Thread: Key figure in ATF's Gunrunner operation cooperating in congr

Key figure in ATF's Gunrunner operation cooperating in congressional inquiry
By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
April 9, 2011

George Gillett Jr. is expected to reveal crucial information about how a federal operation allowed weapons from the U.S. to pass into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.

A key leader in the federal law enforcement operation suspected of allowing high-powered assault weapons to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels is now cooperating with congressional investigators, providing a crucial new window into the controversial operation known as Project Gunrunner.

George Gillett Jr., assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' field office in Phoenix, has met with congressional investigators and is expected to provide crucial information about how dozens of U.S. guns may have been transported with the ATF's knowledge into Mexico. Agents say Gillett provided much of the day-to-day oversight of the Gunrunner operation.

Two guns involved in the operation were found at the scene of a shootout in southern Arizona in December in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Brian Terry was killed, prompting at least three inquiries on Capitol Hill.

ATF officials have acknowledged that at least 195 weapons sold under the investigation have been recovered in Mexico, traced as a matter of routine via serial numbers after their recovery from crime scenes, arrests and searches.

Several ATF agents who objected to the gun transfers but were rebuffed by their supervisors already have provided extensive information to Congress and in interviews with The Times.

Gillett, who supervised the group running the Arizona component of Project Gunrunner, known as "Fast and Furious," initially dismissed those concerns and previously ordered ATF agents to avoid all communications with whistle-blowers who were cooperating with the congressional inquiries, several agents said in interviews.

Now, though, Gillett is talking. In a letter Friday to ATF management, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, disclosed that Gillett was cooperating with a congressional inquiry and had participated in two preliminary meetings with investigators.

Gillett, who was named to the Phoenix field office's No. 2 post in June 2008, previously served as an ATF field supervisor in Los Angeles.

After repeated refusals by the ATF and the Justice Department to provide detailed information about the conduct of the Gunrunner investigation and how the guns found at the scene of Terry's death got into criminal hands, Gillett's decision to come forward is crucial, agency sources said.

Vince Cefalu, an ATF agent in California who says he has suffered retaliation for criticizing ATF management in another case, said Gillett would be able to provide crucial information on who approved the operation. He will also be able to say to what degree ATF supervisors deliberately allowed guns bought by known "straw purchasers," acting on behalf of Mexican drug cartels, to be "walked" into Mexico under the eyes of ATF agents in an attempt to arrest higher-level suspects, Cefalu said.

ATF officials acknowledge they were monitoring the sale of guns to suspect buyers but say they did not deliberately allow any guns into Mexico — an assertion contradicted by several ATF agents and the agency's policy document.

Gillett "has the key to all the skeletons in the closet. You can rest assured he's going to be pointing the finger at everybody but himself," Cefalu said. "I should also add that I'm disgusted by the fact that only to protect himself is he coming forward. We came forward when we didn't have to, and we've taken a beating for it. He's coming forward with a lawyer, and he's going to glide through it with some kind of immunity."

Gillett could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Peter Noone, said he could not discuss the case. In response to questions, he confirmed that Gillett had received death threats before making the decision to cooperate.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... vrit=87489

oh NICE. a first step

ATF agent cooperates in gunwalking investigation
Posted by Sharyl Attkisson

Updated 11:55 p.m. ET

A top figure in the gunwalking controversy at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is now cooperating in the investigation.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) made that disclosure today in a letter to ATF's acting director Kenneth Melson.

Read Grassley's letter

In the letter, Sen. Grassley warns that any attempt to retaliate against the cooperating official, Assistant Special Agent in charge of ATF's Phoenix Division George Gillett, is unlawful. Prior to Sen. Grassley's letter, Gillett had already told his supervisors, through his attorney, that he was cooperating.

Sen. Grassley also says the apparent efforts of ATF executives to stop employees from speaking with members of Congress and their staff is of "grave concern."

"Without such direct, unfiltered communications, Congress would still be unaware of, and unable to inquire about, the serious allegations involving the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and the sales of weapons to known and suspected gun Traffickers," reads the Sen. Grassley letter.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight committee, has joined Sen. Grassley in investigating the gunwalking scandal exposed by CBS News. Rep. Issa recently issued ATF a subpoena for information when that agency failed to respond to information and document requests from his office and Sen. Grassley's

ATF Special Agents including John Dodson, Rene Jaquez and the former head of ATF operations in Mexico Darren Gil have all spoken to CBS News to blow the whistle on the effects of ATF's alleged gunwalking scheme. They say ATF allowed thousands of assault rifles and other weapons to "walk" across the border into the hands of Mexico's drug cartels. ATF apparently hoped that letting the guns hit the streets and then seeing where they later ended up would help them take down a major drug cartel. That never happened. Instead, the guns were used in many crimes in Mexico. Two of the weapons were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Officials are investigating possible connections to the murder of ICE Agent Zapata. The two federal agents were gunned down two months apart.

After ATF whistleblower Dodson spoke to Grassley in January, he disclosed the contact to his supervisors. Sen. Grassley says Dodson was then subjected to intimidation. Dodson "was immediately questioned about the content of those communications. I was concerned about that because forcing an employee to reveal the details of such communications would intrude on the integrity of the Congressional inquiry and offend the comity between the Branches that flows from the separation of powers under the Constitution," says Sen. Grassley in today's letter.

When contacted today by CBS News, neither the Justice Department nor ATF had any immediate comment and have refused our repeated interview requests.

In an interview with Univision last month, President Obama has said neither he nor Attorney General Eric Holder approved the operation. "There may be a situation here which a serious mistake was made and if that's the case then we'll find out and well hold somebody accountable," Mr. Obama said. Holder is in charge of the Justice Department which oversees ATF. Holder has asked the Inspector General to look into the allegations.

Sen. Grassley says the Justice Department, ATF and the State Department all failed to answer information requests from Congress.

All of Sharyl Attkisson's articles, blogs and videos can be found in one place at cbsnews.com/sharylattkisson

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-2 ... 91695.html

Sen. Grassley says the Justice Department, ATF and the State Department all failed to answer information requests from Congress.

Would you answer questions if you knew someone is going to Prison;

these people are now scared SHIT LESS and will do all they can to hide the facts