ATF Whistleblowers Question SW Border Strategy.
I’ve been hounding the Justice Department and the ATF to come forward and be accountable to the American people and the family of Agent Terry. There remain unanswered questions about what transpired at the ATF and the Department of Justice during this time period and the policy that allows guns to walk. Up to this point, I’ve gotten nothing but stonewalling to my five letters. Federal officials have given both me and the Terry family the cold shoulder. And, to make matters worse, they’ve made this whistleblower feel like a skunk at a picnic for simply telling the truth.
My oversight efforts won’t stop. I’ll be looking for answers to my inquiries and working to get to the bottom of how the ATF could let guns be purchased by known straw dealers and then transferred across the border. That practice should have ended long before the death of a federal agent finally forced it into the light of day.
LATER: David's take.
15 comments:
This whole thing is the perfect example on why assault rifles should be made illegal. Does anyone believe these guys wouldn't have gotten these weapons without the ATF sting?
Let's crack down on the sale of this murderous stuff. Tell Grassley to get off the political crap and get to the heart of the problem.
The practice should never have been implemented!
And specifically, what are you prepared to do to get to the bottom of this, senator?
KPN3%
"get to the heart of the problem"
Yes indeed, lets. The heart of the problem is the batfags violating the law and the Constitution and trying to disarm the citizens. Disband the criminal gang, seize their personal assets, and put them in prison. That solves the problem.
Wow -- "Anonymous" really doesn't get it, does she?
Moron.
These "assault rifles" aren't even assault-rifles. They're just semi-automatic guns which operate just like your grandpa's deer gun.
But then, you probably knew that. You're likely just another paid "brady" shill...
So anon @ 2:15,
You think it is a good idea to ban the inanimate object, the gun, and not hold lawless thugs in government accountable?
"Get off the political stuff"???
The ATF through the DOJ and Obama administration have politicized this very gun issue to the degree that they were claiming a flow of illegal guns into Mexico. This case demonstrates the flow of guns were being facilitated by the very government agencies that claimed to be trying to stop the flow of guns.
Politicized? I would laugh if your claim were not so fucking stupid and biased in favor of lawlessness on the part of your esteemed government thugs!
FUCK OFF you dolt!
KPN3%
Fox News had a report this afternoon about all the guns that are being smuggled south to Mexican gangs and the need for the Big Three (FBI, ATF, and ICE) to be allowed to step up and stop this. Pure propobullshitganda.
Ooh! We have a troll!
Had a pleasant surprise this morning. Our local talk radio station 710 KURV McAllen had an interview with David Corea (sp?), who gave a pretty food account of Project Gunrunner / Gunwalker. Man, this story is growing legs - way cool!
I'm wondering if Grassley is going to be effective at all, or is he simply going to whine about DOJ and BATF ignoring him?
I feel for Agent Dodson and whoever else has come forward. They obviously aren't getting much help or protection from Congress.
"This whole thing is the perfect example on why assault rifles should be made illegal. Does anyone believe these guys wouldn't have gotten these weapons without the ATF sting?"
Nice try anonymous, emotional, irrational, ignorant 2nd Amendment hater. The weapons in question here ARE NOT ASSAULT RIFLES. They are detachable magazine semi auto rifles. This class of weapon has been legally owned in this country for 100 years at least. MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLES ARE CAPABLE OF FULL AUTO FIRE LIKE A MACHINE GUN. The rifles involved in this massive BATFE screw up are SEMI-AUTO ONLY and no more "powerfull" than a typical hunting rifle. They are used every day in this country by millions of lawfull owners for plinking, target shooting, self defense and hunting and they work quite well. Before you civil liberties haters on the left start blathering hysterically you should surprise the world and get some actual facts first. DON'T TREAD ON US left wing zombies, you may not like the backlash!
OK, Grassley is doing something. But, other than publicly stomp his foot and proclaim the DOJ and ATF to be stonewalling, what can the good Senator do?
A couple of days ago, answering a post of mine where I asked what teeth any senator - even a senior one - has, Malthus answered:
"Appointment to office by the executive branch is with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. The Senate has power to remove Holder and/or Melson from office. Alternately, the Senate can defund either agency."
In answer to a question relating to the Legislature's means of enforcing its will upon the executive Malthus wrote:
One word answer: Impeachment. In practice, other more subtle means are employed, such as behind-the-scenes arm twisting.
It's a bad idea to screw with the Senate. They can thwart any policy goal put forth by the President.
In response to Malthus, I ask all and sundry:
How would the Senate go about removing either Holder or Melson from office? My understanding of "advise and consent" takes the Senate out of the loop once an appointment is confirmed. Holder was duly confirmed by the Senate and sworn into office. Wouldn't removing him require impeachment? I can (sort of, if I squint really hard) see the House indicting Holder but I do not see any way in HELL that the Senate is going to have 51 votes to convict. Other than by impeachment, what mechanism exists to remove an existing cabinet-level appointee?
Melson is just an interim appointee and has never been confirmed by the Senate. How would they go about removing him? And what are the chances of enough turncoat Dems voting with the Repubs to give them 51 votes?
Arm twisting only hurts if you have sufficient leverage. I think the "defunding option" suffers from the same weakness as impeachment. You have to go against Reid and get 51 votes to do it. Plus, Reid could just fillibuster or threaten to. Fortunately for him now, Reid failed to get the rules changed last month.
By what mechanism can the Senate "thwart any policy goal put forth by the President"? I thought that was what executive orders were for - at least in our time. And if the FCC and EPA can exercise power not given them by statute, what's to stop the Executive from doing whatever it freaking well wants?
Oh and while 2012 is, indeed, approaching, a canny wanna-be dictator should have no problem finding or ginning up an excuse to declare martial law and suspend the election for the duration of the emergency. Hell, dickheads like Woody Allen would probably APPLAUD him for it.
Please tell me the Legislature has some real teeth. Right now it appears to me that if push comes to shove the Executive Branch is holding a hand full of trumps. Remember that if the "Birthers" are right - and SCOTUS conferenced on Hollister v Soetoro yesterday, i.e. Friday the 4th - Obama and the Dems have ALREADY EFFECTED A COUP D'ETAT!
I cannot find any example in history where someone who came to power in a coup d'etat EVER left peacefully although Mubarak sort of did.
Bad Cyborg X
You know, the troll does almost have half a point, I'll address that first then get to what I think her real point is after.
A rusty selective fire AK sells for about $20 in the slums of the former soviet client states in Africa, and African generals are always on the look out for some extra easy money.
The full size MGs, grenade launchers, full auto M16s etc are from the central Americas wars of the 1980s.
and there is also the home grown route. The drugs gangs are certainly innovative, just look at the submarine that was captured a year or two back at a dock up some jungle river.
Note that the 5 fold increase in handgun misuse in the 10 years from handguns being banned in Britain hasn't appreciably used home made guns. Some good banning did there?
So, yes, with more trouble and expense, guns are available from other sources. That is her half thought out half point, but then what good would banning semi auto guns in the US do? they are available else where.
What I think the troll's real point is, is to distract attention away from the criminality of facilitating those who are not allowed legal access to guns, to buy and then to smuggle those guns internationally.
Mike's fireman turned murderous arsonist analogy is spot on.
The ATF has been acting in a cynical and murderously crimminal manner, doing the exact opposite of what it is officially funded to do.
But for the bravery and integrity of the whistleblower street agents and the hard work of Mike and David in the open, and others behind the scenes, this would never have reached Senator Grassley.
The best that gunwalker can be dressed up to be is a hopelessly incompetent investigation which involved crimminal disregard of international treaties and has lead to at least one murder so far.
The worst: a campaign in the border states and possibly nationally to facilitate more guns getting into crimminal hands and crime scenes.
Was this to be the pretext for:
More funds for the ATF?
More laws and restrictions for them to enforce (and get more funds to enforce)?
other, even worse intentions?
Arm twisting only hurts if you have sufficient leverage. I think the "defunding option" suffers from the same weakness as impeachment. You have to go against Reid and get 51 votes to do it.--Bad Cyborg
Funding bills originate in the House, where Republicnas enjoy a sizable majority.
I ask all and sundry:
How would the Senate go about removing either Holder or Melson from office? My understanding of "advise and consent" takes the Senate out of the loop once an appointment is confirmed.--BC
Look it up for yourself. Google "Abe Fortas".
Sorry, but if your public education did not provide you with a sound understanding of civics, it is not my responsibliity to make amends. ;^(
For Anonymous at 8:22 AM:
I DID look up "Abe Fortas". And the Wikipedia says that he resigned. The only way to remove him OTHER THAN through his resignation (or untimely death) would have been impeachment by the House and removal by the Senate. While the House MAY be willing to impeach, just what do you think the chance is that the God Damned Swill in the Senate - on BOTH sides of the aisle - would be willing to support removal?
May they rot in hell for what they have done to this country!
Ah, Anonymous at 8:22 AM, I know funding bills ORIGINATE in the House, but doesn't the Senate have to sign off on them before they go to the Prez?
BTW, I believe I had an excellent education in civics. My Home Room teacher taught civics so we learned A LOT in the 45 minutes we spent with her every school day for THREE YEARS.
Do you SERIOUSLY believe that Holder would resign if the House started making noise about impeachment? Reid and co. wouldn't even need to filibuster. They'd just need to get most of their majority to vote the party line.
Oh, and I didn't NEED to look up Abe Fortas. I REMEMBER him from my Freshman year in College. I took civics 2nd semester and I GUARANTEE Fortas' name came up.
Mike, thanks for sticking up for me. But seriously, don't feed the energy creature.
Bad Cyborg X
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