Exclusive: Five ATF officials found responsible for Fast and Furious

[Valin]

LA Times:

 

Richard A. Serrano

7/30/12

 

WASHINGTON -- Republican congressional investigators have concluded that five senior ATF officials -- from the special agent-in-charge of the Phoenix field office to the top man in the bureau’s Washington headquarters -- are collectively responsible for the failed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation that was “marred by missteps, poor judgments and inherently reckless strategy.”

 

The investigators, in a final report likely to be released later this week, also unearthed new evidence that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix initially sought to hide from the Mexican government the crucial information that two Fast and Furious firearms were recovered after the brother of a Mexican state attorney general was killed there.

 

(Snip)

 

The five ATF managers, since moved to other positions, have either defended Fast and Furious in congressional testimony or refused to discuss it. They could not be reached for comment Monday. At the Justice Department, senior officials, including Holder, have steadfastly maintained that Fast and Furious was confined to the Arizona border region and that Washington was never aware of the flawed tactics.

 

(Snip)

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile we are still waiting for the DOJ investigation to be completed. If Eric Holder has his way this report should be released shortly after the turn of the decade...and promptly classified.

[Valin]

Townhall: Congress Slams ATF Supervisors For Fast and Furious

Katie Pavlich

7/31/12

 

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Charles Grassley have issued a joint staff report titled, "Fast and Furious: The Anatomy of a Failed Operation." The report is 200 pages long and is only part one of three expected to be released. This first report takes a hard look at the role ATF supervisors played in Operation Fast and Furious and the responsibility they have for the program that has left more than 300 people dead as a result. Although the report holds ATF managers William Newell, Mark Chait, David Voth, William McMahon and former Acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson accountable, it does not end the investigation into the operation from the Oversight Committee. The report specifically says, "Soon, the U.S. House of Representatives will commence legal proceedings to enforce its prerogatives following the June 27, 2012, vote holding Eric H. Holder, Jr. in criminal and civil contempt." The report also mentions the Obama administration multiple times.

 

From Senator Grassley:

 

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Senator Chuck Grassley today released the first part of the final report on the joint congressional investigation of conduct in Operation Fast and Furious. The report presents evidence detailing numerous errors and decisions by ATF officials and the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office that led to serious problems – including inter-agency communication failures between ATF, DEA, and FBI. The failed operation might have contributed to the deaths of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and an unknown number of Mexican citizens. It also created an ongoing public safety hazard on both sides of the border. The failures happened because of conscious decisions not to interdict weapons and not to stop suspects in the hope that they would lead to cartel connections and a larger case.

(Snip)

 

The complete report consists of 2,359 pages, including 211 pages of text with 692 footnotes, 266 exhibits, and three appendices.

(Snip)

 

More tomorrow

[pollyannaish]

So, what does this mean? Are these political appointees? (Obviously Newell was not, but the others?) Are they naming them hoping they will break and implicate the administration? Or does the investigation stop there?

 

Are they attempting to blame it on Arizona, with which they have been fighting since the beginning?

 

(I think I'm dumb because none of that is clear to me.)