Issa: DOJ Covering Up on Mexican Gun-Running Scandal
(CNSNews.com) - House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R.-Calif.) told CNSNews.com in an interview that he believes the Justice Department is covering up information relevant to a congressional investigation of an operation in which the department knowingly allowed intermediaries of Mexican drug cartels to purchase guns at licensed firearms dealers in the United States and then get away without being arrested or the guns being retrieved.
Last December, two of those guns ended up at the scene of the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was killed by alleged agents of the Mexican drug cartels.
Issa pointed to two things he says indicates a Justice Department cover up. First, he cites a letter that Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, head of the Justice Department’s office of legislative affairs, sent to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 4, 2011. Issa characterizes that letter as a “lie.”
Secondly, Issa says the Justice Department made excessive and unjustifiable redactions in documents it provided to his committee.
Additionally, Issa says he does not believe Attorney General Eric Holder testified accurately in the Judiciary Committee on May 3, when he told Issa (who also serves on that committee) that he had only learned of the gun-running operation—called “Operation Fast and Furious”-a few weeks before that.
Full Story Here:
Issa: DOJ Covering Up on Mexican Gun-Running Scandal
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHkaRU9EoVM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I took Sunday, and most of Monday off in an effort to recuperate from the *Election Watch* Saturday when we spent the day sitting 100 feet outside the polls here in Rowlett watching for any irregularities. It was 101° and it took me a day and a half to recover, but I AM BACK! 😛
Let me start this by saying, Barack Hussein Obama and Eric Holder are two of the biggest crooks and liars EVER! They claim to have NO knowledge of *Fast and Furious*, Operation Gunwalker or Operation Gun Runner. Obama Denies Knowledge of Controversial Fed Operation Smuggling Guns Into Mexico.
Obama and Holder are LIARS! There is no way that an operation of this magnitude was authorized at the Directors level, especially when that Director isn’t even a confirmed director.
ATF Director May Resign Over Mexican Guns
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Kenneth Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is expected to resign under pressure, perhaps in the next day or two, in the wake of the controversy over Operation Fast and Furious, two senior federal law enforcement sources said Monday.
In the operation, straw buyers were allowed to purchase illegally large numbers of weapons, some of which ended up in the hands of cartels in Mexico.
Attorney General Eric Holder will meet Tuesday with Andrew Traver, head of the ATF field office in Chicago, about possibly becoming the agency’s acting director, according to senior federal law enforcement sources, who are familiar with the details of the controversy. SOURCE
Someone has had the bright idea that if the BATFE offers up a sacrificial lamb, those nasty old Conservative gun bloggers will be pacified and let this matter fall by the wayside.
They would be wrong in that assumption.
Something else I feel must be pointed out is the replacement for Melson, “Andrew Traver, head of the ATF field office in Chicago”, is he another member of Obama’s Chicago cabal? Another one of The Boys from the ‘hood maybe?
I found this to be an interesting read regarding Traver; Traver Off Target - Obama’s ATF pick exemplifies what is wrong with U.S. law enforcement.
My biggest hope is that the investigation into this incredible debacle doesn’t stall in process as threats of reprisals from the Obama regime begin to surface, and I believe those actions will be a reality.
If this matter is fully investigated the ties to the top WILL be found. Maybe it stops with Holder, but that’s good too. Going all the way to Obama himself would be better, but Holder would be a good start.
Just don’t expect Melson falling on his sword to be the end of it!
Fred, obviously you haven’t been paying attention. IF this scandal goes to the top. It’s because racist redneck bog dwelling hicks can’t handle a black man in a position of power… Obama’s spin machine will be full force on. Somehow it will get back to GWB, it will be ANYONE other than Duh WON. Holder is safe too because he’s tied to Obama. ANY WHITE man that comes up in the investigation is suspect….
Man I thought you knew how this stuff worked bro… sigh.
Oh and if my sarcasm was not evident…. it was sarcasm.
Sarcasm? Really? And all this time I thought we were *Wascally Wacists*… 😕
Wascally Wacist works wickedly you Wascal you!
Seriously, Those of us old enough to remember Watergate will recall that the crime was no where near as bad as the so called coverup. I suspect that this will reverberate down the aisle of the hearing room for some time to come.
The “stated objective” was to get a handle and arrest the end user. Unfortunately, someone told the agents that overview of the transactions stopped at the boarder. So it was, it appears to me, to have been a scam from the word go to “prove” that U.S. Guns were obtained and were arming the Cartels in order to shut down obtaining of Firearms by U.S. Citizens because we are all crooks doncha know? Only problem is they got caught and the lower level folk aren’t about to take the fall for Holder and Obama and I KNOW in my heart that as soon as Melson (and his deputy perhaps) are “canned” or “resign” or “fall on their swords” or what ever euphanism you want to use they will be found other positions in Government. Gotta protect their folk, after all, it is the Chicago Way.
Good post Fred.
When the population finds itself being assulted daily by the elected officials that were appointed to represent them, then of course it is time for revolt.
The only question is, will enough stand together for the revolt to succeed?
Too often, as history shows, the rage and feelings of unjust are forgotten almost as quickly as they developed.
It is far eaiser to lay down meekly than to stand up and push back.
The cowardly failures to act, of my fellow populace shames me daily.
Ah yes; WatergateII perhaps. Would love to see this administration go down in flames both literally and figuratively.
BATFE should be dissolved because of this. Broken up, pieces placed elsewhere within the DOJ empire.
When the new president is elected in 2012, this fiasco will still be discussed.
The DOJ was involved in a coverup and it seems highly unlikely that Eric Holder was trying to coverup for the ACTING head of another organization. With the news that the ACTING head of the ATF is going to resign it appears as it Eric Holder is trying to make him the fall guy. I hope that Issa doesn’t fall for this because there is no way that Holder and Obama didn’t know about Gunrunner. The investigation must continue!
mrchuck - have been pushing for the BATFE to be disbanded for years. They went rogue both at Waco and Ruby Ridge and haven’t changed since. They are just no freaking good.
And again, the emails come in, asking me “What the hell, I thought you were Pro Police?” and saying that the ATF guys were only following orders and that I am SO WRONG to criticize the Agents and the wonderful job they do…
All I can say is this, apparently the person sending those emails is VERY challenged in the reading comprehension department, NOWHERE in this post did I criticize anyone below the rank of Director of the Chicago field office…
As you indicted Fred, absolutely no way that Mutt & Jeff did not know what is going on, there is not a RAC in office that has the authority to approve an operation like that, to allow weapons, into Mexico, no way.
Remember the comment, our borders are secure, no spillover violence, we had a pretty decent exchange of gunfire this past weekend, as the cartel opened up on Police after a pursuit to the border. This administration is an embarrassment and they should all resign. But what do I know.