Some interesting letters from Congress to the Attorney General.
by John Hayward
07/12/2011
The overflowing mailbox of Attorney General Eric Holder includes a few
interesting letters from Congress.
One of them comes from Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), who represents the
9th Congressional District, right next to Tampa. Bilirakis wants to
know more about "Operation Castaway," the latest revelation in the Gun
Walker saga of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives. The Congressman writes:
In recent days, it has come to light that the ATF and DOJ may have
participated in the act of "gun walking" beyond the acts conducted
within the scope of "Operation Fast and Furious." Recent reports have
suggested that Project Gunrunner may not have been limited to weapons
trafficking to Mexico and that similar programs included the possible
trafficking of arms to dangerous criminal gangs in Honduras with the
knowledge of the ATF's Tampa Field Division, and the Department of
Justice's Middle District of Florida through an operation known as
"Operation Castaway.
As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and a member
of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, I find it troubling that
the United States government would willfully allow weapons to be
acquired by dangerous criminal and drug trafficking organizations, in
direct contravention to our strategic and national interests.
Bilirakis is not exaggerating when he talks about "dangerous criminal
gangs." The Honduras connection might have put Gun Walker weapons
into the hands of MS-13, widely considered one of the most vicious and
powerful gangs in the world. Here is how the FBI describes them:
They perpetrate violence - from assaults to homicides, using firearms,
machetes, or blunt objects - to intimidate rival gangs, law
enforcement, and the general public. They often target middle and high
school students for recruitment. And they form tenuous alliances...and
sometimes vicious rivalries...with other criminal groups, depending on
their needs at the time.
Congressman Bilirakis leaves no doubt where he stands, after getting a
belly full of Operation Fast and Furious, and wondering if Operation
Castaway will prove to be more of the same:
It is my belief that the ATF and the DOJ operated in an extremely
misguided manner in allowing guns to walk across the border and end up
in the possession of dangerous criminal organizations. These actions
have already resulted in the loss of human life and property. I hope
that you would agree that we must not allow flawed programs to
continue to operate to the detriment of the safety and security of the
United States of America.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Holder's least favorite pen pals,
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) of the House Oversight committee and
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), wrote to ask Holder if his department
has been coaching Gun Walker witnesses:
We have recently learned that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has afforded potential witnesses for
the Committee's investigation into Operation Fast and Furious access
to a shared drive on its computer system replete with pertinent
investigative documents, including official ATF e-mails.
Although our staff has been advised the Department has since
terminated access to this document cache, we write to seek additional
information relating to this egregious decision. We also ask that you
promptly self-report this matter to the Office of Inspector General
(OIG).
You are not in a happy place when the chairman of House Oversight
thinks you have engaged in "egregious" behavior. Issa and Grassley
explain why this is bad:
Allowing witnesses access to such documents could taint their
testimony by allowing them to tailor their responses to what they
think the Committees already know. Additionally, witnesses who gain
access to documents they have not previously seen could alter their
recollection of events. This practice harms not only our
investigation, but also the independent investigation that you
instructed the Inspector General to conduct.
On Jul 13, 2:10 pm, Travis <baconl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> **
> <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/author/scottystarnes/> ATF E-Mails
> show Obama Administration using Federal Agencies to Justify Gun Ban through
> Executive Orders<http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/atf-e-mails-show-obama-...>
> *Scotty Starnes
> <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/author/scottystarnes/>*| July 13,
> 2011 at 1:40 PM | Tags: anti-2nd
> amendment <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?tag=anti-2nd-amendment>,
> ATF<http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?tag=atf>,
> executive order <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?tag=executive-order>, Fast
> and Furious <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?tag=fast-and-furious>, gun
> control <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?tag=gun-control>, President
> Obama <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?tag=president-obama> |
> Categories: Political Issues
> <http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/?cat=35145>| URL:http://wp.me/pvnFC-5zR
>
> watch?v=cLn04WZN6hk&feature=player_embedded
>
> This comes on the heels of the ATF's failed "Fast and Furious" scheme that
> allowed straw purchases of firearms. These firearms ended up in the hands of
> Mexican drug cartel members and are linked to the death of Border Patrol
> Agent Brian Terry.
>
> This scheme was hatch by the Obama administration to violate our 2nd
> Amendment rights. They wanted to escalate the violence in Mexico to point to
> American guns being the cause. Now the dip-shit-in-chief is attempting to
> violate American's 2nd Amendment rights by banning certain type of
> semi-automatic weapons.
>
> Obama and his anti-gun goons are hell-bent on bypassing Congress to enact gun
> control through executive
> order<http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/gun-control-nut-sarah-b...>.
> We have seen this blatant disrespect for the Constitution and Congress on
> many occassions.
>
> Add a comment to this
> post<http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/atf-e-mails-show-obama-...>
>
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