"The first Gunrunner rat is in." Is ATF Deputy Assistant Director for Intelligence Steve Martin rolling? Some agents seem to think so.

No, not that Steve Martin.

Recent posts on CleanUpATF.org seem to suggest he is.

ATF agent Doc Holiday writes:

Word is the Executive staff met Sunday in preparation for the inquisition. Yep getting their stories together. Apparently Melson and Hoover made some play to ALL the SACs in the field to hold the line, and pass on "move along people, we didn't do it, and there's nothing to see here". Problems arose when numerous SACs expressed they weren't comfortable perpetuating further lies and smoke and mirrors to their field Agents, and suggested that Mr. Melson deliver the message himself via one of his now famous webcasts. Stay tuned.

Corny responded:

Talk about the spin, today I had a conversation with a local reporter who has always loved ATF. Not anymore. The Thomason email that slammed CBS has apparently offended a much broader element of the media. I was told that the back door insults Thomason found appropriate to include in his message to the PIO's has been interpreted by all media as an insult to their profession. Then after telling the PIO's CBS conducts sloppy reporting he tells them to go out and embrace the media for positive stories. Way to go Thomason. You entire staff doesn't want anything to do with you and now neither do the very people that you need to do your job, reporters, journalists, correspondents. ATF at its finest.

Iceman responds late last night:

Word is we REALLY screwed the pooch this time. State is rightfully outraged, and DOJ wants to trash the whole agency. Great Job Billy and crew. Newell, were you EVER a street Agent? Word is that they left Gillette in Phoenix because he was way too much of a liability. Not many people get named by a senior U S Senator as an incompetent and a subject of whistleblower reprisals. Rightfully so, Agent Voth has seen his LAST days as a supervisor. And word is Mexico is going to issue a PNG letter to the agency for Newell. Word is Martin and others are trying to cut away from the pack by cooperating with the media. He still believes he has hopes of being the Deputy Director IF Traver is confirmed. The problem is, Martin knew this was occurring and chose NOT to commit "career suicide", so he sat SILENT as the DAD of intelligence. NOT acceptable. Can you say, "Duty to Report"? Now if he has ANY hopes of being Travers #2, he MUST distance himself. Consummate Steve Martin change of allegiance.

Simple Man rightfully sneers:

The first Gunrunner rat is in. Took longer than expected but cheese-eater #1 has already started to confess. I guess there still may be some honor among thieves. As was stated, "The blade of truth cuts deep and wide". I guess the blue ribbon panel and secret executive caucus couldn't inspire this person to keep quiet any longer. Second one in the door is the first loser. Bye-bye now.

There is no love lost between the ATF street agents at CUATF and Martin. Here's some earlier discussion from 2009 by agents at AgingRebel.com entitled, "When ATF Talks Trash."

Steve Martin:

1. Speaking of leadership, I watched a National Geographic Channel story about ATF’s Warlocks investigation last night. Pretty cool case. The part that got me was when Steve Martin closed the program to say that he had a tear in his eye when he told the primary defendant that he had betrayed him. Remember the defendant was a criminal who had arranged machine-gun and explosives sales to Martin that he believed Martin was providing to Colombian cocaine traffickers.

Did Martin shed a tear when he tried to fire our own Roger Gutherie, one of the best men, leaders, workers, heroes that ATF has ever known? How about when he did fire James Tokos for dropping two points on a qualification? (BTW Tokos was later did easily qualify, was reinstated to his SA position with compensatory damages, and, word is out that there is that we have a certain controversial SAC out there who can’t qual. He won’t go the the range with his people because he is such an embarrassment with a pistol. Is he going to be fired? Let me answer that one for you, NO! He’ll be taken care of. Firing is for agents, protection is for managers. ) Did Martin weep when he tried to fire Vince Cefalu or transferred him a dozen times?

Steve you were a heck of a good agent…what happened to you?
Martin did his best to get rid of ATF Agents but he cried when he had to confess to a criminal that he caught him red-handed committing crimes. Way to go ATF. You promoted another leader of “our future”. Pass the Kool-Aid please.

2. First of all, Steve Martin was not a Great Agent, he was a decent agent. He is/was a one trick pony. He had a good look. Was beginning to be somewhat of an authority on bikers and THATS it. Tried to keep his ponytail as a RAC in Oakland. When told that wouldn’t fly, he cut it off and has saved that ratty piece of hair and actually displayed it for all to see for over ten years. Thats got to be a OSHA violation. His major character flaws revolved around a career long LACK of LOYALTY to anyone but himself. On the Warlocks case he threw his partners under the bus at every chance to make himself shine. He ratted them out for the little things we do to make the job happen, while doing worse himself. There was a significant IA after the case went down, and Mr. Martin would not have a job today had Malcolm not plucked him out of his problems. That didn’t stop him from show boating his own efforts on the case. There were 4 yes FOUR primary UCs, but ask Martin, and it was all him. Its always all HIM. He decimated the Miami SRT, destroyed the cohesiveness of the SRT program by pressing Roger Guthrie out and has been allowed to continue his carnage. NOW HE’S JUST A INTELL GUY. He left the SFFD in a shambles, cost the bureau big dollars and crippled the morale of an entire field division. He supported headline grabbing glory cases which wasted precious Bureau resources. One case, 3 years, an entire enforcement group, $3,000,000 total expended (according to the case agent) and 12 defendants. You heard it. 12 defendants divided by 12 agents divided by 3 years = 1/3 defendant a year per agent at a PRE-Prosecution cost of $250,000 per defendant. Could any of you field agents maybe used that money more judiciously? Give me $50,000 and I’ll promise 20 high end defendants right now. Its Martins need to been seen and heard NOT law enforcement that drives his decision making process. He was once asked point blank “Steve, once you’ve fired every senior agent in the SFFD, who are you going to supervise”? ANSWER……Ill staff the SFFD with new hires. . .

Martin drives San Francisco into the ground but escapes to HQ before his division goes into total mutiny. So much for the West Point leadership training.

Personally I think it more likely that if Martin is talking to the press that he's doing so because he's trying to spin them on the Gunwalker scandal. You know, not a simple rat, but a pet rat. But hey, maybe he's just the smartest one of the guilty.


Pet rat.