Project Gun-walker and the ATF

[twoguns]

Further evidence of the gutlessness of the Republican leadership and one of the primary reasons I refer to them as Dead Elephants.

If you believe that voting for these cretins will result in substantive change well, good luck with that.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76135.html

[Valorius]

Bill, I am not one who is easily insulted. No worries there. I do, however, resent being condescended to as if I were a child. I am not one who believes that life is full of sweetness and light and that fairness is always in abundance. Please save the paternalistic lecture.

There have been a couple of posts in which you implied (Singleton has also done it in another thread) that I advocate a violent revolt against the fedgov.

You should not read more into my posts that are intended my friend. If i thought you were a ticking time bomb, i would just say so.

People love to forget history, so i felt it wise to toss a history lesson out there.

[twoguns]

You should not read more into my posts that are intended my friend. If i thought you were a ticking time bomb, i would just say so.

People love to forget history, so i felt it wise to toss a history lesson out there.

I appreciate your clarification. Thanks.

[twoguns]

To me this is a new low of convoluted subterfuge offered by the gutless, nut-less Dead Elephants. "Unfairly targeting the first black attorney general"? I thought justice was supposed to be blind. Unfairly? UNFAIRLY??? I wonder how unfair it is to be a dead victim from one of these "walked guns?

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogsp...o-do-with.html

Monday, May 14, 2012
What does Trayvon have to do with justice for Brian Terry and hundreds of dead Mexican citizens? -- Nothing except weak-kneed GOP leadership.
Darrell Issa Keeps Pursuing Contempt.

A GOP aide also warned against a racial backlash if Republicans are seen as unfairly targeting the first black attorney general, who is serving under the first black president. “Especially after Trayvon,” the aide said, referring to slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

Meanwhile resistance to Boehner's spinelessness grows.

Posted by Dutchman6 at 9:45 AM

[twoguns]

Washington times editorial says hold Holder in contempt.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...r-in-contempt/

EDITORIAL: Hold Holder in contempt
No more slow-walking Fast and Furious probe

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Monday, May 14, 2012

Justice has waited long enough. It’s time to pull the trigger on contempt charges against Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. for withholding documents from Congress in the Operation Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal. Allowing further delay would only confirm what many Americans suspect: There is one set of laws for bureaucrats and another for the rest of us.

Congress has been waiting since October 2011 for Mr. Holder to comply fully with a subpoena seeking records in 22 categories of information about the federal firearms-smuggling operation. The attorney general has provided some material in 10 requested categories but nothing in the remaining 12. Try pulling a stunt like that as a private citizen. Mr. Holder has been able to dodge sanction so far only because he ostensibly is President Obama’s chief law enforcement officer.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell E. Issa, who has spearheaded the Fast and Furious investigation, has indicated he intends to seek a contempt citation if Mr. Holder doesn’t produce the requested files by Memorial Day, just two weeks away. The California Republican upped the ante recently when he circulated a 17-page draft of the charges to committee members, for which House Speaker John A. Boehner signaled support at a press conference last week.

According to the Justice Department, Fast and Furious was a sting operation in which Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives agents recruited “straw purchasers” to buy weapons in the United States and smuggle them to Mexican drug cartels. The feds failed to track the guns, which were then used to commit hundreds of crimes in Mexico and on our side of the border - including the December 2010 killing of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Congressional Republicans have demanded accountability for the botched scheme, and whistleblowers have alleged that responsibility lies with top Justice officials.

The embattled attorney general is losing support. On Wednesday, 142 Democrats joined with 239 Republicans in approving an amendment to the Justice Department budget prohibiting the use of funds for the purpose of lying to Congress. The vote could be Democrats’ way of signaling they, too, are tired of Team Obama’s stonewalling over Fast and Furious.

If anyone thought the threat of contempt charges would persuade Mr. Holder to play nice, they had better think again. Last week, Justice sued Arizona’s no-nonsense Sheriff Joe Arpaio for purported racial profiling. Added to Mr. Holder’s exoneration of the New Black Panthers for voting rights violations, efforts to grant legal rights to accused foreign terrorists and lawsuits against states attempting to enforce federal immigration laws, his message is clear: He has no intention of letting the Fast and Furious debacle obstruct his left-wing strategy of using Justice to exact payback for the perceived injustice of the nation’s past.

If Americans are to believe that no one is above the law, there cannot be an exemption for the attorney general. Congress should hold Mr. Holder in contempt.

The Washington Times

[n1fhpa]

Washington times editorial says hold Holder in contempt.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...r-in-contempt/

On Wednesday, 142 Democrats joined with 239 Republicans in approving an amendment to the Justice Department budget prohibiting the use of funds for the purpose of lying to Congress.

If Americans are to believe that no one is above the law, there cannot be an exemption for the attorney general. Congress should hold Mr. Holder in contempt.

The Washington Times

Is the ride starting over? It is interesting that the dems are moving towards sanity. I hope that this will finally gain some traction. I am nearly as optimistic as I was when you started this thread. Thanks for your relentless coverage twoguns!

[twoguns]

Thank you for keeping an eye on it as well.

I am not sure I can say I am optimistic or that the Dems are moving toward sanity....that would be a long move! haha

We shall see what develops now that the contempt charge is imminent. A little spell in the hoosegow would do that arrogant s.o.b Holder some good.

[twoguns]

and then there is this:

http://www.examiner.com/article/issa...rs-ignore-them

Issa invites questions while staffers ignore them

David Codrea
Gun Rights Examiner

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., addressed apparent stonewalling by the Republican leadership in pursuing a contempt of Congress citation against Attorney General Eric Holder on last night’s “On the Record” with Greta Van Susteren. Although Holder has not produced subpoenaed documents and information demanded by the committee, Van Susteren asked Issa about rumors that House Speaker John Boehner “isn’t wild about this,” prompting the chairman to detail his strategy for building Congressional consensus, including reaching across the aisle to concerned Democrats for support.

“We’ve sent out to every member of Congress 64 pages laying out the case for contempt.” Issa explained. “We’ve asked them do they have any questions…”

Issa is referring to the contempt citation draft the Committee sent out on May 3, and while it lends itself to many questions, one asked by Gun Rights Examiner of staffers has gone ignored after repeated requests:

“From the draft resolution,” this correspondent wrote in a May 6 email to established Committee contacts in both investigative and media capacities, “Any investigative reports prepared by the FBI or DEA relating to the individuals described to Committee staff at the October 5, 2011 briefing at Justice Department headquarters as Target Number 1 and Target Number 2. Department Response: The Department acknowledged that it ‘think[s] we understand this item.’”

This refers to item 17 in the category listing of the subpoena schedule requests on pages 19 and 20 (file pages 39 and 40 out of 64). While the reference has been public knowledge since October 12 of last year, the DoJ response, and Issa’s decision to reference it here, are curious.

Are they talking about straw purchasers/FBI confidential informants Eduardo and Jesus Miramontes here? Or someone else…?

“This is practically screaming for clarification/details,” the staffers were told. “What more can you share on this item?”

After two days of silence, this correspondent sent a follow-up email, asking “May I please have a for-the-record response to this?”

That, too, went ignored.

To further elicit an answer, the prior email attempts to obtain one were also sent to the Committee press secretary.

“Can you shake something loose on this for me?” this third email requested. “The Chairman put something out there for the public record that evidently even the DOJ says they're not certain they understand, and it seems to me like I'm asking a legitimate question that merits public understanding."

Over one week has passed and there has been no acknowledgement of these questions from people this correspondent has shared information with many times in the past. If there is a legitimate law enforcement reason for not providing investigation-related information, the case could be made that it should not have been referenced so intriguingly in documents the Committee made public. And if it’s no big deal, just answering the question would seem the thing to do. Besides, a response could still be crafted that did not give away specifics.

In any case, the individual staffers and their Committee have all benefited from reliable information, introductions and leads shared by Gun Rights Examiner and Mike Vanderboegh at Sipsey Street Irregulars. So it should be unnecessary at this point to have to go back to publicly decrying lack of Congressional responsiveness, but if that’s the only path left open for “Unauthorized Journalists” to get action, at least it’s a tried and true one.

This Committee, above all others, should be sensitive to the perception that ignoring legitimate requests creates.
Issa's committee expects answers. Can't we expect answers from them?


Suggested by the author:

Issa sends Justice Dept. contempt draft to supportive Democrats
Origins of Fast and Furious story important for media to get right
DOJ charges release of ‘Gunwalker’ reports impedes investigations
Issa vows action on Holder as Washington Times demands it

[twoguns]

...and this from the Democrat shills:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmem...recedented.php

DOJ: Issa’s Move To Hold AG In Contempt ‘Unprecedented’

Ryan J. Reilly May 15, 2012, 6:16 PM 1294

Rep. Darrell Issa’s drive to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt is “unwarranted,” “unprecedented” and “ill-advised,” a top Justice Department official said in a letter to the California Republican, who is chair of the House Oversight Committee, on Tuesday.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole also wrote that the committee’s “core questions” on the flawed gun trafficking operation known as Fast and Furious “have been answered.”

Cole suggested that the lack of documents showing high-level discussions about the tactics used in Fast and Furious show the problem grew out of offices in Arizona and that top Obama administration were not aware that ATF agents were telling gun shop dealers to sell large quantities of weapons to individuals they suspected were “straw purchasers” for Mexican drug cartels.

“Far from reflecting a ‘cover-up,’ as some have claimed, the lack of documents makes clear that these tactics had their origin in the field in Arizona and not among Department leaders in Washington,” Cole wrote.

“The record makes clear that Department leadership was unaware of the inappropriate tactics used in Fast and Furious until allegations about those tactics were made public in early 2011,” Cole wrote.

Some Republican members of the House have suggested the Obama administration purposefully allowed guns to “walk” and wind up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels in an effort to create enough political will to enact gun-control measures.

Issa released a draft contempt resolution earlier this month that charges Holder should be held in contempt for failing to properly respond to Issa’s subpoena, but he’s reportedly faced opposition from within his own party. Politico reported that House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy decided to slow Issa’s push over concerns about the optics of holding the attorney general in contempt during an election year.

As Cole writes, Issa’s contempt proceeding would be unprecedented even outside of election season.

“Congress has never held an Attorney General in contempt based on a failure to provide documents relating to open criminal investigations and prosecutions,” Cole wrote.

“We readily acknowledge that, like our predecessors in Administrations of both parties, we have protected documents where we have believed that their disclosure would jeopardize the independence, integrity, and effectiveness of our continuing law enforcement efforts,” he wrote.

Cole wrote that the Justice Department is “absolutely committed to bringing the killers of Brian Terry and Jaime Zapata to justice” and successfully prosecuting cases related to Fast and Furious.

“We know that the Committee shares these goals and we ask that the Committee work with us to ensure that we are able to hold accountable those who violate the law,” Cole wrote to Issa.

Late update: Issa spokesman Frederick Hill responds:

Instead of providing straightforward and fact based answers, the Justice Department continues to distort the outstanding questions about reckless conduct in Operation Fast and Furious. While the Committee has subpoenaed documents that address what senior officials were told about controversial gunwalking tactics during Operation Fast and Furious, the Justice Department pointedly refuses to provide them or to deny that senior officials were given information in the course of the Operation indicating the existence of reckless tactics. Instead, the Justice Department merely restates that certain officials have indicated that they personally did not inform senior officials. Rather than agreeing to provide documents that include details about officials calling ATF whistleblowers liars and retaliating against them, the Department seems to believe a recounting of the Department’s public positions on Operation Fast and Furious over a ten month period is a sufficient response. This response fails to provide critical details about unacceptable behavior by senior officials toward whistleblowers and how the Department reversed course from indicating that whistleblowers were lying to acknowledging they were right. If the Justice Department seeks to avoid contempt, it knows the questions for which it owes the American people answers.

Cole’s letter to Issa is embedded below.

DAG Letter 5-15-12
ATF, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Darrell Issa, Eric Holder, Fast And Furious, James Cole, Project Gunrunner
Ryan J. Reilly

Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.

[twoguns]

Pure political pandering from Obama.

http://www.examiner.com/article/obam...rcement-deaths

Obama memorials bury Fast and Furious law enforcement deaths

David Codrea
Gun Rights Examiner

President Obama, as keynote speaker in yesterday’s 31st Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service held by the Fraternal Order of Police on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, elected not to address law enforcement lives lost in the Fast and Furious “gunwalking” scandal.

While the name of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who died in December, 2010, would not have appeared on the 2011 roll call of the fallen being honored, the name of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata, slain in Mexico with a Fast and Furious weapon, was included on the roster. The President made no acknowledgment of that, or of the untold numbers of walked guns still in the wild, allowed by the government to fall into the hands of Mexican cartel criminals who continue to endanger law enforcement and the general population on both sides of the border.
View slideshow: Administration gets press from peace officer memorial

In a related development, one without ceremony, the President signed the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act into law, sidestepping the dilemma identified in this column on May 9 about whether or not he would invite Terry’s parents to the signing.

“On Tuesday, when Obama signed the bill into law, he did not hold a public signing ceremony with Terry’s family,” Matthew Boyle of The Daily Caller reports. “The announcement that Obama had signed the memorial act into law was stuffed in the middle of a White House press release packed with other announcements not relevant to Terry.”

While disappointing, it’s hardly surprising, especially considering no one in the “mainstream press” elected to deem that development newsworthy, consistent with their documented record of ignoring or misdirecting the Fast and Furious story. Noting Terry’s mother called Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder a “coward” and a “joke,” if a reaction from the family on this latest deliberate slight is forthcoming, expect it to be candid in sentiment, that is, if the lawyer representing them in their $25 million lawsuit against the Justice Department and ATF has not advised them to avoid further public statements altogether.
5 photos
Will walked guns be used to kill any more officers or citizens?
Slideshow: Administration gets press from peace officer memorial
Will officers slain with Fast and Furious weapons be remembered in next year's ceremony? And the year after that?

Suggested by the author:

Brian A. Terry Memorial Act creates political dilemma for Obama
A Journalist's Guide to 'Project Gunwalker'-Part Ten