ATF now under the gun via subpoenas
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ATF now under the gun via subpoenas
As a Follower of Justice, maybe you have heard---
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is planning to issue a number of subpoenas to federal officials with ties to the controversial program "Gun Runner" which was run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The chairman of the House Oversight Committee will use the power of subpoenas to learn if a federal gun-tracking program contributed to the killing of a Border Patrol agent.
"Fast and Furious" was part of the five-year-old GUNRUNNER program. It authorized local U.S. gun stores to sell THOUSANDS of semiautomatic rifles to suspected and known straw-purchasers for Mexican drug cartels.
The move by Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, comes on the tail end of a series of interviews with government officials and witnesses that the panel's investigators conducted last month. Sources said the interviews produced a lot of new evidence and information regarding who gave the ultimate go-ahead for ATF's "Fast and Furious" operation!
In the meantime, MORE and MORE killings have been linked to the "GUNRUNNER" project.
By allowing people to illegally purchase large quantities of the weapons from gun dealers, officials hoped to trace the firearms to the upper ranks of the drug cartels and prosecute them. But ATF whistleblowers allege that officials lost track of guns. Some even point to the very, very top!
The strong possibility that these guns are linked to Fast and Furious is apparently causing concerns at ATF headquarters, where both former Phoenix, AZ Special Agent in Charge William Newell and Assistant Special Agent in Charge George Gillett - the latter who has been cooperating with the Gunrunner investigations and has retained legal counsel - have been reassigned. The Phoenix field office has gone through a major shuffle with new personnel taking charge.
Two of the guns from the operation were found at the scene of an Arizona gun battle in December between U.S. law enforcement and members of a drug gang. The firefight killed Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, but officials have not revealed whether the bullet that struck him came from the guns the ATF was supposed to be tracking!
According to CBS News on Monday, guns from the Fast and Furious operation might have been used in an attack on a Mexican government helicopter that was grounded after being fired upon by suspected members of a drug cartel two weeks ago.
Rep. Issa has been critical of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees the ATF, for not turning over all of the documents he has requested and not making available all of the officials he has wanted to interview, sometimes citing ongoing gun-tracking investigations and prosecutions.
The subpoenas, which Issa said will be issued to key Washington-based government officials with ties to the operation, are slated to serve as a launching pad for a new series of hearings on the matter.
In an interview on FOX NEWS this past Sunday, Rep. Issa said: "We have a slew of subpoenas we expect to be issuing for people here in Washington. What we have not gotten one bit of is - here in Washington, far away from the actual investigation and prosecutions that they seem to be using as a façade to protect them - here in Washington, they are not making one agent available, one hierarchy available, and we will be issuing subpoenas because we have to!"
MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011, the committee is scheduled to hold a hearing titled "Obstruction of Justice. Does the Justice Department Have to Respond to Lawfully Issued and Valid Congressional Subpoena?" Committee aides have not yet released a witness list, but they have confirmed that this was the first of several hearings on the matter of STONEWALLING!
Issa and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have led the congressional hunt for more information about the ATF operation and its approval. The lawmakers have said repeatedly that they are being "stonewalled" by DOJ.
U.S. Senator Grassley, who does not have the same subpoena power as Issa—has vowed to hold up President Obama's nominations in the Senate until he gets the documents and information that he has requested on the operation.
More and more, the fingers of guilt point to officials high up in the Obama administration. Across-the-board stonewalling by government agencies is hindering the final investigation, including the Attorney General. Of course this does not surprise me, as the Obama administration is the most anti-gun and anti-Second Amendment administration in recent memory!
What started out as an "innocent" program run by the ATF to allow guns purchased in the United States to be smuggled into Mexico for the purpose of TRACKING THEM to high-ranking members of Mexican drug cartels. Has turned into a genuine cover-up, involved many hundreds of weapons unaccounted for by the ATF.
Will you assist us in getting to the very bottom of this investigation?
Our own government officials are STONEWALLING to COVER-UP their mistakes! They will not even cooperate with our elected Congressmen in their investigations. THIS, IN ITSELF, IS A CRIME!
This goes way beyond "finger-pointing." This is a cover-up of the highest order!
Many of the whistleblowers have come forward to Congress out of loyalty to the murdered Border Patrol Agent. We need the administration to come forward out of "loyalty" to the American constituency who voted their superiors into office!
Every single piece of information and evidence points to an unbelievable COVER-UP!
Will you please help the Second Amendment Foundation to get to the very bottom of this?
You see, here is how this cover-up affects you and me directly---when the criminals use the illegal weapons, it puts gasoline on Mr. Obama's anti-gun "fire" to go against ALL gun owners in general; and even against those who believe in our Second Amendment rights! We cannot let Mr. Obama use this illegal act---perpetrated by his own administration---to use against legitimate gun owners!
The Obama Administration is doing all this in a concentrated effort to blame America's gun owners like YOU for the violent crime with guns in an attempt to pass new anti-gun laws to infringe on your gun rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment!
Earlier this year, Issa subpoenaed the Department of Justice for documents relating to the operation. The day before Attorney General Eric Holder was set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, the DOJ sent over about 20 percent of the requested documents and told the committee that the remaining documents - about 400 pages - could be made available for review, but could not be handed over to the committee because of their sensitivity.
This could very well be a very, very large cover-up!!
Now is the time that I really need to hear from you so our battle can continue to protect YOUR right to bear arms. Now is the time for you to decide; to help in this fight or not.
I sincerely look forward to hearing from you on this very urgent matter.
Respectfully,
Alan M. Gottlieb
Chairman
Second Amendment Foundation
received by e-mail from the Second Amendment Foundation on Thu, Jun 9, 2011 6:40 am.
