Denny & Kenny, Gunwalker playmates, appreciate each other. AZ DOJ discusses Dennis Wagner, press bitches & the Grassley reponse. Email implicates Holder Chief of Staff Grindler in full knowledge of Grassley lie letter.

 The other day we learned that Kenny Melson played duplicitous with the Issa committee when he acted the "What, me Gunwalker?" fool with his own "modified, limited hangout" when we noted this email to his Gunwalker playmate Denny Burke provided by the White House in the religiously observed, and now enshrined, Friday Night Docu-dump --

From: Melson, Kenneth E. (ATF)
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 5:52 PM To: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Subject: Grassley
Dennis: I just got back from the Interpol meeting and wanted to thank you for your help on the Grassley response and for your work on Fast and Furious. Ken

Thanks to emails provided to Sipsey Street from an unknown benefactor, now we know what Denny said back to Kenny:

From:    Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
To:    Melson, Kenneth E. (ATF)
Sent:    2/3/2011 8:05:28 PM
Subject:    RE: Grassley
You are welcome. Tremendous investigation. Your folks were solid throughout. It is having a huge impact.
I am so personally outraged by Senator Grassley' falsehoods. It is one of the lowest acts I have ever seen in politics.

Ahem, well, let's let history be the judge of THAT.

We also have, over the same electronic transom, these emails, provided in no particular order by the source, of individuals in the Phoenix, Arizona, US Attorney's Office discussing the Grassley response, and press bitches of the cover-up artists at play.  Pdf posted here.

From:    Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Sent:    Wednesday, February 02, 2011 6:51 PM
To:    Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ)
Subject:    Re: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

Masterful by the gun lobby. They ghost write Grassley' letter and then snooker reporters like Wagner to write abt ATF connected to Terry' murder, so no one writes abt why its legal to buy 30 AK-47s and not even report it. Just brilliant.

From: Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 06:06 PM
TO: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Subject: RE: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

I thought you had called him, and I asked if he had talked to you. He said he hadn't. Which I guess is technically not a lie if it was a vm. Ridiculous tactic for one of their best reporters.

From: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 4:05 PM
To: Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ)
Subject: Re: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

Can't believe he frickin' called asking if we had probs w his story aft the vm I left him. He needs to stop being cute.

From: Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 06:01 PM
To: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Subject: RE: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

I just had roughly the same conversation with Wagner, who was calling to see if we had any problems with his story. I explained that we did, and told him what I told Anglen, who had apparently passed on what I said but noted it was just on background. Should I give him the same Cunningham-crafted response about Grassley allegation being categorically false as "source close to the investigation"?

I told him that ATF was told about the Jan. 2010 purchase several days after the fact, and that we didn't knowingly let any guns get to Mexico (although it's obvious some did).

He mentioned that some of his ATF agent sources have issues with letting suspected straw buyers hand off the weapons at all. That they should have been stopped and "interviewed" about the purchases, essentially before they committed a crime. I don't know what to make of that. But seems like a whole other can of worms with ATF hassling gun buyers who are, at the time of said hassling, within their rights. Not my swim lane, though, just passing it on.

From: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 2:24 PM
To: Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ)
Subject: Re: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

Do it. Thx.

From: Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 04:17 PM
To: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Subject: RE: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

Dennis,
Do you have any sense of when this might go out? I just got a call from LA Times Reporter wanting to know what's up with the Republic and Wash Post stories, and the Grassley letter. I walked her through what was wrong with the Grassley letter, same as I did with Anglen. And she got if. But she needs a source to pin it to. 
If you give me the high sign for "source close to the investigation" I will, but makes me very nervous with this very adequate push back already in the pipeline.
Robbie

From: Burke, Dennis (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 11:38 AM
To: Hernandez, Rachel (USAAZ); Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ) ; Hurley, Emory (USAAZ); Cunningham, Patrick (USAAZ); Pimsner, David (USAAZ); Evans, John (USAAZ) 3; Figueroa, Jesse (USAAZ); Scheel, Ann (USAAZ); Tarango, Manuel (USAAZ)
Subject: Re: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

I sent her Pat' lingo demanding to include it.

From: Hernandez, Rachel (USAAZ)
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 01:29 PM
To: Sherwood, Robert (USAAZ) ; Hurley, Emory (USAAZ); Cunningham, Patrick (USAAZ); Burke, Dennis (USAAZ); Pimsner, David (USAAZ); Evans, John (USAAZ) 3; Figueroa, Jesse (USAAZ); Scheel, Ann (USAAZ); Tarango, Manuel (USAAZ)
Subject: RE: Draft response to Grassley letters; please review and comment asap

Dennis. Do you want us to get in touch with Faith with this addition? Or have you been in touch? R.

Finally, we have this gem from Gary Grindler, Holder's Chief of Staff.  Grindler was appointed COS effective 17 January 2911.  He replace Kevin Ohlson, a career appointee.  Prior to that Grindler served as Acting Deputy Attorney General from 5 February 2010 after the resignation of DAG David Ogdene, who left, according to press accounts at the time, over "philosophical differences" with Eric Holder.  Grindler joined the DOJ in 2009 as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division and was Lanny Breuer's deputy.  He is reported to have been very familiar with Fast and Furious:



Here Grindler is discussing the Grassley letter response, something that Holder claims he had no input into:

From:    Grindler, Gary (OAG)
To:    Monaco, Lisa (ODAG)
Sent:    2/3/2011 11:31:42 AM
Subject:    Letter to ATF from Grassley

I suggest that someone in ODAG review the ATF's response to Grassley's letter dated 1/31/2011 before it is finalized.
Gary

It strains credulity to believe that Grindler would not discuss this with Eric Holder.  We will find out today if the Judiciary Committee calls him on it.