Posted on 07/30/2012 6:18:30 PM PDT by kristinn
Republican congressional investigators have concluded that five senior ATF officials -- from the special agent-in-charge of the Phoenix field office to the top man in the bureaus Washington headquarters -- are collectively responsible for the failed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation that was marred by missteps, poor judgments and inherently reckless strategy.
The investigators, in a final report likely to be released later this week, also unearthed new evidence that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix initially sought to hide from the Mexican government the crucial information that two Fast and Furious firearms were recovered after the brother of a Mexican state attorney general was killed there.
According to a copy of the report obtained Monday by The Times, the investigators said their findings are the best information available as of now about the flawed gun operation that last month led to Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. being found in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over subpoenaed documents.
Two more final reports, they said, will deal with the devastating failure of supervision and leadership at the Department of Justice and an unprecedented obstruction of the [congressional] investigation by the highest levels of the Justice Department, including the attorney general himself.
The first report did allege some Justice Department involvement, however, notably that Kenneth E. Melson, then acting ATF director, was made into a scapegoat for Fast and Furious after he told congressional Republicans his Justice Department supervisors were doing more damage control than anything else once Fast and Furious became public.
My view is that the whole matter of the departments response in this case was a disaster, Melson told the investigators.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Looks like weak Republicans found themselves a scapegoat so they can save Obama and Eric Holder.
Issa got bought off and the case against Holder for contempt will go away.
WHITEWASH—it works every time in DC.
marred by missteps, poor judgments and inherently reckless strategy.
That’s an incredible success story, from the liberal standpoint.
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Bull. Hillary knew, Holder knew, and,”We’re doing things under the radar.”, POS Obummer knew it.
What about the Justice Department? They were in it up to their eyeballs.
unfortunately, it sure looks that way
It might be that they’re waiting for a better investigatory environment.
Or they could be threatening lower downs with jail time in exchange for testimony. How many of these 5 will stay alive?
F&F5, STAY ALIVE!
Issa got bought off and the case against Holder for contempt will go away.
Not quite so fast and furious. The full text of the article notes,
Two more final reports, they said, will deal with the devastating failure of supervision and leadership at the Department of Justice and an unprecedented obstruction of the [congressional] investigation by the highest levels of the Justice Department, including the attorney general himself..
Um LA-Slimes, we all know that the Fast & Furious operation did not begin and end with Melson or with the Phoenix BATFE division.
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
One can only imagine what 0bama might have said to Mexican officials a few months back: “Okay, okay I’ll grant amnesty to your people if you promise to stop questioning me and my administration over ‘Fast & Furious’... Deal?”
Issa got bought off and the case against Holder for contempt will go away.
WHITEWASHit works every time in DC.
Nah, it's just the ol' Potomic Two-step!!
Things started going downhill after the whole contempt vote. I think they scheduled it the same day as the ObamaCare vote assuming (like most of us) the individual mandate would be overruled and it would be a perfect double whammy. Once Roberts pulled a Rabbit out of the hat the whole contempt thing got kind of shuffled.
It cannot look any other way.
Someone tell me why Holder would face contempt charges to protect 5 members of the ATF?
Why would Obama claim Executive Privilege in order that these men were not found guilty?
No: No; It’s a cover up, a whitewash.
This thing goes to the top ,and Issa just sold out.
There can be no other reason.
I have no doubt these men are guilty. Guilty of doing Obama’s bidding, and now getting thrown under the bus.
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