Ding, ding, ding.
We were wondering how high this went. I'm wondering (given the new info that funds transferred between departments) if the answer MUST be Obama.
As the quoted poster points out, how else would money migrate from one cabinet agency to another?
That's actually not a rhetorical question, as I'm not an expert on government machinations. Here's what I'm wondering:
Is there any means for a significant sum of money to be taken from one agency and given to another without the executive (i.e. Obama) having any knowledge?
I'd love to know the answer to that.
The only government agency that I am aware of that can legally receive transfers of funds from any other agency is the CIA and that was done by an act of Congress. Other than that, every transfer of funds from one agency to another is on the surface, at least, illegal...unless approved by the president which would be an executive order and would REQUIRE his signature.
Depends on what you mean by "significant." While I was in the Air Force, there were times I spent Army or Navy money, and vice versa. However, in all cases it was within the law, and was done by agreement between the respective Commands. So long as it complied with the reason for the appropriation, it didn't need to go higher than the Commands involved.
In the case in question, it doesn't appear that money was transferred between agencies. Instead, FBI money was given to Mexicans to buy guns, and the ATF tried to track the guns (at least that's their story) without knowing the money came from the FBI.