Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. ************************************** Exposed: The secret guns sting that backfired on the US America's firearms watchdog allowed weapons to flow in, failed to catch ringleaders, then tried a cover-up By Guy Adams Thursday, 16 June 2011 The lethal fallout from a botched operation by the US Department of Justice which allowed almost 2,000 illegally purchased firearms to be transported from the streets of Arizona to drug gangs in Mexico has been laid bare in a scathing Congressional report, which concludes that it resulted in countless deaths. A mixture of arrogance, over-confidence, and staggering ineptitude by the Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF] was outlined in a 51-page investigation by two Republican members of a House panel charged with getting to the bottom of what went wrong during a two-year operation called "Fast and Furious". It tells how, between 2009 and this year, the ATF instructed agents to turn a blind eye to hundreds of AK-47 assault rifles, sniper rifles, and revolvers purchased from gunshops in Phoenix and en route to Mexico. They hoped to eventually recover them from crime scenes and build a complex conspiracy case that might take down the leaders of a major drug cartel. In the event, the operation resulted in the arrest of a handful of small-time crooks. But it exacerbated an already-huge spike in violence on both sides of the border. Two of the guns allowed to "walk" into the hands of criminals were used in a shoot-out that killed a US border patrol agent, Brian Terry. The report describes his death as "a preventable tragedy", detailing how many of the ATF agents involved in Fast and Furious began to object to what they saw as the "reckless" nature of the operation, which conflicted with all known protocol and may turn out to have been illegal. But when they raised their concerns, they faced "punishment and retaliation" from their superiors. It also highlights the symbiotic nature of the deadly drug trade between the US and Mexico, which has resulted in approximately 38,000 deaths since 2007. Cartels make their money smuggling cocaine and cannabis north from Mexico, and simultaneously equip their private armies with assault weapons purchased thanks to America's notoriously relaxed gun laws. Fast and Furious revolved around so-called "straw" purchases of firearms, in which a buyer purchase military-grade hardware from a gun-store with the intention of illegally passing it to a criminal third party. ATF agents who track suspected straw purchases typically run intensive surveillance operations allowing them to arrest suspects and recover the guns. During the Fast and Furious operation they were instructed to simply let the weapons disappear. A record was kept of their serial numbers. The idea was that this would later allow agents to link individual weapons to particular crime scenes. Somehow, this was supposed to help the ATF build up a nuanced picture of the complex structure of a major drug cartel, which would in turn lead to high-level arrests. But it wasn't to be. "Both line agents and gun dealers who co-operated with the ATF repeatedly expressed concerns", about the operation, the report says. "But ATF supervisors did not heed those warnings. Instead, they told agents to follow orders because this was sanctioned from above." In total, agents watched at least 1,730 guns flood on to the black market, knowing they would be used to commit murders and other violent crimes. Their concerns about the policy were ignored. In one email to field staff printed in the report, ATF supervisor David Voth suggested that staff who objected to his orders would be fired. "I will be damned if this case is going to suffer due to petty arguing, rumours, or other adolescent behavior," he wrote. "We are all adults, we are all professionals, and we have an exciting opportunity to use the biggest tool in our law-enforcement tool box. If you don't think this is fun, you are in the wrong line of work, period!" John Dodson, a special agent from Phoenix who eventually blew the whistle on the "flawed" operation, told congressmen his superiors would be "giddy" with delight when "their" guns were found at a crime scene in Mexico, because they believed it "validated" their tactic. With regard to potential loss of life, an ATF boss told him: "if you are going to make an omelette, you need to scramble some eggs." On 14 December, disaster struck when the US border patrol guard, Brian Terry, was killed during a shootout with suspected illegal aliens on the Arizona border. His killers dropped their rifles to flee faster. Two of the weapons were AK-47s which had been intentionally allowed to walk during Fast and Furious. Rather than admit to any mistake, the ATF embarked on a cover-up. William Newell, the special agent in charge of the operation, ordered the arrest of 20 of the people agents had been watching buy weapons for months. Then, although not one senior cartel member was arrested, he held a press conference declaring the operation a success. Newell was then asked if any weapons had been deliberately allowed to end up in the hands of criminals. He replied, "Hell no!" The report describes that statement as untrue and "shocking." It alleges that the Department of Justice continued to attempt a cover-up for several months. The fallout from the report's publication remains to be seen. It was written by two Republican congressmen, Darryl Issa and Charles Grassley. Some right-wing commentators have suggested that Fast and Furious was sanctioned by the Obama administration in an effort to justify tightening US gun laws. But the White House has said it had no direct knowledge of the operation. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...s-sting-that-backfired-on-the-us-2297924.html
"Obama Administration Facilitated Guns To Mexican Cartels" Can't say as I'm surprised; what with Obama Bin Lyin's penchant for deceit and all.
This fiasco is very well known in the firearms community and has been talked about for months. Obama is playing the plausible denyability card and trying to pin the blame on BATF drones. The real story is that obama has staffed BATF with radical antigun activists. It is hardly a stretch to see this as a plan to create a paper trail that would link gunshops in the southwest with high profile cartel shootings and be used to justify draconain restrictions on semi-auto weapons, a big wetdream of the anti-gun activists.. ATf already has tried to implement illegal requirements for gun shots to notify them of rifle purchases. Under current law only handgun purchases are reported. Gun shop owners have been quoted as saying they thought sure buyers were straw purchasers and notified BATF, which instructed them to go ahead with the sales. Either this is a case of incompetence of epic proportions or, the administration had a direct hand in it. It is up to congress to find out, because the administration is in full coverup mode. Heads should roll. A Border Patrol agent was killed in a firefight with mexicans using some of these ATF guns.
This was an Obama/Holder plan, no doubt. Holder won't even release the documents as required by a House supeona. They are searching for a fall guy right now. Some peon Indian at Justice will be bought off to take a career ending fall to save the Chiefs.
What happened to the AAA of two years ago? That guy posted some pretty reasonable stuff. This AAA has become so partisan he's become, well, a moonbat.
=========== Wonder if those AZ , AK47's wre fully automatic or semi automatic?? Wow ,with Osama Ben Leaden full of lead; there went the Arab vote.Many Hispanic voters may have a problem with the administration flooding the Mexican market with AK47's Black conservatives are still waiting for a good answer why the Justice dept goofed up the black panther voter fraud case.Mr Holder , to his credit,may turn out better than Janet''Waco'' Reno.
Perhaps the following are of concern to him: From a few months ago regarding gun control: âI just want you to know that we are working on it,â Brady recalled the president telling them. âWe have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.â The statement reinforces an article in the Huffington Post describing how the administration is exploring ways to bypass Congress and enact gun control through executive action. The Department of Justice reportedly is holding meetings discussing the White Houseâs options for enacting regulations on its own or through adjoining agencies and departments. âAdministration officials said talk of executive orders or agency action are among a host of options that President Barack Obama and his advisers are considering. â
They were trying to create false evidence that guns in Mexico were coming from the U.S. in order to attempt to limit gun sales in border states, especially Texas. Nixon resigned over...a burglary. Nobody was hurt, no weapons were involved. No money changed hands. But this...a federal agent has been killed with a weapon illegally supplied to a Mexican drug cartel by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Hundreds of Mexican nationals were killed by these weapons. The whole scheme seems designed to advance some liberal anti-gun agenda aimed at deceiving the people. It is rotten to the core. Eric Holder no longer has any legitimacy as Attorney General. His racial bias and willingness to engage in any illegal and unconstitutional activity ordered by the president is unprecedented. Even if Barrack Obama did not sign an Executive Order it is clear that Eric Holder must resign his position and certainly there is a chance he will be indicted. The only just and righteous thing to do is to put Eric Holder in Guantanamo. Now we know for sure that the Obama regime is willling to kill US and foreign citizens to advance a political idea. He is willing to damage our country in order to "transform" it.
I guess they were spreading guns to get a pattern like when they spread a virus to get the pattern.... When I first heard this story I couldn't figure if it was the stupidest thing I ever heard or the craziest.. but now that we see that the White House is involved it's easy to see that it's probably just a combination of both!!