Posted on 07/03/2012 2:15:35 PM PDT by sunmars
Some who spoke with my office claim they were alarmed by the substance of the memorandum and it caused such a stir that ATF planned to put a panel together to address the allegations but someone within DOJ suppressed the idea.
The possibility that DOJ was aware of this memorandum on February 3, 2011, and still sent the erroneous letter to Congress on February 4, 2011, raises more questions about DOJs claim that faulty information from Department components inadvertently led to the false letter. This was direct, documented information from street level agents in a far better position to know the facts than the senior supervisory personnel whom DOJ claims to have relied upon for information about the allegations. Discovering how high up the chain of command inside the Justice Department the memorandum was reviewed has not been easy. The Department has not made available certain individuals who could corroborate what my office has been told.
(Excerpt) Read more at grassley.senate.gov ...
Amen to every bit of that.
I hope they grab hold of this like an old Bull Dog and start shaking, with a lock so tight on it that with every shake that grip tightens and just digs in deeper until the severe something vital and all the guts come spilling out.
We know of two dead American officers...I bet there are more.
We know of 200 dead Mexican citizens...I bet there are a lot more.
I bet as we find out more we will find dead US citizens in this.
These people are guilty of crimes of the highest order including accessory to murder and treaon. They should be spending the rest of their life in the Gray Rock Hotel.
I pray we voters help out this OCtober and send this whole administration pakcing in such a fashion that they become a hiss and a by-word for generations. Synonymous with corruption, criminal conspiracy, failure, anti-Americanism and such a political vagabond as to be held in utter contempt by Americans for generations to come, equal to Benedict Arnold.
The Man who despises America
http://www.jeffhead.com/obama-time.htm
The Disaterous Firsts of Barack Obama
http://www.jeffhead.com/obama1sts.htm
Who Really is Barack Obama
http://www.jeffhead.com/whoisobama.htm
That’s not what he’s saying.
There are 50 clues the investigator has at his disposal. The most the criminal can think of is 25. That also applys to WITHHOLDER and the DOJ. After making the rounds the email most likely landed on WITHOLDER’S desk. He then had a personal pow wow with the foreigner. The result was an ill attempt to have congress back down by writing the fraudulent letter.
Yes, more will probably come out. So long as that more includes damning info on Hillary.
It is about time that kind of “coincidence” was brought to light. Asst Atty Gen Holder has been getting away with this crap since way back then!! Can you say pardons? (some weatherunderground members, etc) Waco, Ruby Ridge?
Where is the Mexican outrage? This was against RICO, and then again, where is the outrage from latinos?
Holder: “Oh Senator, you’re bwaaaaking my balls...bwaaaaking my balls!”
Melson was interviewed, in secret, WITHOUT a DoJ lawyer, one year ago tomorrow. IMO, what he delivered to Issa should be key. If I'm wrong, then this whole investigation will end up just a multi-year dog and pony show.
This will obviously continue to the election. I will believe the Republicans are serious when I see them continue this past the election. I am tired of these election year gimmicks with no follow through. If it’s illegal, it’s illegal. An arbitrary election date shouldn’t stop the investigation.
And yeah, I’m getting p***sed at the Republican’s lack of real spine in following through. Get some BALLS dammit!
How do you think they turned Roberts to the Dark Side?
Fortunately Issa and those on his side have to follow the law.
Perhaps you’d prefer they run down and start beating up people.
Enough already.. We want ACTION, not words.. PRISON TIME!
You can follow the law and be effective and you can follow the law and be ineffectual. Its a choice. The gop to date has generally chosen the second path and I don’t expect to see this turn out any differently than the historic norm.
July 3, 2012
Via Electronic Transmission
The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Attorney General Holder:
The investigation into Operation Fast and Furious has focused on two specific areas: (1) When did individuals within the Department of Justice (DOJ/Department) become aware of the tactics and (2) How did DOJ provide false information to Congress regarding the allegations of gunwalking.
I believe the Department should have been abundantly aware of allegations of gunwalking as there was more than one ATF agent providing information to Department components before the February 4, 2011, letter was sent to Congress.
Specifically, on February 2, 2011, my investigators contacted an ATF Special Agent who worked out of the Phoenix Field Division, Group VII office, and was familiar with Operation Fast and Furious. The conversation centered on the ATF Agents recollection of how Fast and Furious was executed and his recollection confirmed the allegations my office had heard from other ATF whistleblowers. What was unknown until late 2011 was that this ATF Agent produced a memorandum on February 3, 2011, which documented his discussion about Fast and Furious. The subject of the memorandum is, Contact with Congressional Investigators, and I have enclosed it within this letter.
This Fast and Furious memorandum traveled rapidly through ATFs chain of command. The memorandum was emailed on February 3, 2011, from the Dallas Field Division to Phoenix SAC William Newell and Deputy Assistant Director for Field Operations William McMahon. Records that the Justice Department has withheld from Congress, which were only made available for review in camera, show an email chain attaching this memorandum was sent to Assistant Director of Field Operations Mark Chait at ATF headquarters by the afternoon of February 3, 2011.
According to ATF personnel, the memorandum was discussed by high level ATF personnel and possibly forwarded to DOJ headquarters on February 3, 2011. Specifically, it has been alleged that individuals within the Deputy Attorney Generals (DAGs) office and the Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) at the Department were aware of or actually read the memorandum before the Departments February 4, 2011, letter was sent. Some individuals who spoke with my office claim they were alarmed by the substance of the memorandum and it caused such a stir that ATF planned to put a panel together to address the allegations but someone within DOJ suppressed the idea.
The possibility that DOJ was aware of this memorandum on February 3, 2011, and still sent the erroneous letter to Congress on February 4, 2011, raises more questions about DOJs claim that faulty information from Department components inadvertently led to the false letter. This was direct, documented information from street level agents in a far better position to know the facts than the senior supervisory personnel whom DOJ claims to have relied upon for information about the allegations.
Discovering how high up the chain of command inside the Justice Department the memorandum was reviewed has not been easy. The Department has not made available certain individuals who could corroborate what my office has been told. Moreover, it is unclear whether the set of deliberative materials about the drafting of the February 4, 2011, letter that the Department produced to Congress constitutes a complete set of all relevant documents or whether other relevant documents from the pre-February 4th timeframe may have been withheld. Consequently, please answer the following questions:
1) Have all records relating to the February 3, 2011, memorandum been gathered and preserved by the Justice Department? If not, why not? If so, please describe the nature and volume of those records.
2) Will you produce those records to Congress? If not, please explain why not.
3) Which DOJ personnel received a copy of the February 3, 2011, memorandum prior to February 4, 2011?
4) Which DOJ personnel were aware of the memorandum before the February 4, 2011 reply was sent to me? Please provide all records related to these questions, or certify that all relevant documents have already been provided.
I would appreciate a written response by no later than July 17, 2012. If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Brian Downey of my staff at (202) 224-5225.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
Ranking Member
Enclosure
cc: The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy, Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate
The Honorable Darrell E. Issa, Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
B. Todd Jones, Acting Director
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
I bet you could do a lot better.
“IMPEACH NOW. “
With the Washington rop, it will be more like;
“IMPRUNE NOW!”
Actually, Issa and Grassley should use a little psychological warfare on the Dept of Just Us, as well as the ATF and others involved in these schemes.
Create a *partial* list of henchmen who are “on track” to be criminally indicted, making a few glaring omissions, and include in the “very confidential” document that *agreements* had been made with those who are providing information and willing to testify against the others for leniency.
Then arrange a very careful leak of the document. By all appearances the leak needs to look genuine, but needs to be disseminated widely to those involved.
A single internal Department of Justice email could be the smoking-gun document in the Operation Fast and Furious scandal if it turns out to contain what congressional investigators have said it does.
The document would establish that wiretap application documents show senior DOJ officials knew about and approved the gunwalking tactic in Fast and Furious. This is the opposite of what Attorney General Eric Holder and House oversight committee ranking Democratic member Rep. Elijah Cummings have claimed.
It appears that email would also prove senior DOJ officials, likely including Holder himself, knew in March 2011 that a Feb. 4, 2011 letter from the DOJ to Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley falsely denied guns were permitted to walk into Mexico. The DOJ allowed that false letter to stand for nine more months, only withdrawing it in December 2011.
[snip]
All Holder & Co. have to do is stall until the end of the year.
The 112th Congress term ends January 3, 2013 and then the contempt citation evaporates. Both sides know this, of course.
By the way, Congress voted and passed Obama’s Affordable Care Act on the day before Christmas, 2010, at 7:45 AM, presumably so they could catch flights home to celebrate the holidays.
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