Justice Dept. Vague on When Holder First Learned About Operation Fast and Furious

This vague statement was the answer to a direct question. “The concerns about Operation Fast and Furious first became evident earlier this year,” It's true, the concern over the atf allowing guns into mexico did become exident earlier this year. And while this statement is meant to imply that holder became aware of this at that time, it doesn't say that.

You can bet that holder knew about “operation fast and furious” long before then. You can also bet that he was part of the planning.

By Fred Lucas - CNSNews

The Justice Department has given a vague response to a query by congressional investigators about when Attorney General Eric Holder first learned about a botched gun running sting operation along the southwest border

In a letter answering a questionnaire about “Operation Fast and Furious,” the department replied only that concerns emerged “earlier this year.” It also mentioned two occasions when Holder testified on the matter to congressional committees, both already on the record.

In their questionnaire addressed to Holder, investigators led by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) asked when department officials including Holder himself had first become aware of the program.

“When and how did you [Holder] first learn about Operation Fast and Furious or the strategy of ‘allow[ing] the transfer of firearms to continue to take place in order to further the investigation?’” they asked.

The Justice Department response, provided by Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich on July 22, did not include an exact date – or even an approximate one – for Holder first having learned about the operation.

“The concerns about Operation Fast and Furious first became evident earlier this year,” it said.

“After learning of these concerns, the Attorney General referred the matter to the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General for review, as was made clear in the Attorney General’s testimony on March 10, 2011 before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and also in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on May 3, 2011.”

Read the rest at the link above...

A Fast And Furious Assault On Private Gun Sales

Marc Cote sent me a link to this article and it is a good read. If you have ever doubted that the atf operation known as "fast and furious" was designed to impose more gun laws on the law abiding citizens of this Country, maybe this will clear some things up for you. When attempts by the atf to manipulate data failed to achieve their goal of further gun control, they decided to push the issue further. They started their own illegal gun running operation. Doesn't that sound like the type of thing this government would be involved in? It sure does to me. There has never been a more corrupt and crooked administration, ever, in the history of this Country.

And not only did this administration allow thousands of guns to illegally transported to Mexico, when caught they lied, denied, stonewalled the investigation, hid evidence, threatened witnesses, etc. What a bunch of common thugs, and these are the people in charge...

By Larry Bell - Forbes

The Obama administration lost no time determining where to place primary blame for border violence. During a joint April 16, 2009, White House press conference with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, President Obama stated that more than 90% of all guns recovered by Mexican authorities came from the United States. He had previously made the same claim in February of that year, further asserting that many of those firearms came from gun shops that line our border.

According to FactCheck.org, that 90% statistic is highly inflated because it “represents only the percentage of crime guns that have been submitted by Mexican officials and traced by U.S. officials.” Mexico actually recovers many more guns than it submits to the U.S. In December 2008, Mexican Attorney General Eduadro Medina Mora put the number of the country’s recovered crime weapons over the preceding two years at 29,000. Assuming that the total reported 10,347 guns seized and given to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for tracing by Mexican authorities during 2007 and 2008 is an accurate number, only about 36% of all recovered crime weapons in Mexico came from U.S. sources.

Still, that exaggerated 90% figure continued to be touted as gospel by gun control advocates. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated in March 26, 2009 on CBS’s Early Show: “We have to recognize and accept that the demand for drugs from the United States drives them north, and [of] the guns that are used by the drug cartels against the police and the military, 90% come from America.”

During a March 17, 2009, Congressional hearing on the subject, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said: “According to ATF, more than 90% of the guns seized after raids in Mexico have been traced right here to the United States.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) chimed in, adding: “It is unacceptable to have 90% of the guns that are picked up in Mexico used to shoot judges, police officers, mayors, kidnap innocent people and do terrible things come from the United States, and I think we must stop that.”

There was no doubt at all about whom they intended to stop. The targeted culprits were those border state gun shops.

A friend of mine who owns a gun store in Houston raises an important question: “Why would anyone pay $500-$1,000 in the U.S. for semi-automatic rifles (legal civilian weapons that fire only one time with each trigger squeeze), when they can get original fully automatic military versions (that fire continuously when the trigger is held back) on the black market from other countries for $75-$100? They are readily available in Africa for $25. In fact nearly all U.S. firearms dealers had been voluntarily cooperating with ATF all along, routinely and immediately reporting suspicious multiple purchases.”

Why indeed?

Evidence that something was alarmingly amiss rapidly came to light last year after federal agents posted in Mexico City called their superiors in Washington and Phoenix to inform them that a large number of guns showing up at Mexican crime scenes were being traced to Phoenix. They requested any available information on the matter, and received no responses. Growing suspicious, they urged that any gun operation that others might be running be shut down due to mounting violence.

As quoted in a recent Joint Staff Report released in connection with a current House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform investigation, former ATF attaché to Mexico, Darren Gill, had told his superior: “Hey, when are they going to shut this, to put it bluntly, damn investigation down? We’re getting hurt down here.”

Gill was referring to “Fast and Furious”, a 15-month ATF operation that began in fall 2009. Under a Phoenix Field Division plan funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and backed by Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, agents watched and documented known (or ATF-sponsored) “straw purchasers” to see where the guns would eventually end up. Using an investigative technique known as “gunwalking,” rather than intervening and seizing illegally purchased firearms, they allowed the straw purchasers to walk away with guns over and over again. Included were two convicted felons who were permitted to move more than 300 guns into Mexico.

According to a Fox News report, gun stores were assured by the ATF and U.S. attorneys that the weapons would be tracked. But most weren’t. Many walked into the hands of Mexican drug cartels and other criminals. Of 2,020 firearms bought by the straw purchasers, fewer than 600 have been located. About 200 have been recovered in Mexico, and slightly less than 400 have been recovered in the U.S.

Read the rest at the link above...

“Fast & Furious” Hearings Raise More Questions Than Answers

I'm waiting for the day when someone tells the extent of the involvement of eric holder and obama in this stupidity. There is no way in hell that those two didn't know about this. The entire plot was put together to force more gun control on the law abiding citizens of this Country. Somebody, somewhere knows how this all fits together. Let's hope they have the balls to come forward soon and tell the whole story...

From NRA-ILA

Friday, July 29, 2011

The more information that comes out about the reckless “Fast and Furious” gun running operation conducted by the Phoenix BATFE office, the more clear it seems that knowledge of the operation, and approval for it, went a lot higher than the Phoenix field office, or even the BATFE.

There is now clear evidence, uncovered by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee headed by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that senior Obama Administration officials were aware of this disastrous operation.

Last Tuesday, Rep. Issa conducted another round of hearings. Among those who testified were William Newell and William McMahon, BATFE Special Agents who oversaw the program in Phoenix. Those hearings revealed that senior Dept. of Justice officials, including former Deputy Attorney General David Ogden and Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, knew about the program.

Additionally, other federal agencies were identified as having been made aware of the operation, including the IRS, DEA and ICE.

The Committee also heard testimony from four BATFE agents stationed in Mexico during the time “Fast and Furious” was in operation. All testified they knew nothing of this scheme, in spite of promises from Obama Administration officials, and Obama himself to share all relevant information with Mexican authorities engaged in the fight against the drug cartels.

When asked about the operation, these BATFE agents described it as absurd and ill-conceived, and declared that it was not consistent with established BATFE procedures or methods.

One of the biggest bombshells to come out of the hearing was the revelation that Agent Newell had sent an e-mail, under the subject line “You did not hear this from me,” to Kevin O’Reilly, the National Security Director for North America. That e-mail, dated Sept. 2010, included information about “Fast and Furious.”

After repeated questioning, Newell admitted he had spoken to O’Reilly about the operation.

This revelation, that a senior White House official knew about the program, combined with the senior DOJ officials listed above, casts serious doubts on claims by Attorney General Holder and even President Obama that they knew nothing about “Fast and Furious.”

As more is learned about the “Fast and Furious” operation, two serious questions come to the forefront: Did BATFE abandon standard procedures and methods in this project in order to achieve the political goal of making U.S. gun laws the issue in the war against the Mexican drug cartels? And if so, was it the BATFE that proposed and advanced the scheme, or was it senior political appointees in the Obama administration who wanted to “prove” that it is American gun freedoms that are “causing” the violence in Mexico? Stay tuned for more as details continue to emerge.

Gunrunner/Fast and Furious 2?

I don't have much information on this. I'm not even sure if it is true yet. I received a sketchy email today that talked about a second atf operation based in the Florida area that is allowing guns into Honduras. According to the email, the codename for this fuckup is operation castaway.

I'm sure more will surface about this in the days to come. If you have any further information or a link, comment or email me...

FBI's New Rules to Give Agents More Leeway on Surveillance

Where does this end? It seems like every day some government agency is increasing their ability to intrude on our liberties.

I fully understand that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies have a difficult job, but it sure seems to be getting easier for them as they trample our rights into the dust. This article has a quote from some fbi lawyer saying they are limited by and adhere to the Constitution. I can guarantee you that our Founding Fathers never envisioned what law enforcement in this Country has become. They would absolutely roll over in their graves if they saw the rampant abuses of power by the atf, fbi, and all other agencies including city, county, state and federal.

It's amazing that the fbi can dig through your trash without ever opening an official investigation. It's also pretty damn amazing that they can use what they find in your trash to coerce you into becoming an informant! How the hell does that work? It sounds a whole lot like something saddam hussein would have done. Are our relatives going to start disappearing in the middle of the night? Where is this going? And where does it end? When do we say enough is enough? What's it going to take for us to stand up to this regime and demand our stolen liberties back?

I don't think we have it in us anymore. At least not most of the current citizens...

By Judson Berger - FoxNews

The FBI sought Monday to downplay its expanded surveillance powers for agents as civil liberty groups sounded an alarm that the new rules not only make it easier for agents to investigate suspects but give them startling leeway to spy on ordinary Americans.

The changes are expected to be outlined in a new edition of the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, a lengthy 2008 document detailing how far agents can go in tracking suspects. They will expand the use of techniques ranging from dispatching surveillance teams to digging through trash cans.

Civil liberties groups were briefed on the policy changes in May, and came out of the meeting worried the changes would allow agents to investigate innocent people, with less oversight than before.

"It's the government saying we can know all about your private life, but you can't know what the government is doing," Michael German, a former FBI agent now working with the American Civil Liberties Union, told FoxNews.com.

For instance, the new rules would allow agents to look up people on various databases without opening up a low-level inquiry known as an "assessment." Currently, agents have to take that formal step before looking into someone's background and provide some semblance of justification.

The new rules would also allow agents to use surveillance squads multiple times during the "assessment" phase. Currently, those teams can only be used once during that phase.

The FBI downplayed the changes.

"I would call these minor tweaks based on feedback from agents in the field who began operating under the original DIOG, which was new a couple of years ago. Not sweeping new powers," the FBI said in a statement to Fox News.

FBI General Counsel Val Caproni also said in a statement that the updates for the most part "clarify and enhance" the definitions of rules under current policy.

"Each proposed change has been carefully looked at and considered against the backdrop of the tools our employees need to accomplish their mission, the possible risks associated with use of those tools, and the controls that are in place. Overall, this is fine tuning, not any major change," Caproni said. "The FBI's authority to use specific investigative tools is determined through the U.S. Constitution, U.S. statutes, executive orders and the Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations. The DIOG cannot and does not confer additional powers to agents beyond that provided by those controlling authorities."

German, who attended the May briefing, said another change would allow agents to secretly attend up to five meetings of organizations they are monitoring without disclosing their actions internally.

"It's reducing the internal oversight over the agents," German said.

The changes would also allow agents to administer lie-detector tests to and search the trash of potential informants. Currently, those techniques are reserved for people they are investigating.

German said that during the briefing, he asked why the FBI was expanding that policy -- he was told the FBI might be able to "coerce" informants to cooperate if they found incriminating evidence in the trash.

"If you don't want to be an informant for your government, you should be able to just say no -- not have agents trolling through your garbage," German said. "It's an expansion of authority to investigate people who are completely innocent of anything and are not even suspected of wrongdoing."

Read the rest at the link above...

If you want a Saiga shotgun, you better get it soon...

You know the atf, the government agency who's goal is to take away your guns and gun rights? It seems they are on a mission to end or  seriously restrict the importation of shotguns.

Don't these assholes have enough to worry about with project gunwalker? You would think that would be consuming most of their time these days, from both ends. Conducting it and defending it...

Anyway, these are some of the criteria for the weapons they propose banning:

Folding, telescoping, or collapsible stocks

Bayonet lugs

Flash suppressors

Magazines over 5 rounds, or a drum magazine

Grenade-launcher mounts

Integrated rail systems (other than on top of the receiver or barrel)

Light enhancing devices

Excessive weight (greater than 10 pounds for 12 gauge or smaller)

Excessive bulk (greater than 3 inches in width and/or greater than 4 inches in depth)

Forward pistol grips or other protruding parts designed or used for gripping the shotgun with the shooter’s extended hand.

This is just a stupid list. And who in the hell are they to tell me what I can purchase with my hard earned dollars? If I want a 14 pound, magazine fed 12 gauge, with a flash suppresor and a pistol grip, that is my business.

What does weight or width have to do with the importation of a shotgun anyway? Or a rail system? Or a bayonet lug?

These guys really need to get a hobby or something instead of sitting around thinking up ways to fuck with the American people...

NRA to Call for Holder's Resignation Over 'Project Gunrunner' Allegations

The NRA should not only call for the resignation of holder, but doing away with the entire atf.

While everyone is saying that project gunrunner was an operation designed to bring down gun smuggling operations in the US and mexico, I have my doubts. I think it was a way to pad the numbers of guns  winding up south of the border with the goal of further restricting our gun rights. I think that mexico actually had very little to do with it other than being a destination.

I truly believe the atf is so anti-gun and so corrupt that it completely ignores all rules in it's quest to end our freedoms. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that obama is involved in this up to his neck. That isn't something we are likely to find out. His fingerprints in this have been covered well. holder is another matter. With enough digging and the cooperation of a few insiders and there are bound to be tracks leading to his door.

I hope the NRA isn't holding their breath on this, holder will never willingly walk away. He and obama have proven that they give not a damn about the opinion of the American people...

By William Lajeunesse - FoxNews

Having deflected questions so far regarding how much he knew about a federal project suspected of allowing guns sold in the U.S. to be illegally smuggled to Mexico, Attorney General Eric Holder is under fire again, this time from the National Rifle Association, a conservative group with a loud voice and influence in Washington.

Sources tell Fox News that NRA Executive Director Wayne LaPierre will call for Holder's resignation in a Saturday morning speech at the NRA's annual meeting in Pittsburgh.

LaPierre has criticized Holder's handling of "Project Gunrunner." The program of the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is intended to stop the flow of guns to criminals in Mexico, but whistleblowers claim the bureau actually encouraged the illegal sale of firearms to known criminals, then allowed those guns to be smuggled to Mexico and tracked.

The practice of knowingly allowing guns to "walk" -- or be sold to straw buyers and then transferred to criminal organizations -- is against ATF policy. However, at least 15 ATF whistleblowers claim the agency, with the approval of Holder's Department of Justice, encouraged gun stores to make sales to questionable buyers, then failed to interdict the weapons.

According to Mexican authorities, at least 1,800 of those weapons were successfully smuggled into Mexico, where the cartels used them to commit crimes and foment violence.

What especially galls and upsets U.S. gun owners is this: While the ATF was allegedly sending guns south, hoping to eventually bust the entire trafficking organization, Obama administration officials, including President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were partly blaming U.S. gun stores for the violence in Mexico.

"This war is being waged with guns purchased not here but in the United States. ... More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States, many from gun shops that lay in our shared border," President Obama said on a visit to Mexico on April 16, 2009.

Read the rest at the link above...