16 AM PDT
by
Kaslin
To: Kaslin
If people don’t want to get caught up in this mess, they best start telling what they know and work a deal. If they don’t, they may end up in jail. Is it worth it? I don’t think so because those responsible, no matter how high this goes, will let others go down.
2
posted on
10/08/2011 9:20:33 AM PDT
by
RC2
To: Kaslin
What a degenerate pack of liars and crooks. What else can they say, without revealing their moral bankruptcy for all to see.
To: Kaslin
Obama has no choice but to back Holder.
If Holder decides to sing, Obama is toast
The Media could not hide that, no matter how hard they try.
We have a criminal racist Muslim,un-American imposter in the White House and a criminal stooge running Justice, and not one politician in the Congress with the balls to call them on it.
4
posted on
10/08/2011 9:40:12 AM PDT
by
Venturer
To: MestaMachine; marktwain; harpseal; TexasCowboy; nunya bidness; AAABEST; Travis McGee; Squantos; ...
5
posted on
10/08/2011 9:40:12 AM PDT
by
Joe Brower
(Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
To: thouworm
6
posted on
10/08/2011 9:41:06 AM PDT
by
Joe Brower
(Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
To: Kaslin
To paraphrase Lincoln, Obama will be unable to dodge all of the scandals all of the time.
7
posted on
10/08/2011 9:42:06 AM PDT
by
JPG
(America is worth saving. All hands on deck!)
To: RC2; JLAGRAYFOX; unkus; SouthTexas; Nachum; freekitty; flat; Howie66
After watching Hannity’s show last night, I’m convinced these people have blood on their hands and should do prison time for life. Holder et al. are not above the law and We The People must demand investigation, prosecution for all involved, and prison time for life for those guilty.
Has there ever been a more corrupt Regime in our history and morally-bankrupt Congress? I doubt it.
To: RC2
Here is a speech by Obama in March 2009 in which he mentions “gunrunners”.
Excerpt:
reiterated that the United States accepts our shared responsibility for the drug violence. So to combat the southbound flow of guns and money, we are screening all southbound rail cargo, seizing many more guns bound for Mexico and we are putting more gunrunners behind bars. And as part of our new drug control strategy, we are focused on reducing the demand for drugs through education, prevention and treatment.;
Rest found here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/03/remarks-president-obama-and-president-calder-n-mexico-joint-press-confer
9
posted on
10/08/2011 9:46:37 AM PDT
by
mardi59
(Time to turn off the tv so I don't break it..)
To: Kaslin
I want Obamao to answer un der oath what he meant when he said they were pursuing gun control measures “under the radar”.
It is past time to impeach him,Holder,Napolitano, and Hillary.And the Senate facing reelection for many, may be inclined to go along to save their sorry butts.
We have a criminal administration—Solyndra and Gunrunner are only the tip of the iceberg for this Titanic ship of state.
10
posted on
10/08/2011 9:46:42 AM PDT
by
exit82
(Democrats are the enemies of freedom.)
To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...
11
posted on
10/08/2011 9:47:44 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: ExTexasRedhead
I recorded the program, and am watching it now
12
posted on
10/08/2011 9:48:29 AM PDT
by
Kaslin
(Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
To: Kaslin
The 90% scam has been exposed for anyone with half a brain to understand. A bunch of Democrats are walking around with their butts hanging out and there’s nothing they can do except STFU and hope they don’t get caught in the sh!tstorm.
13
posted on
10/08/2011 9:50:42 AM PDT
by
meatloaf
(It's time to push back against out of control government.)
To: Kaslin
thehannity special on gunner last night leaves the only conclusion
that holder will be out of office.
obama will abandon holder to save himself.
14
posted on
10/08/2011 9:51:10 AM PDT
by
ken21
(ruling class dem + rino progressives -- destroying america for 150 years.)
To: Kaslin
There's so much irony in this pack of murderous liars. They refuse to enforce Federal immigration laws, and file lawsuits against states that attempt to do so, because they "care" so much about illegal Mexicans. But, out the other side of their chameleon faces, what's a few thousand dead Mexicans if they can do away with our civil rights? The end justifies the means, by any means necessary.
If the most rabid anti-gunners like Schumer are afraid to speak out, they know Gunwalker is a disaster. Aiding and abetting the worst criminals on the planet.
The cartels are as bad as Al Qaeda. They saw peoples' heads off on camera, for cripe's sake. We've got pols who are in bed with Satan, yet their dim-witted voters elect them over and over again. When are they gonna realize that kind evil can be turned against them in a heartbeat, whenever they inconvenience their masters?
15
posted on
10/08/2011 9:56:35 AM PDT
by
FlyVet
To: RC2
My question is why Bill O'Reilly (who was late to the party) STILL says that Gunwalker was a "sting operation that went wrong" when all the evidence shows it was a back door operation to produce slaughter on the border so he could strengthen gun control.
No attempt to "track" the AK 47's, AR 15's, 50 caliber rifles, grenades, rock launchers. Didn't notify the Mexican government. Willingly let them cross the border.
16
posted on
10/08/2011 10:19:19 AM PDT
by
Texan
To: Kaslin
I have been bothering my reps endlessly about this scandal.
17
posted on
10/08/2011 10:27:14 AM PDT
by
GlockThe Vote
(The Obama Adminstration: 2nd wave of attacks on America after 9/11)
To: Kaslin
- ACORN traffics in underage foreign prostitutes and 0bama cuts out $7 billion dollars of Stimulus cash for ACORN.
- ATF traffics in full-auto weapons to Mexican drug cartels and 0bama's AG doesn't know a thing.
- The CIA traffics in shoulder-fired rockets and other high-powered weapons to a Mexican drug cartel and the SecState knows nothing.
- The DOJ is cutting deals with Mexican drug cartels.
We've got a narco/arms/human slave trafficking Mob Boss in the WH.
18
posted on
10/08/2011 10:27:24 AM PDT
by
TigersEye
(Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
To: ExTexasRedhead
19
posted on
10/08/2011 10:32:23 AM PDT
by
freekitty
(Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
To: Kaslin
I won’t let anyone forget that the MSM is complicit in this criminal conspiracy.
The Washington Post ran stories against firearm dealers, based on unverified information given to them by the BATFE, implicating those dealers as the source of the “iron river” of firearms flowing into Mexico.
It was only when those dealers pushed back with documentation proving they were being forced by the BATFE to sell the firearms that the WaPo backed off.
Don’t forget the hit piece(s) written by the New York Times against Darryl Issa recently. The administration fed the New York Times information in hopes of discrediting Issa and killing his investigation.
Don’t forget this week’s stories about ‘Operation Wide Receiver’ which attempted to implicate the Bush Administration for “doing the same thing”. Those stories were planted by the DOJ and given to the Associated Press so they would run with it.
As usual, because the MSM never questioned the information, it turns out ‘Operation Wide Reciever’ was never anything like Fast & Furious and the information was completely false.
The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, ABC, NBC and CNN are all accessories to the hundreds of murders that have taken place as a result of this program.
Had the media done its job and investigated this story, many Mexicans and Americans would be alive today.
20
posted on
10/08/2011 10:33:31 AM PDT
by
Erik Latranyi
(Cain for President - Because I like the content of his character)
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