Issa staffer: Gunrunner investigation points much higher than ATF director
A spokesman for House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa told The Daily Caller the congressman expects his investigations into the Justice Department’s gun walking programs to point to a much higher political appointee than acting ATF director Kenneth Melson. Melson is widely expected to resign some time in the next couple of days in the face of political pressure from Issa’s investigations into Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast Furious.
Even if Melson resigns, Issa spokesman Frederick Hill said the Committee expects to find much more and continue with investigations. “The investigations are far from over,” Hill told TheDC. “It’s quite certain that Kenneth Melson was not the principal architect of this plan nor was he the only high-ranking official who knew about and authorized this operation.”
Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious were programs that involved ATF officials allowing guns to be taken into Mexico with the ultimate apparent goal of tracking the larger Mexican drug cartels’ arms market. The ATF officials allowed the sale of guns to “straw purchasers” or people who were eligible to purchase guns in the U.S. but were doing so with the known intention of trafficking them into Mexico.
This latest development comes after Issa told Fox News on Tuesday morning that he thinks Melson should resign.
Full Story Here:
Issa staffer: Gunrunner investigation points much higher than ATF director
I wrote about this BATFE debacle yesterday and I pointed out the obvious, Operation Gun Runner and Fast & Furious did NOT get authorized at the Agent level, someone far up the chain made the decision to let this unbelievable mess come to life.
I had a local reader send me an email, BLASTING me for saying bad things about the BATF, its agents and the fine job they do. I was told that I needed to ‘mind MY business’ and I was asked, “Just what kind of police supporter are you anyway?”
I’ll tell you exactly the kind of police supporter I am, the kind that doesn’t look the other way when an ILLEGAL order is given and ILLEGAL operations are carried out.
I don’t give a damn WHO is doing wrong, from the newest agent on the beat all the way to the Director, Kenneth Melson, his boss, Eric Holder, or Holder’s boss, Barack Hussein Obama.
Whoever brainstormed this Gun Runner thing needs to tried as an accessory to murder, the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry.
The BATFE Agents that accepted the orders to initiate Operation Fast & Furious need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. They accepted and acted upon orders that were, at best, highly questionable, and were, most likely, illegal as well.
The BATFE and its agents encouraged, or, more accurately, insisted that LEGAL gun dealers make sales that they knew were illegal in order to put guns in the pipeline to Mexico under the guise of tracking these weapons to drug cartels. Some believe that it was done to give legitimacy to BATF claims that Americans were willingly supplying guns to drug cartels in Mexico.
“We’ve never witnessed anything like this rottenness, lying and corruption,” said Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President and CEO “and we’ve had it. We’ve had it with Erica Holder and Hillary Clinton and the rest of this administration. And Lord knows, Americans have sure had it with the arrogant, sanctimonious, gun-hating liars who call themselves the national news media.”
That’s only a build up to the calling-out of Attorney General Holder, the President and his entire administration that took place Saturday at the National Rifle Association’s annual member’s meeting.
In Saturday’s membership meeting, LaPierre, NRA-ILA head Chris Cox and other members of the NRA executive team made it abundantly plain that the NRA was speaking out regarding the growing scandal that proves the NRA’s longstanding claim that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is a rogue organization.
As Congressional investigators are being stonewalled regarding the ill-conceived ATF operation that not only encouraged, but sanctioned the movement of illegal guns into Mexico, the nation’s largest pro-Second Amendment group is going on the offensive.
“We’ve never witnessed anything like the rotten level of corruption, conspiracy and cover-up confronting us today. All because they hate Americans and our rights, more than they care about the lives of innocent people,” LaPierre told a crowd that sometime seemed to sit in shock at his unvarnished challenges to the administration.
“I’ll say that again,” LaPierre hammered, “Our government has been willing to let people die … to advance their assault on the Second Amendment. Our southern border proves it. When ATF officials ORDER lawful gun dealers to make illegal sales … that’s corrupt.” SOURCE
I encourage my readers to offer opinions, I look for folks that have more knowledge on topics than I do, but when someone wants to tell me about all the GOOD things that BATF does, and has done, and wants to blast me for taking the BATF to task, I tend to get a bit PISSED THE HELL OFF!
The BATF has NEVER been a friend to the American gun owner and under the watchful eye of Obama and Holder, they have become a rogue agency, evil and corrupt! They are now complicit in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrolman and if certain readers can’t see that and understand that, then there is NO HOPE for them.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told TheDC a Melson resignation “would be seen as an admission that something went terribly wrong.” Fitton thinks Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious were political ploys from the Obama administration, not real law enforcement efforts.
So, to the reader that blasted me in email, tell me again about all the wonderful work the BATF is doing and what a fine, upstanding agency they are, and oh yeah, that part about how they keep us SAFE, remind me one more time…
And do it in comments on the blog, because I want some of the LAW OFFICERS that read here to see your words and educate you regarding the BATF and what they think of them.
Got my current issue of American Rifleman today. In it there is a five page article titled “Project Gunrunner” by James O.E. Norrell. Spells things out pretty completely. If what they say is true, this fiasco goes all the way to the White House. Holder, Clinton and Obama are all party to it. Could be the smoking gun needed to get rid of all these bastards.
I think I have their attention… 😛
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Fred,
As you know I have been in law enforce for 26 years, and last 7 years as a Chief, I find absolutely NOTHING that you said as offensive to any field agent to BATF.
What you said is the absolute truth, and needs to said.
The Obama administration and Eric Holder had to know about the weapons to Mexico, as I posted in my blog as well and as I previously commented on your post.
You have been nothing but support to law enforcement, as in one of your previous post eludes to when you attempted to assist two LEO’S who had been fired. Again I say you spoke the truth my friend, as they say.
“The “TRUTH” hurts!!
Shady
Watch it Fred, the feds are building a case. lol. Kind of like Project Gunrunner. Come to take your guns, the BATFE will.
They are looking at gun blogs and any tag about ATF, BATF or BATFE
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Follow-up
As far as I see it, it is not the field agent who AUTHORIZED the weapons to taken into Mexico, that is way above his/her pay-grade. No RAC or SAC could make a decision like that. That was a decision made I’m Washington…remember WACO, same thing different day. Everyone bashed BATF on the raid. Again a decision made in WASHINGTON.. So who ever got their PANTIES IN A WAD, get over it. Fred just spoke the obvious, something Ray Charles could’ve seen. All this is, is the Obama administration hiding behind BATF, and hanging them out to dry, as usual. But again that is my take on it. Fred has, in my opinion not disgraced any LEO or BATF agent as far ad that goes, he has rendered an opinion, which he is entitled to, but that is my
opinion….
Shady
Well,,,,, i am “retired”, but you certainly hit a nerve Texas Fred.
You and I have been amigos for a long time.
You have always spoken the truth. Yes.
The vultures of this OBAMY admin may swirl around you, but they will never touch you.
Us old Federal LEOS will protect you as we have a ton of info that has never been released,,,YET!!!! Keep it up,,,,Obama and his minions are on the way out, and they know it,,,don’t worry, as “they want to protect all the benefits that this president has bestowed them.
Looks like you’ve picked up some new readers from the DOJ, Fred. From what I hear, many of the BATF agents involved in this spurious sting were not happy about it from the beginning, and may have blown some early whistles. Of course, the murder of Agent Terry brought the whole sordid affair out in the open. To me, the operation has the stench of Washington all over it, and I wonder just who was being set up, the cartels or the 2nd Amendment?
Bob — My money is on the 2A…. And guys like us..
Mr. Chuck — We ARE amigos, and that won’t ever change, but some of these youngsters don’t have the sense to pour piss out of a boot… They get an order and they follow it, no questions asked…
We knew better…
well Fred, if you need a place to hide out for awhile, head Northwest about four hours and we do some fishing and shoot some guns.
It is never wrong or insulting to point out misdeeds, whether the misdeeds are committed from incompetence or corruption. The only way to address a misdeed is to first point it out, then state the correction.
When a misdeed is covered up so as to protect the individual, this always leads to acceptance of those acts and the misdeed becomes the norm.
One incidence that I personal observed was at the Cabela’s in Buda Texas. Two BATF, at least that was how they identified themselves, stopped a man that had just purchased a whole lot of ammo,,,, I’m talking cases, several thousand rounds.
As I have been known to do I stuck my nose into what was going on,,,, they first said he had purchased an illegal amount,,, I responded that there was no law concerning the amount of ammo that could be bought.
At that point the other one said I was interfering in an investigation,,, I said arrest me, because as far as I can tell you are the ones breaking the law.
By now several other people were standing around,,, the two agents told the guy they would be watching him and left.
I am not sure exactly what was really going on, maybe they were not BATF and were going to rob him once outside.
Lee — I am betting on a robbery once they got him outside to *talk* about the ammo… There’s no law, at least that I know of, concerning the number of rounds a person can buy, the only limit I know of is money, and how much you can spend…
Fred, the Fed has fucked up time and again, because they just can’t allow local agents to do their jobs. They don’t trust their agents. They don’t trust their LE quarters. It has to be MICROMANAGED from, many times, the quarters of DC.
It is the SYSTEM that systematically manages to KILL AGENTS on local levels. Even after these years individual federal officers fail to realize they are naught but fodder for political purposes.
If this SHIT manages to creep UP to DC — I can only say: it’s about damned time.
BZ
Eric Holder tried to make Melson the fall guy, but this goes way higher than the ATF and it is great news that Issa isn’t going to stop just because of this resignation. We need to see how high up this goes, for we have a dead American because of this disaster and everyone that had anything to do with it needs to be brought to justice.
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What do you think of Andrew Traver? He’s Barack’s choice for the BATF.
http://blksunsoc.blogspot.com/2011/06/this-is-andrew-traver.html
ng4779 said: What do you think of Andrew Traver? He’s Barack’s choice for the BATF.
You answered your own question 😛 , as Obama’s choice, I have NO use for him…
Wow what did we ever do without BATFE? Of course some of us think alcohol, tobacco, and firearms is just a checklist for the picnic supplies alongside chips and dip.
Keep your powder dry, Fred. Without the 2nd amendment, the 1st amendment is meaningless.
I’m sure that they are all over CLO then. BATFE, the people that brought you Ruby Ridge, the American Holocaust (Waco) and countless other debacles, are, as I have preached for years; nothing but a bunch of rogues that need to be put out of business. Any legitimate operations that they do work at need to be turned over to the FBI, period.
GoA and the NRA state the case much better than I can.
Tell me, what other agency had to have an additional (Arson and Explosives) added to their duties to legitimize their existence by Clinton? What other agency has led a virtual war on it’s own citizens for doing things that are legal..? What other agency, local, state, and yes federal enforcement personnel hated to work with until they had to because of the new arson etc. duties?
Damned revenuers anyways!
Yes, there are times the hillbilly comes out in me!
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