Thread: Congress set for first 'gunwalker' hearing

June 6, 2011 4:52 PM

Congress set for first 'gunwalker' hearing

By Sharyl Attkisson Topics News

The first in a series of Congressional hearings into the so-called "gunwalker" scandal is set for Monday, June 13th. The title:"Obstruction of Justice: Does the Justice Department Have to Respond to a Lawfully Issued and Valid Congressional Subpoena?"

'Gunwalker guns linked to helicopter shooting

As CBS News reported on April 1, the House Oversight Committeesubpoenaed documents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). House investigators say that instead of complying with the subpoena, the Justice Department (which oversees ATF) showed them a "handful of highly redacted documents" and provided additional documents already in the public record.

"They didn't comply with terms of the subpoena," says a House oversight staffer.

ATF Agent: I was ordered to let guns go into Mexico

On Friday, 31 House Democrats sent a letterto President Obama saying "the Department of Justice has delayed action and withheld information from Congressional inquiries." The letter urges the President to "instruct the Department of Justice to promptly provide complete answers to all Congressional inquiries on this issue."

Gunrunning scandal uncovered at the ATF

In response to requests for information from Congress, the Department of Justice has said that it has asked the Inspector General to investigate the allegations of "gunwalking," and that it doesn't want to interfere with that probe by giving certain documents to Congress.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-2 ... z1OdWMtXil

We need this news on the homepage as well please.

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The Full Committee hearing entitled, "Obstruction of Justice: Does the Justice Department Have to Respond to a Lawfully Issued and Valid Congressional Subpoena?" will take place at 1:00pm on Monday, June 13th in room 2154 of Rayburn House Office Building.

The hearing will be streamed live at http://oversight.house.gov.

http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?op ... &extid=289

Operation Fast and Furious Hearing to be Held June 13th
Title: Obstruction of Justice: Does the Justice Department Have to Respond to a Lawfully Issued and Valid Congressional Subpoena?

Date/Time: 1:30 p.m. on Monday June 13th

Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

This hearing will examine the constitutional questions raised by both the Department of Justice's refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena as well as the withholding of documents from a Congressional subpoena. It is the first in a series of hearings on Operation Fast and Furious.

The following witnesses are currently slated to appear at the hearing. Testimony will be posted online as it becomes available. The hearing will be webcast live at Oversight.House.Gov.

Witnesses

• Professor Charles Tiefer, Commissioner, Commission on Wartime Contracting

Professor Tiefer was chief litigator for the House of Representatives and was a courtroom advocate in numerous major cases. He served in 1996 as deputy minority counsel of the U.S. House "Bosniagate" investigating sub-committee and in 1987 as the Special Deputy Chief Counsel for the House Iran-Contra Committee. Professor Tiefer has had extensive immersion in investigative processes on diverse issues, including oversight investigations of foreign affairs and government contracting. He was appointed to his current role by Senator Harry Reid.

• Mr. Morton Rosenberg, Former Specialist in American Public Law with the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Mr. Rosenberg specialized in the areas of constitutional law, administrative law and process, congressional practice and procedure, and labor law, and in the problems raised by the interface of Congress and the Executive which involve the scope of the congressional oversight and investigative prerogatives, the validity of claims of executive and common law privileges before committees, and issues raised by the presidential exercise of temporary and recess appointment power.

• Mr. Todd Tatelman, Legislative Attorney, Congressional Research Service's American Law Division

Mr. Tatelman specializes and advises Members of Congress, Committees, and Staff in the areas of Congressional Laws and Procedure (oversight and investigations), Constitutional Law, Transportation Law, and International Trade Law.

http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?op ... &Itemid=29

Gunwalker guns linked to helicopter shooting

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-2 ... tag=latest

ATF Agent: "I was ordered to let US guns into Mexico!" VIDEO

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/ ... ontentBody

Gun running scandal uncovered at ATF VIDEO

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/ ... ontentBody

Lawmakers Stonewalled in ATF Investigation

Jun 7, 2011
Exclusive: Rep. Issa on issuing subpoenas in gunrunning scandal

http://video.foxnews.com/#/v/9812699130 ... t_id=86856

Our own Government taking part in the arming of Drug, Smuggling, and Reconqista Cartels in Mexico...

Nothing suprises me any more.

White House Continues Stonewalling Congressional Investigation on Project Gunrunner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkMAKtQI ... r_embedded

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-6334--0-0.html

June 10, 2011

Congress starting ATF "gunwalker scandal" probe
16 Comments


(CBS News) Congress holds its first hearings Monday on the "gunwalker scandal" that CBS News first uncovered back in February.


Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) encouraged gun shops to sell thousands of assault rifles and other weapons destined for Mexican drug cartels.

On "The Early Show" Friday, CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported those who defend the strategy say their goal was to let the little fish go -- to get the big fish. But insiders say, in the process, lives were needlessly put in danger.

Last June, about nine months into the ATF operation known as "Fast and Furious," suspects had "purchased 1,608 firearms for over $1 million in cash transactions at various Phoenix-area gun shops," according to internal documents obtained by CBS News. The documents indicate ATF already knew that 179 of those very weapons had turned up at crime scenes in Mexico, and 130 in the U.S.

Yet, ATF allowed some of the same suspects -- accused of being middlemen for Mexican drug cartels -- to continue to buy and transfer assault weapons. Sometimes, agents say, they videotaped the buys, but didn't interdict the guns.

Documents indicate intentions were good. The idea, according to those documents, was to "allow the transfer of firearms" to pinpoint big cartel crooks rather than the small-time traffickers supplying them.

Former New York State Deputy. Secretary of Public Safety Mike Balboni told CBS News, "They want to change the dynamic and truly go after the kingpin, so give the kingpin something that they can't resist -- this flow of weapons over 15 months -- and then track 'em, find 'em and take 'em down."

But several ATF agents strongly objected to letting any guns "walk."

Darren Gil was ATF's lead official in Mexico during "Fast and Furious." He told CBS News, "We're in the business of interdicting weapons; we're not in the business of putting weapons out there for criminals to use. And that's what happened in this case."

Attkisson reported that sources say putting electronic trackers on the guns usually wasn't possible and the number of weapons let on the street in Fast and Furious grew to more than 2,500.

One suspect allegedly purchased 20, even 40 weapons at a time, and at least 220 over the course of about a year. That included 178 AK-47-type assault rifles and three Barret 50-caliber rifles.

"Using our sources, and reviewing documents provided to us over the past four months," Attkisson said, "we've been able to piece together a disturbing picture of where 'Fast and Furious' guns have turned up so far: at a dozen seizures and crime scenes along the U.S. border and in Mexico.

Most notably, two turned up last December at the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona.

And documents obtained by CBS news indicate some of the weapons were recently found at a drug cartel shooting of a government of Mexico helicopter, as shown on a Spanish language website.

Even insiders appeared awed by the scale. Six months into the investigation, in March of last year, a senior ATF attorney under the Justice Department commented, "Every time I read this case, I am amazed at the amount of firearms we are talking about."

Acting ATF director Kenneth Melson and his deputy, William Hoover, are said to have been "briefed weekly" on the investigation.

ATF Special Agent John Dodson worried about all those guns hitting the streets.

Dodson said, "I don't think anybody really fathoms how long we're gonna be dealing with this. The gun is not gonna go away. It's not a one-time use."

Dodson is expected to testify at a hearing Wednesday along with two other special agents. Attkisson said Monday's hearing will explore whether the Justice Department has obstructed justice in withholding certain information from congressional investigators. That agency has said it's cooperating with the Inspector General's probe.

"Early Show" co-anchor Chris Wragge asked Attkisson if the ATF's plan of going after the big fish -- or large drug cartels -- has paid off. He asked, "Is there any proof this actually worked in any instances?"

"Not yet," Attkisson said. "The idea was to try to take down a major cartel. That didn't happen. Insiders say they still hope evidence they have gleaned from some of this operation that went on over 15 months may eventually help do that. So far, it has not done that. And the argument on the other side, from the insiders who did not approve of the strategy, said you never let one gun walk. It's too dangerous. Even if you're trying to get the big fish."


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