Acting ATF Director: Calm Down About Botched Fast & Furious Scandal
Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, October 6, 2011, 6:22 AM
In April 2009 Barack Obama blamed violence in Mexico on US guns.
Five months later the Fast and Furious program was off and running.
We now know that Fast and Furious led to at least one death of a US law officer and over 200 deaths in Mexico. We also know that there was extensive communication between the White House and the ATF regarding Fast and Furious and although Attorney General Holder told Congress under oath that he first learned of the program this year, documents prove that he was aware of the program at least as far back as July of 2010.
Yesterday, the acting ATF director told Washington insiders to calm down about the scandal.
B. Todd Jones unveiled 11 new staff assignments at the executive level. | AP
The new acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives urged Washington insiders to “calm down” about the botched Fast and Furious drug running program.
The Washington Post reported:
The new acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced a major shake-up of his agency Wednesday and urged Washington insiders to “calm down” about the latest revelations surrounding a controversial ATF gun operation.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked President Obama to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Holder told the truth to Congress at a hearing on May 3 about Fast and Furious.
Smith made his request a day after Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released new documents from the Justice Department that he said indicate that Holder was told about Fast and Furious as early as July 2010, although he told Congress in May that he had just learned about it.
A copy of a weekly report, obtained Monday by The Washington Post, was sent to Holder on July 5, 2010, from Michael F. Walther, the director of the National Drug Intelligence Center. A paragraph notes a Phoenix investigation called “Operation Fast and the Furious,” which involved a trafficking ring with straw buyers responsible for the purchase of 1,500 firearms that were then supplied to Mexican drug cartels. The report said the group had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, suspected of providing $1 million for the purchase of guns.
The document did not explain that the ATF was in effect watching this happen without immediately trying to intervene, the issue at the heart of the controversy.
On Oct. 18, 2010, another weekly report, this one from Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer, was sent to Holder noting “Phoenix-based Operation Fast and Furious.”
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said Holder became aware of the questionable tactics of allowing the guns to walk — or move without ATF interdiction — only when ATF agents first flagged them publicly in March. Holder then asked the agency’s inspector general to conduct an investigation, which is ongoing.
But Issa said the documents show that Holder was not being truthful during the May 3 congressional hearing.
At the hearing, Issa asked Holder: “When did you first know about the program officially, I believe, called Fast and Furious?”
Holder answered: “I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.”
…Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who is conducting the joint investigation of Fast and Furious along with Issa, released a statement Wednesday night questioning the timing of the ATF shuffle in the same week that lawmakers released the documents pertaining to Holder.
“Rearranging the chairs on the deck won’t make Fast and Furious go away,” Grassley said. “There is a lot of effort at the Justice Department to spin the fact that the Attorney General was less than candid before the House Judiciary Committee, and what better way to make that go away than a bureaucratic shuffle.”
UPDATE: Eric Holder received at least 5 memos on ‘Fast and Furious.’
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Published May 22, 2012 at 5:04 am - 81 Comments
regularguy commented:
Calm down??!!! You jackass, I challenge you to say that directly to the Terry family. Actually, you probably would, you shameless bastard.
Sickofobama commented:
Calm down?
So people were murdered as a direct result of Obama and Holder sneaking guns into Mexico so they could turn around and blame it on America so they can take away our gun rights?
I don’t think so Jones.
Just because you say it doesn’t mean consequences aren’t coming.
Major Kong commented:
Calm down, b.s! If this had happened under a republican president’s watch the AG would be long gone with dems howling for a special prosecutor to investigate criminality. Additionally, loud calls for impeachment of the president would be de rigeur.
aprilnovember811 commented:
GO TO HELL BUDDY!!! YOU DON’T GET TO TELL PEOPLE TO CALM DOWN ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BEING ACCESSORIES TO THE MURDER OF OVER 200 PEOPLE!!!
JUST WHO IN THE HELL DOES THIS THUG THINK HE IS??? NO!!! WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE ALL OF THOSE INVOLVED ARE PUNISHED HERE AND THEN EXTRADITED TO MEXICO FOR THE MURDERS OF THEIR CITIZENS, YOU NO GOOD PUNK!!!!
Stoshio commented:
Hey, B. Todd…You just said exactly the wrong thing!!! We are NOT going to calm down and we are NOT going to let this go!!!!!!!!! You had better buckle in, you arrogant bastard, because it’s going to be a rough ride for you and your cohorts. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; sounds like it should be a convenience store and not a government agency!
aprilnovember811 commented:
(800) 800-3855 (Toll Free) ATF to report a crime of accessory to murder. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. MURDERERS.
J commented:
WHAT was the song they played as the Titanic sunk? Perhaps we could send ATF some suggestions?
Obamas regulation destroy jobs commented:
Obama gave FOX a party, remember??? He turned Arizona into the UN, remember?? They all knew about it!!! FIRE them ALL!! Holder, Obama all of them!!!!!!! They got our ICE agents KILLED!!!!!!!!!!
#1AMERICAN commented:
“Rearranging the chairs on the deck won’t make Fast and Furious go away,”
————————————————————————————-
no but we can make holder do alot of prison time
Valerie commented:
We have an administration that lied about the source of weapons in the drug war to the south of us, and then deliberately failed for enforce our own laws, possibly for the purpose of demonstrating to a credulous public that our laws are ineffective. Those weapons were used to kill a lot of people in Mexico, and at least one of our own agents.
The least we can do is investigate this mess, publish the results, and then fire the decision-makers who overrode our agents’ please to enforce our own laws, and apologize to our neighbors in Mexico.
Actually, the apology to the Mexicans can go out, now. Our politically-active appointees have been careless with the lives of others.
Gary commented:
I wonder if they replace holder will all the suppressed cases like the voter intimidation cases be pursued again.
Fuquay Steve commented:
Calm – is that code for don’t get all wee-weed up? Too late for that brother.
Roger commented:
What? Over 300 people have died in this operation called Fast and Furious and this guy is suggesting that we people should remain calm. Who is this POS? and why are you quoting him?
StrangernFiction commented:
I’m not sure why I’m putting myself through this, but I am watching Barky’s press conference. The ease with which this man lies, misleads, obfuscates…..is incredibly frightening.
Dude is PURE EVIL!
American Woman commented:
Calm down? People died on both side of the border, because of the intentional actions of the Department of Justice and the Department of ATF. Why were guns put into the hands of the drug cartels and how many are now in the hands of Hezbollah?
Yes, that right, Hezbollah:
http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/fast-and-furious-gunrunner-program-in-bed-with-drug-cartels-farc-n-hezbollah/question-1992367/
Roger commented:
I’ve been listening to Obama on the latest news conference and he said in the coarse of 1 hour he has said nothing.
Roger commented:
Here is a question for Obama:Pictures show you marching with Black Panters in Selma AL. and seance your Justice dept. gave a pass to them do you see a conflict?
JKB commented:
Hey, you know what calms down a scandal? Being truthful and open about what was done, why and how. It is the persistent coverup and stonewalling that agitates people and keeps the story alive.
Finncrisp commented:
B. Todd Jones , aka Barak’s Tool Jones, needs to explain why we need to calm after learning our Attorney General lied to Congress, our government has orchestrated Mass Murder in a foreign country, and a U.S border agent was killed as a result of our gun ruinning. Holder is an accessory to Murder, allegedy.
If the announcment was who was in jail as a result, that the stain of this incident has been dealt with swiftly, I think we could calm down, but only a little.
At this point, I think the White House needs to calm down and stop yelling at the few journalists who have tried to cover this story. The cover up is not working; let the arrests begin.
wtd commented:
#17, I also happened to hear a bit of Obama’s rant over the last hour – indeed rearranging the Solyndra/GunWalker/Holder deck chairs. Pure absolute inanity.
Joanne commented:
Holder is a liar. He didn’t misspeak and he didn’t fail to see or read the memo – he just plain old lied. He is a criminal who can’t investigate himself, so he thinks he is going to go scott free. I can’t wait until this bunch of criminals in the Obama administration go down.
Dittogirl commented:
Oh yes, calm down sheep! This backfired plan was designed to take away rights from the American people so they can make this nation unarmed and defenseless against enemies in and out of govt. An armed nation is a nation of citizens. An unarmed nation is a nation of subjects, subjected to the whim of any dictator and whatever laws or unjust laws he decides to set upon us.
We can thank the Lord that this plan failed! They took a huge risk to try and implement this! And it almost worked, if you go back to that time, many were on tv talking about the violence (that they created) and talking about how we MUST have stronger gun laws to stop this madness!
Many law abiding citizens would of followed the law and turned in their weapons, and that was what they were counting on. The sheep would of listened, because most honorable people do not want to break the law. They knew this, they were going to use this to unarm this nation. Once that happened, freedom as we know it would be completely gone.
This was pure evil. Failure was the blessing and now its time to get the people responsible and make them pay for the crimes they intended to inflict on this nation. Border Agent Terry’s family is making sure that this happens, and we need to help that family.
Keep the pressure on, Mr Issa. Its clean-up time! If ever, we need Mr Issa to do his job, and do it completely. Mr Issa, you have the ammunition, make sure you hit the bullseye.
Jenny commented:
Calm down? I don’t think so. Because of this political stunt, people are dead.
No Man commented:
Calm down!
It resulted in two dead feds and 200 wasted mexicans.
Small price to pay for disarming the American people so Obama and Ayres may complete their enslavement.
From Instapundit:
On top of stonewalling Rep. Darrell Issa’s House investigation of the mess, Justice has floated a series of contradictory excuses:
* There was no such program.
* Even if there was, Holder never knew about it.
* Even if he should have known about it, he might not have read Breuer’s memos.
* Even if he read Breuer’s memos, he misunderstood the simple question: “When did you first know about the program, officially, I believe, called Fast and Furious?” . . .
But to date, all we’ve heard is dog-ate-my-briefing-book excuses and desperate attempts to change the subject.
M1 commented:
Yet another affirmative action failure.
olm commented:
We’ ll happily calm down when this disaster is cleaned up by the investigators and consequences paid by the perpetrators.
Until then………….screw you.
Valerie commented:
#13 October 6, 2011 at 10:52 am
Sheila commented:
Ummmm, no. The incompetence of this administration goes well beyond a few appointees with a special skin color. And, the people who have been hurt the most as a group by the foolish policies of this administration are our vulnerable blacks. Further, the big beneficiaries of the foolish policies of this administration are nearly all politically well-connected white people, to the tune of billions — billions, that is, with a “b”!
In case you haven’t noticed, the people who frequent this site and support its goals judge people by the content of their character, and not the color of their skins. If the TEA Parties get their way, ordinary folk of all colors will prosper as our economic pump stops cavitating.
forest commented:
More from Grassley this morning on the hand-delivered F7F letter he gave Holder in January:
http://www.wmal.com/article.asp?id=2303763&SPID=40282
This is new information as far as I know.
Kingslayor commented:
I think Obummer and Holder will make cute couple as cell wives!!!!
aprilnovember811 commented:
#13,
This is a ploy. They feel this will prevent him from being challenged because of his race. It won’t work. You don’t get to cover up, buddy. We’re coming for you, Obama, Holder, Napolitano, and the rest. You’re all going to be tried as accessories to murder.
Obama was born in Kenya. He is following in the footsteps of his third world, despotic cousin, Ralia Odinga. I would bet that they orchestrated that shooting of the judge and Gabrielle Gifford’s in Arizona. It’s so obvious. The State Attorney General of AZ resigned over Fast and Furious, he can run, but he can’t hide. He was there to cover up the shooting of the Judge and Gabrielle Gifford’s also.
Obama In Kenya: I Am So Proud To Come Back Home
http://youtu.be/87pXa2pK6sg
greenfairie commented:
Fire ‘em all and hand out the indictments! Nixon for all of his faults didn’t kill anyone with Watergate. Whitewater had a curiously high coincidental body count but none of them were federal agents doing their jobs or innocent civilians. Iran Contra? Americans didn’t care about mashing Sandinista toes. Scooter Libby went to prison for having a bad memory. Fast and Felonious is worse than all of these scandals combined.
Joanne commented:
Calm down, nothing to see here. Yah right. It makes me want to puke. There are no checks and balances in the Whitehouse. The Republicans in Congress can’t get anything past the Senate, and Obama is darting to finish his race of destroying America. What is going to stop Obama? There is over a year to the next election of which may not even happen. Even the left is making it seem like they are the ones who should be taking to the streets, when it most certainly is the right who should be taking to the streets. Honestly, the left looks at what the right should be doing and then do it themselves. When are people on the right going to figure this out.
big L commented:
Jim, it says: ‘ “drug” running scandal….’ shouldn’t it be “gun” running scandal? Just below B todd’s pic and above hyper-linked “Washington Post’
jorgen commented:
We are very clam, waiting for Holder and preferably also Obama being frogmarched to prison.
Independent Economist commented:
I agree with Mr. Jones, you people do need to calm down. You are getting quite wee wee’d up over this.
lizzy84 commented:
Calm down….HAH, that has to be the joke of the day!
Too fast and too furious for the gangsta government this clown is carrying water for?
More sunshine needs to be put on Barry’s and Holder’s murderous ‘under the radar’ narcogang/cartel gun running op…more pressure. Or how about this? I’ll settle down when I hear Holder and his little boss say, ” I resign from office, effective immediately.”
RIP Brian Terry.
Stuart commented:
Joanne # 33 “There is over a year until the next election, which may not even happen.”
If that, in fact, becomes the case, (and don’t think people didn’t notice the Democrats trial balloon,) then I predict that the alternative to a cancelled election will be a civil war. There is only so much S*** that the citizens of this country will take. We don’t “do” dictators all that well in America.
Independent Economist commented:
And let me add that I believe we need to pass Obama’s jobs bill!
Reaganite Republican commented:
Don’t EVER allow a lib to tell you to “calm down”
Screw that~
Let Freedom Ring commented:
Have fun in prison Holder. It’s not too late to cop plea, just offer to roll over on your boss. Maybe they will cut a deal and grant you immunity. How about it?
http://www.commieblaster.com/
RickZ commented:
#7 October 6, 2011 at 10:37 am
J commented:
WHAT was the song they played as the Titanic sunk? Perhaps we could send ATF some suggestions?
————
“Nearer My God To Thee.”
jorgen commented:
#39 Independent Economist commented:
And let me add that I believe we need to pass Obama’s jobs bill!
Tell that to Harry Reid as the vote is waiting for him to schedule it. LOL!
Congress unfortunately can’t vote on it as no Democrat has dared to present it.
RS commented:
Sure people are dead, but they’re mostly Mexicans, right?
So no big deal. Calm city!
Ipso Facto commented:
First Question – Who dreamed up F&F? This question needs to be answered ASAP. Few people believe some district ATF guy in AZ thought up this scheme and then got so many others in the AFT involved and with taxpayer money on top of that. This is just too fantastic a lie to be believed.
Second Question – What did they expect to accomplish after they failed to track any weapons anywhere? Someone needs to tell us all how they expected to derive any benefit from this nut brain scheme. Someone needs to explain at least what they were thinking (or what they say they were thinking) in front of some serious investigators.
There are way too many indications that this deal was other than what is being presented. There have to be people who know things who are beginning to realize that this is never going to go away. These people should be coming to the realization that the truth will eventually be revealed and they will end up in a much better position if they come clean NOW – rather then after a long and intensive investigation.
All reporters should keep digging. What we do not know at this time seems to be much more then what we do know. Some reporter stands to be catapulted into stardom if they can unravel this mess and find out exactly who knew what by when.
Let Freedom Ring commented:
Jerome Corsi: Full Obama Eligibility Presentation; Sarasota Patriots Event; Sarasota Florida
Watch Video Presentation Here
http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2011/10/jerome-corsi-full-obama-eligibility.html
gosh! commented:
this is what happens when obama’s culture of corruptions is allowed to run a mock ,they want us to sat-down and shut-up like their corrupt boot-lickers the media,not going to happen,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
gus commented:
Wouldn’t the very existence of this moronic FAST and FURIOUS deal, CLEARLY INDICATE that we have a SERIOUS BORDER PROBLEM???
If the GOVERNMENT cannot stop these weapons from going out and then coming back into the country, with FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE of WHO HAS THEM. What can they supervise??
myohmy commented:
Eric Holder had just made the DOJ and ATF a criminal enterprise. Mexican people and innocent americans are not collateral damage. Never forget.
Robert A. Hall commented:
Maybe this was the Obama Administration’s efforts to eliminate illegal immigrants at the source? Would they say “calm down” if a Bush program had killed 200 minority citizens in one of our cities? If Bush was responsible for FEMA, Obama is responsible for ATF. I will link to this from my Old Jarhead blog.
Robert A. Hall
Author: The Coming Collapse of the American Republic
(All royalties go to a charity to help wounded veterans)
For a free PDF of the book, write tartanmarine(at)gmail.com
Molon Labe commented:
The Republicans should wait for an investigation of this matter till Obama is out of the WH. Then do a thorough investigation and throw everyone involved into prison for life, and fine them till they bleed. If you do this under Obama these people will skate.
lizzy84 commented:
@$47
Ipso Facto commented:
—————————————————————————————
Hasn’t oBama been running this gun control scumbaggery since his days with the Joyce Foundation where they were paying off law journals to to place pro-gun control legal pieces in publications sometimes used by Supreme Ct. Justices and their staff in deciding cases?
link@:http://gulagbound.com/19584/obama-joyce-foundation-director-obama-plan-to-disarm-america-joyce-spent-hundreds-of-thousands-to-influence-supreme-court-second-amendment-decisions/
And when he told Sarah Brady,”I just want you to know we are working on it. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar” {a statement he no doubt thought she would keep under the radar}… could the rogue F/F ‘under the table’ gun control op have been what he meant?:
link@:http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1115759845001/un-small-arms-treaty-a-threat-to-the-second-amendment/
rathernot@cbs.tv commented:
Holder is under fire. Holder is biased toward and protected by people he describes as “my peaople”, they being black and all. Hmmm…….this ATF director sticking up for Holder bears a striking resemblance to “my people.” Hey! Oscumbag bears a striking resemblance to “my people”, too – kinda like those Black panthers he hangs with, meaning the same Black Panthers that Holder ran interference for.
Odd coincidence.
Sounds kinda klannish to me.
avafromtexas commented:
#53 Good idea!
Let’s just let them sweat until the next election is over ………..get the info out now, investigate and then………wait. *evil grin*
bg commented:
++
CBS: Attkisson ‘Unavailable’ For
Further Interviews on ‘Fast & Furious’
[Earlier in the day, at the top of the 8 am Eastern hour of The Early Show,
the CBS reporter filed her latest report on the cross-border gun-walking
issue, which featured an extensive interview of a gun dealer who had been
asked to be a "confidential informant" by the ATF, but ended up assisting
in smuggling around 450 guns to Mexican criminals.
ATTKISSON: Gun enthusiast and licensed dealer Mike Detty was working
a Tucson, Arizona gun show in early 2006, when a young Hispanic man
bought a half dozen semi-automatic rifles. He paid $1,600 cash.
MIKE DETTY, GUN DEALER, TUCSON, AZ: But then he asked if I had more.
And I told him that later in the month, I would have another 20 from my
supplier. And he said, I'll take them all.
ATTKISSON: Detty suspected the buyer was trafficking for a drug cartel.
Tucson is just an hour from the Mexican border, and a popular shopping
center for smugglers. Detty notified ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms. To his surprised, ATF told him to go ahead with the big
sale, and sent an undercover agent to watch. Then, a local ATF manager
made an unusual and dangerous proposition. He asked Detty to be a
confidential informant.
DETTY: He said, Mike, I think we've got a real chance at taking out a
powerful cartel. Can you help us? I made that commitment, and I really
thought I was doing something good.
ATTKISSON: Detty even signed this informant contract. As he understood
it, he'd sell to suspected traffickers. Agents would track the weapons,
expose the cartel's inner workings, then interdict the guns before they
could ever get loose on the street- or so Detty thought....
DETTY (on-camera): They would have a small video recording- audio recording device, and sometimes, it was hidden in a box of Kleenex.
ATTKISSON (voice-over): One of the biggest
cases was code-named 'Operation Wide Receiver.'
ATTKISSON (on-camera): Do you know about
how many about many guns we're talking about?
DETTY: It's right around 450.
ATTKISSON (voice-over): Things didn't work out like Detty thought. Detty
says he realized ATF was letting guns walk. He hadn't help take down any
cartels. He had helped ATF arm them.
ATTKISSON (on-camera): When you look back and think, in hindsight,
knowing what we know now, that all of those guns were going on the
street, what do you think about?
DETTY: It really makes me sick.
ATTKISSON: What's important to know is when all of this happened. It
was under the Bush administration, three years before the better-known
operation under the Obama administration, 'Fast and Furious.' That case
allegedly let thousands of weapons fall into the hands of Mexican drug
cartels. It's now the subject of two investigations.]
==