Thread: Judicial Watch Sues ATF for Fast and Furious Records Detailing Communications between

Judicial Watch Sues ATF for Fast and Furious Records Detailing Communications between ATF and Obama White House Official

June 18, 2012 | No Comments

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and fights government corruption, announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (No. 12-0921)) on June 6, 2012, with the Obama Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seeking access to “Operation Fast and Furious” records detailing communications between ATF officials and Kevin O’Reilly, former Obama White House Director of North American Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council.

Judicial Watch filed the FOIA lawsuit as part of its continuing investigation of the Fast and Furious scandal, where the Obama administration allowed weapons to “walk” across the border into the hands of Mexican drug cartels directly resulting in the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and countless Mexican citizens. This is the third lawsuit filed against the Obama administration seeking records related to the Fast and Furious scandal.

Judicial Watch seeks access to the following records pursuant to its original FOIA request submitted on July 22, 2011:

All records of communication between any official, officer or employee of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Kevin M. O’Reilly, a current or former employee of the U.S. Department of State currently or previously serving as Director of North American Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council.

As reported by CBS News, Fast and Furious documents released by the Obama White House in September 2011 “show extensive communications between then-ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office Bill Newell – who led Fast and Furious – and then-White House National Security Staffer Kevin O’Reilly.” The records included a flow-chart showing the ultimate destinations of the weapons released by the Obama administration. Newell had previously admitted during a congressional hearing that he had indeed shared information regarding the scandal with O’Reilly, but did not provide significant details regarding their discussions.

Two chief Republican lawmakers investigating Fast and Furious, Rep. Darrell Issa (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), have repeatedly demanded that O’Reilly testify in the matter. Nevertheless, the White House has thus far refused to make O’Reilly, now reportedly stationed in Iraq in a new position with the Obama State Department, available for questioning.

“The Obama administration has clammed up on Fast and Furious. We’re having trouble getting almost anything out of them. No wonder, as the Fast and Furious lies and killings makes it one of the worst scandals in recent American history. The American people deserve to know what White House officials knew and when they knew it,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

In the ongoing congressional investigation, on Tuesday, June 12, Attorney General Eric Holder sought a compromise on the release of records in response to news that Rep. Issa’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is prepared on, June 20, to vote on a contempt citation against Holder for stonewalling the investigation.

Judicial Watch Sues ATF for Fast and Furious Records Detailing Communications between ATF and Obama White House Official | Judicial Watch

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Issa Plans to Move Forward With Holder Contempt Vote

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Issa Plans to Move Forward With Holder Contempt Vote

By Billy House
June 19, 2012


House Republicans plan to press on with consideration Wednesday by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee of a vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress regarding a stand-off over documents tied to the botched Fast and Furious" sting operation.

The announcement Tuesday night by committee chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., followed a closed-door meeting at the Capitol between Issa and other Republican and Democratic lawmakers with Holder at the U.S. Capitol. Issa described himself as disappointed and still hoping for a breakthrough.



"I had hoped that after this evening's meeting I would be able to tell you that the Department had delivered documents that would justify the postponement of tomorrow's vote on contempt," said Issa, in a statement.

Issa claimed the Justice Department had told the Committee last Thursday that it had documents it could produce that would answer our questions.

Holder, speaking in the Capitol Rotunda to reporters, said he had come "in good faith" and that he had made a number of documents, specifically those from February to December of 2011, available.

Asked if he thought he and his department could avoid the contempt vote, Holder said, "The ball's in their court."

But Issa said, "Today, the Attorney General informed us that the Department would not be producing those documents. The only offer they made involved us ending our investigation."

"While I still hope the Department will reconsider its decision so tomorrow's vote can be postponed, after this meeting I cannot say that I am optimistic. At this point, we simply do not have the documents we have repeatedly said we need to justify the postponement of a contempt vote in committee," said Issa.

Under the "Fast and Furious" operation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms sold thousands of weapons to gun traffickers with the intention of then tracing those guns to Mexican drug cartels. But the operation went sour when the ATF lost track of many of the weapons, including ones later linked to the killings of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and as many as 300 Mexicans.

For more than a year, Issa has been leading a congressional investigation into failed gun-trafficking operation. Late last year, he issued a subpoena to Holder seeking communications regarding the operation from top Justice officials, documents and information shared with the White House and relating to the death of Terry and others, and any efforts to keep some information covered-up.

Issa Plans to Move Forward With Holder Contempt Vote - Influence Alley

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