Posted on 12/09/2011 11:11:02 AM PST by neverdem
Congressman attempts to transfer Fast and Furious blame onto NRA ‘radicals,’ the Senate — Holder obliges
Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson accused the tea party movement and the National Rifle Association of creating an “manufactured” controversy over Operation Fast and Furious Thursday.
Johnson’s comments came during an interview with The Daily Caller outside the House Judiciary Committee hearing room. Attorney General Eric Holder was testifying before the committee about Fast and Furious — a Justice Department program where Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents facilitated the sale of about 2,000 guns to Mexican drug cartels.
“I think this is another manufactured controversy by the second amendment, NRA Republican tea party movement,” Johnson said.
Johnson sung a different tune during the hearing, though, comparing the scandal to what he considers a surge in illegal gun sales to criminals.
After asking Holder for the specific number of guns the Justice Department and ATF helped smuggle into the hands of drug cartels — to which Holder responded there were about 2,000 — Johnson alleged that the “gun show loophole” was far worse.
“Now, how many firearms are sold to al-Qaida terrorists, to other convicted felons, to domestic violence perpetrators, to convicted felons, to white supremacists?” Johnson asked Holder. “How many unlicensed gun dealers, or let’s say, how many weapons, how many assault rifles let’s just say in a given year are sold to such individuals by unlicensed gun dealers at these gun shows and how many of those end up walking away to Mexico? Can you give us a number on that?”
“I don’t have a number on that,” Holder said, offering to try to figure out later for Johnson what the exact number was.
“Would it be more than a couple of hundred?” Johnson followed up, likely meaning to say a couple “thousand” because his reference was in the context of Fast and Furious.
Though Holder previously admitted to Johnson he didn’t have those statistics, he played into the argument without the facts.
“I’m pretty certain it’d be more than 2,000, but in terms of getting those numbers to you, I can try to do that after the hearing,” he said.
Johnson also claimed that the Senate is to blame for operations like Fast and Furious because it’s been almost six years since Congress’ upper chamber confirmed a presidential nominee as the head of the ATF.
“Over the past five and a half years, we’ve had five acting directors of the ATF,” Johnson said. “The Senate’s failure and refusal to confirm a nominee for that important agency. What affect does that have on the ability of that agency to be guided in such a way so we can avoid situations like Fast and Furious?”
“I think that’s actually a very good point,” Holder said. “When you have a confirmed head, there’s a certain prestige that goes with that demarcation. But, beyond that, it allows a person to have a longer term and a certain consistency to put in place the programs, put in place controls that don’t exist and allowed Fast and Furious to happen.”
Johnson finished off his questioning by commenting that he thinks conservatives are systematically trying to prevent the ATF from functioning. “I think the NRA and other Second Amendment rights radicals have confidence that the U.S. will not have a competent ATF head,” he said.
House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, was up next in questioning and struck back at Johnson’s inflammatory rhetoric. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t take exception to calling the NRA members, millions of them, radicals,” Issa said. “I think that’s an offensive statement and that it’s beneath this committee.”
Holder’s first name should have been Dick. This guys is the worst liar and most arrogant SOB on the planet. He’s gotta have some REALLY strong mojo with “The Won” to still have a job.
Anyone who tells the truth about the obama conspiracy is a radical. Liars don’t like being questioned or exposed.
A black caucus communist nitwit.
LOL. The BATFE is one of the first agencies to go.
What about Jews?
What about Jews?
“Confirmed heads of agenices make things better?”
Must not have been thinking about all the czars Obama has appointed to skip Congressional oversight and approval of heads of agencies and cabinet posts.
Someone on the committee, please run with this.
Also I would point blank ask Holder explicitly how the NRA and tea party and all the other groups mentioned by that idiot dem, are explicitly to blame for manufacturing the Fast and Furious operation into a controversy. Just how exactly did this occur. Who are the players and what’s the timelines and what were the plans?
I’d also like to grill him on the emails from the ATF agents in the operation talking about the gun dealers being reluctant to allow guns to walk but the ATF forcing them to do so under fear of losing their licenses, and also the emails where ATF agents talk about the gun dealers as deserving payback and getting even with them, discussing them in derogatory/disparaging terms.
What about Jews?
It might even be a gazillion, we don't know for sure.
You beat me to it! All I needed to read was “...Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson...” to know the rest is irrelevant.
If anyone hasn’t seen the video linked above by FReeper “day10”, you owe it to yourself as a holiday treat. Rep. Johnson is a shining example of the brilliant democratic leadership we have in America.
Ok. So, the Oboma administration sold thousands of high powered weapons to the Mexican drug cartels to kill Americans and eliminate the 2nd amendment.
Unbelievable! - The NRA and the TEA party are trying to make this sound like killing American citizens and destroying the Constitution is a bad thing!
They're obviously NOT Oboma supporters!
“Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson accused the tea party movement and the National Rifle Association,”
then a miniature pony appeared and began walking across the
hearing room floor, ridden by a Jack Russell terrier, while
a chimp on rollerskates wearing a derby and puffing a cigar
skated around the pony, backwards, hands behind his back.
I like this Issa guy. He takes no prisoners.
Good for Issa. I will bet Hank is a member of the very fair, non biased ....Black Caucus. No, oh, gee I am sorry.
Ohhh, it’s the evil conservatives, no..wait, it’s the evil Teaparty, no..wait, it’s the evil 2nd amendment folks, no..wait, it’s the evil NRA, no..wait, it’s the evil Senate which is controlled by.....wait for it....DEMOCRATS!!!
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