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.
Johnsons 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 lets say, how many weapons, how many assault rifles lets 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 dont 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 didnt have those statistics, he played into the argument without the facts.
Im pretty certain itd 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 its 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, weve had five acting directors of the ATF, Johnson said. The Senates 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 thats actually a very good point, Holder said. When you have a confirmed head, theres 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 dont 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 Johnsons inflammatory rhetoric. Id be remiss if I didnt take exception to calling the NRA members, millions of them, radicals, Issa said. I think thats an offensive statement and that its beneath this committee.
Upside down world seen through inside out eyes.
PING
He is a shining example of the astounding ignorance of the majority which manages to vote in his district. Including the dead, I would guess.
They are blood brothers in ideology. Therefore, Holder can do no wrong. If he resigns, he will be pardoned. If he stays, he will protect the pardoner...................
What ABOUT Jews?
and the horse you rode in on....(Barack Hussein Zer0bama)
and while we are at it....
“Over the past five and a half years, weve had five acting directors of the ATF, Johnson said. The Senates 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?”
A Demcocrat led Senate for all 5 1/2 of those years. In other words, it’s Obama’s fault.
Hank is so stupid he’s still sticking to the “blame NRA” memo the rest of the RATS were using before F&F exploded in their faces. Try to keep up, Hank.
He must think with his Johnson, as he has no brains..
Pure Alinsky!
HEY Hank Johnson! YEAH, YOU! Don’t you know that anybody that works for Attny. Gen. Holder along our Southern Border is exposed to “Work Place Violence?”
BTW, Hank Johnson, was it you that authorized the gun-running to the Mexican Drug Gangs? If not, then shut up while the ugly truth comes out.
“Hank is so stupid hes still sticking to the blame NRA memo the rest of the RATS were using before F&F exploded in their faces. Try to keep up, Hank.”
And let’s not forget Sheila Jackson Lee, Barbara Lee, Edolphus Townes, and that old “favorite,” Charlie Rangel (you know, the Adam Clayton Powell replacement).
Their “constituents” don’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain. Plus they like sending idiots to Congress to “screw with The Man.”
WTF?Ican’t believe the whole gallery didn’t lose it at that statement. Ilaughed until I cried.
I think holder is "low balling" the numbers. What if similar operations like this were run out of Texas, New Mexico, California etc. There could be a whole sh-- load of weapons that walked instead of just 2000
Note: If even one weapon was walked out of another jurisdictional area, that would mean the operation was coming from the top down to different ATF jurisdictions. That means Holder and probably Obama.
Watergate was just a simple burglary. With this mess now it can be said, Holder lied and hundreds died.
I have no earthly idea how the gentleman who Johnson was speaking to kept a straight face. Amazing.
Johnson is truly and I mean TRULY brain-damaged.
The number Holder was citing there was completely made up. He wasn't guessing the number killed by F&F. He was playing along with the moron Hank Johnson and "guestimating" the numbers killed by gun shop sales to al Qaeda or some other such nonsense.
It was an idiotic point from Congressman Guam, but Holder grabbed a hold because the island's tipping over and he can't swim.
Guess what color Ga. Representative Johnson is.
Black Caucus member.
Klan with a Tan
White are pikers when it comes to racism
Blacks are bigger racists than whites ever thought about being.
They will look you right in the face and lie for one of the Brothers.
There should be no racially guided caucus’s in the Congress. Black or Hispanic. It is racist by its very name.
WE are at the tipping point in this country.
I’ve been following Issa’s slow but steady prosecution of the F&F Scandal. He does not appear to be inclined to back down.
Anyone out there interested in a “Draft Issa for POTUS 2012 movement”?
just a thought ...........
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