Lawmakers investigating a botched federal gun probe are pressing the Justice Department to provide information about media leaks discrediting a whistleblower who alerted Congress to investigative tactics that allowed firearms to be smuggled to Mexico.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa), are investigating Operation Fast and Furious, an Arizona gun trafficking probe. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents, using a tactic called gun-walking, allowed suspected traffickers to buy about 2,000 firearms with the idea of tracing them. Instead, many of the guns have turned up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico, including at the scene of a December shootout in Arizona that killed a border patrol agent.
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, the lawmakers sought information on media leaks, which are the subject of investigations by the Justice inspector general’s office and Office of Professional Regulation. The letter says the department forced out an employee as a result of a media leak.
The Justice Department is reviewing the letter.
The lawmakers focused on the leak of a document that they said “contained information protected under the Privacy Act regarding ATF whistleblower John Dodson’s participation in an undercover law enforcement operation. This document, given to the press, was not even produced to the Committees, instead being made available only for in camera review. This leaked document was also accompanied by a set of talking points designed to undermine Agent Dodson’s credibility as a whistleblower. This egregious violation of the Privacy Act, and attempted retaliation for protected disclosures to Congress, is unacceptable.”
The letter requests the name of the person who “resigned, or was asked to resign as a result of the leaked documents.” In addition, the lawmakers sought the names of all employees who had access to a shared computer drive that may have led to the leaked documents.
It was about time they got more aggressive on behalf of the whistleblowers, and started attacking the cover-up by outing its practitioners.
5 comments:
Heck, "botched" is the staple word on FOX News. Sheesh, it is like Megyn Kelly says it on purpose....
Anyway, it is indeed past time for honest journalists and elected officials, if they even exist anymore, to target the bad guys instead of the good guys - for a change.
If we had a Speaker of the House who wasn't such a wuss, their would be leadership going that direction.
Yeah! I love to see such dedication!
....I'll just have a smoke, clean my nails, adjust my short arm, scratch my behind, get another cup of coffee, lean against this post for a while, go let the coffee out, get some more coffee and a donut this time, start thinking about lunch, go to the bathroom for extended contemplation, get back to that post I was leaning on earlier............
I'll just wait until they decide they're going to do something. Better start thinking about a new winter jacket though because this one's a threadbare and ragged as the Constitution and Bill of Rights.....
Where is Republican House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas on this?
It is his committee jurisdiction.
Where is House Republican Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas?
This is his committee jurisdiction and he seems to be MIA on Gunwalker.
"Where is Republican House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas on this?"
That's easy, he's under the speaker desk and the speaker's got a big smile on his face.
Time for this speaker to leave and anybody who voted to make him speaker.
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