Obama, Holder Busted In Gunwalker Cover-UP
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=45021
Obama, Holder Busted in Gunwalker Cover-up
Roger Hedgecock
07/22/2011
Kenneth Melson was supposed to be the fall guy, the sacrificial lamb, the guy thrown under the bus to protect President Obama. Melson was "expected" to resign. He refused.
Instead, Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has turned whistle-blower and all hell is about to explode over the operation dubbed by Obama's Justice Department "Fast and Furious" but now known as the Gunwalker scandal.
It looks like the Obama regime financed (partly with "stimulus" funds) an $80 million program to allow straw buyers to purchase hundreds of weapons from federally licensed gun shops in Southwest states, over the objection of the shop owners, and then allowed these weapons to "walk" across the Mexican border into the waiting arms of the murderous Mexican drug cartels.
At first, Justice Department spokesmen said it was a "sting gone wrong." Then, when many pointed out that the ATF had no jurisdiction to follow the guns across the border to make arrests, the cover story fell apart.
Melson has told congressional investigators that there is a "smoking gun" internal memo withheld from Congress indicating that "political appointees" (Obama's) in the Justice Department were involved. This memo and other documents are being withheld from Congress as part of a cover-up.
Melson has also told Congressional investigators that affidavits prepared by Justice Department lawyers to support wiretaps in the operation were "inconsistent" with public statements by Justice Department officials, meaning that the operation, it's existence at first denied by the Justice Department, was detailed months before to a court in sworn statements by the same Justice Department.
Attorney General Eric Holder testified at a congressional hearing in March 2011 that he had just learned of the Fast and Furious operation "a few weeks ago." However, Holder spoke at a joint Mexico-U.S. law enforcement conference in Mexico in April 2009, describing the operation and touting it as a way to combat the growing power of the Mexican drug cartels.
The explosive revelations continued. Melson told the investigators that during operation Fast and Furious, guns were bought by and sold to individuals connected with the Mexican cartels who were also paid informants for the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. American taxpayers are funding all sides of this war.
When the Mexican government captured the third-ranking leader of the Los Zetas cartel, Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar , he bragged that the cartel's guns were bought in the U.S. and that all the cartels were buying guns from the U.S. government.
The Mexicans are furious about all this. The Mexican congress has opened an investigation under the assumption that Obama's operation was an act of war on Mexico. More than 200 Mexican law enforcement and military personnel have been killed in the last year by guns traced back to Gunwalker.
These guns, traced by serial number, have tragically also turned up at the scene of the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata by cartel gunmen.
The Mexican cartels get weapons from Mexican Army deserters, from leftist guerrilla groups in South America, and from international gun smugglers. Under Obama, they also got weapons from U.S. gun shops. We now know how this was done, in a story first told by CBS News. The question is why?
The answer fits a pattern described by then-Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel of never letting a crisis go to waste if it can advance the agenda.
The crisis was the civil war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels, with violence spilling over into American cities. Obama, Janet Napolitano , and even Hillary Clinton, blamed this border violence on the easy availability of guns in U.S. gun shops and gun shows along the border. The agenda was gun control. Gun control laws needed to be strengthened to protect the lives of innocent Mexicans and Americans.
When statistics designed to show the cartels were armed primarily from American sources were proven false, the crisis had to be goosed a little. Operation Fast and Furious became the funnel for a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Despite all these revelations of Obama regime complicity in this gunrunning operation, the gun control agenda lives on.
Just last Monday, the Justice Department announced that all gun shops in four Southwest states will have to report to the ATF purchases of two or more of some types of rifles by the same person in a five-day span. With a straight face, a Justice Department spokesman described this as an effort to stem the illicit flow of weapons into Mexico.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R.-Tex.) called this new requirement the "height of hypocrisy ... when the administration knowingly and intentionally allowed guns to be trafficked into Mexico." Smith concluded, "Limiting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens is not going to solve the problem." Thank you Congressman Smith.
Congratulations Ken Melson. Thank you for telling the truth. Without you, the American people might believe that more gun control is the answer. With your statements, we now know that controlling the corruption of the Justice Department is the answer.
Isn't it time someone asked the age-old question, "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"
Editor's note: For the latest in the Gunwalker investigation, make sure to listen to Roger Hedgecock's interview with
Rep. Darrell Issa on his upcoming hearings!
DEA Admits It Had A Hand In Fast And Furious Gun Smuggling
The DEA Admits It Had A Hand In Fast And Furious Gun Smuggling Operation
http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-246215-0-da ... rasc-.html
Business Insider 2011-08-08: The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration has admitted that the agency knew about and played a role in "Operation Fast and Furious," a botched gunrunning program that allowed more than 2,000 firearms to "walk" across the border into Mexico. In a letter to the House Committee on Oversight, obtained by the LA Times, DEA administrator Michele Leonhart wrote that DEA... more »
Many links here:
http://article.wn.com/view/2011/08/08/T ... n_Smuggli/
Here's everything you need to know about Fast and Furious > http://www.businessinsider.com/operatio ... 1-7?page=1
ATF Agent Shared Fast & Furious Info with White House
ATF Agent Shared Fast & Furious Info with White House
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-246334.html
Uploaded by aaadream on Jul 29, 2011
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCODft0Usgo
More Details from hearing by House Oversight Committee on ATF operation Fast & Furious resulting in The Deaths Of Agents Brian Terry and Jaime Zapata with ATF Guns allowed to walk to Drug Cartel Members.
We can surmise that other murders on both sides of the US/Mexican border have resulted with the 2500 weapons allowed to cross into Mexico.
And to think...the Current Administration tried to pass the blame on US citizens to put in place more bans and restrictions on Law Abiding Citizens 2nd Amendment rights...under the cover of a program to catch Drug Cartel members gone horribly bad.
Obama,Holder,Hillary Clinton you may remember..make speeches talking about illegal guns crossing the border...only to now realize it was the ATF who allowed the guns to cross into Mexico.
They tried very hard to enact more gun laws by directing attention to US guns falling into Mexican hands from the USA to cause a outcry from the people for more 2nd Amendment restrictions,bans etc.
Well, it backfired and people died! See Links below for more Details! Make up your own mind. Peace!
The DOJ Operation Fast and Furious: Fueling Cartel Violence
http://oversight.house.gov/images/stori ... _FINAL.pdf
BATF Admits That “Guns Walkedâ€
Alex Jones - US Government Protected Sinaloa Drug "Cart
August 4th 2011
Alex Jones - US Government Protected Sinaloa Drug "Cartel"!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-247044-0-da ... rasc-.html
DOJ Rejects Family of Murdered Border Patrol Agent as Victim
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U.S. Attorney's Office Rejects Family of Murdered Border Patrol Agent as Crime Victims
By William La Jeunesse
Published August 11, 2011
| FoxNews.com
In a surprise move in a controversial case, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona is opposing a routine motion by the family of murdered Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry to qualify as crime victims in the eyes of the court.
The family asked to intervene as victims in the case against Jamie Avila, the 23-year-old Phoenix man who purchased the guns allegedly used to kill Terry. Such motions are routinely approved by prosecutors, but may be opposed by defense attorneys.
However in this case, U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke argues because the family was not "directly or proximately harmed" by the illegal purchase of the murder weapon, it does not meet the definition of "crime victim" in the Avila case. Burke claims the victim of the Avila's gun purchases, "is not any particular person, but society in general."
Prominent litigator and the former U.S. Attorney in Florida, Kendall Coffey disagrees.
"The government apparently is saying they're not victims, even though it was a federal crime that put the murder weapon in the hands of the killer of Brian Terry," says Coffey. "They are simply rights of respect, rights of communication and the right to be heard."
Coffey and others wonder if Burke has a conflict. It was his office that led Operation Fast and Furious. The operation, while executed by agents for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley. Hurley drafted the response to the family's motion. It was signed by Burke.
Congressional investigators are expected to subpoena both to appear before the House Government and Oversight Committee next month to answer questions about the flawed operation that put some 2,000 weapons in the hands of the Sinaloa cartel.
"The government leaders responsible for the tragic mistakes of Operation Fast and Furious have a lot of explaining to do before Congress. But at the same time, they still have a duty under federal law to give answers, to consult and extend respect to the family," said Coffey.
Under the federal Crime Victims Rights Act, the Terry family would have the right to confer with prosecutors and speak at Avila's sentencing. Some speculate that the U.S. Attorney's Office may cut a deal with Avila in exchange for information to be used against his associates. That deal could mean little or no jail time, and a controversial sentencing day in the courtroom. Having the Terry family fight that deal, could further embarrass and complicate Burke's case.
Burke may also be trying to protect the federal government. The family may pursue a wrongful death claim against federal agents, including Burke himself.
"If the evidence shows Brian's death was proximately caused by the negligence of government, there may be a cause of action," said Paul Charlton, the family's attorney.
Coffey says that puts Burke in a tough spot.
"The government's already been put on notice that they might be facing a wrongful death action by the family. And you have to wonder if the government's efforts to deny the family the status of 'crime victims' is part of a strategy to avoid legal responsibility for some of the tragic mistakes of Operation Fast and Furious," he said.
Burke refused comment when asked why he opposed the family’s motion and his possible conflict of interest.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08 ... z1VfcPIjIw
Shake-up follows flawed ATF anti-cartel project
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Shake-up follows flawed ATF anti-cartel project
WASHINGTON – The acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was reassigned Tuesday and Arizona's top federal prosecutor resigned in the midst of ongoing inquiries into a controversial gun-trafficking investigation that allowed hundreds of firearms to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartel enforcers and U.S. criminals.
http://i.usatoday.net/news/_photos/2...-k7bcqj7-x.jpg
Attorney General Eric Holder said B. Todd Jones, the chief federal prosecutor in Minnesota, would replace Kenneth Melson as acting director of the ATF. Holder said Melson will become senior adviser on forensic science in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy.
Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, whose office is overseeing pending prosecutions in the gun investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious, resigned. Emory Hurley, an assistant federal prosecutor directly assigned to the gun prosecutions, was reassigned within the Phoenix office.
BLOG: ATF chief ousted amid trafficking probes
The shake-up represents the Obama administration's first major response to allegations that the flawed gun investigation, aimed at tracking guns to drug cartel leaders, may have been responsible for arming drug organizations in deadly encounters with Mexican and U.S. officials.
The operation was shut down last December following the killing of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in a Arizona shootout. Two weapons recovered at the scene of Terry's killing were purchased as part of the federal sting operation. It has not been determined whether either of the weapons were used to kill Terry.
Prior to Terry's killing, ATF officials allowed about 2,000 guns to be purchased by alleged cartel associates, known as straw buyers, hoping that the trail of weapons would lead to cartel leaders and their ultimate prosecutions.
The attorney general, who offered no criticism of the departing leaders, said Jones would bring a "wealth of experience" to the top job at ATF.
"I have great confidence that he will be a strong and steady influence guiding ATF in fulfilling its mission of combating violent crime by enforcing federal criminal laws and regulations in the firearms and explosives industries," Holder said.
Like Melson, Jones will hold the title of acting director for an embattled agency that has been without a permanent director for five years. Holder also said Jones would continue to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in Minnesota.
The Justice Department announcements prompted mixed reactions from Congress where the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the ATF's Phoenix-based operation. The Justice Department's inspector general is conducting a separate review.
Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. said the operation's "reckless disregard for safety" merited a change in leadership. But he said the panel would continue "to ensure that blame isn't offloaded on just a few individuals."
"There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in 'Operation Fast and Furious' and who else bears responsibility," Issa said. "These changes are warranted and offer an opportunity for the Justice Department to explain the role other officials and offices played in the infamous efforts to allow weapons to flow to Mexican drug cartels."
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is assisting the congressional inquiry, said the personnel moves were "a step in the right direction."
"Today's announcement is an admission by the Obama administration that serious mistakes were made," he said. "There's a lot of blame to go around. As our investigation moves forward, and we get to the bottom of this policy, I wouldn't be surprised to see more fall out beyond the resignations and new assignments announced today."
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House panel, said Melson and Burke both acknowledged in interviews with committee investigators that "mistakes were made and that Operation Fast and Furious lacked adequate protections for public safety."
Cummings said that in interviews with congressional investigators Melson said he was not aware of specific details about the operation until they were publicly disclosed in news accounts earlier this year.
When he later learned of the number of weapons actually involved, Melson told investigators that his stomach was "in knots."
"Fresh leadership will allow ATF to move forward and focus on its vital mission of enforcing our nation's gun laws," Cummings said.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Melson said that he would "miss" working at the agency.
"ATF employees are hard working and dedicated to the mission of protecting the public every day, and in my time here I have seen firsthand their extraordinary commitment to stopping violent crime," he said.
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Posted 21h 47m ago | Updated 9h 45m ago
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... 50192398/1
Evidence Suggests Cover-Up in ATF Scandal, More Guns Appear
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Evidence Suggests Cover-Up in ATF Scandal, More Guns Appear
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-249035-shakeup.html
Quote:
Just hours after the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, federal officials tried to cover up evidence that the gun that killed Terry was one the government intentionally helped sell to the Mexican cartels in a weapons trafficking program known as Operation Fast and Furious.
The revelation comes just days after a huge shake-up of government officials who oversaw the failed anti-gun trafficking program and Congress renewed its demand for more answers.
Gun-running Holder /Obama guilty of perjury & manslaught
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Gun-running Holder /Obama guilty of perjury & manslaughter
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-249105.html
Quote:
Many people think that Holder, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, and ATF Supervisor William Newell have already perjured themselves in their testimony before the Oversight Committee. For example, Holder claimed in May that he had only learned about Fast and Furious a few weeks before.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavli ... nd_furious
Fast and Furious: US officials resign over gun sting
Fast and Furious: US officials resign over gun sting
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-248734-shakeup.html
U.S. names new ATF chief after Mexican arms scandal
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-248703-shakeup.html
GOVERNMENT GUNRUNNERS By Chuck Baldwin
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-248848-shakeup.html
Fast and Furious guns tied to second violent crime
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Fast and Furious guns tied to second violent crime
http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-249624-0-da ... rasc-.html
Quote:
In the second violent crime in this country connected with the ATF’s failed Fast and Furious program, two Arizona undercover police officers were allegedly assaulted last year when they attempted to stop two men in a stolen vehicle with two of the program's weapons in a confrontation south of Phoenix.