Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Fast and Furious-----Obama/Holder Gun Running Scandal -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/23/2012 1:23:07 PM
From: Farmboy	Respond to of 749

Exactly - you 'hit the bullseye' on that one!

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/23/2012 3:31:12 PM
From: joseffy	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 749

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/24/2012 12:20:18 AM
From: joseffy	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 749

ICE agent's family files wrongful death claim against Justice Dept. June 20, 2012 cbsnews.com U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata was shot and killed in the line of duty Feb. 15 2011 after he was attacked by unknown assailants while driving between Monterrey, Mexico, and Mexico City. CBS News has learned that the family of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata has filed a claim for wrongful death against the Justice Dept. and other federal agencies. Zapata was gunned down by suspected drug cartel members in Mexico in Feb. 2011 with weapons later linked to an ATF case in the Texas area. Joining the claim is Zapata's surviving partner in the attack: Victor Avila. In an interview last November, Zapata's family told CBS News they feel that U.S. law enforcement could have stopped the sale of a gun used to kill their son. CBS News obtained law enforcement records that show the gun that killed Zapata came from the U.S., and the suspects who allegedly trafficked it had been under law enforcement's watch for months in Dallas but weren't arrested. In February, CBS News learned a second weapon used in the Zapata attack was also linked to an ongoing case under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The Justice Department has said ATF "was not aware of" the suspect's purchase of the gun that killed Zapata when it happened, and that answering further questions would jeopardize the investigation. Related: Second gun used in ICE agent murder linked to ATF undercover operation Murdered U.S. agent's family wants answers

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/26/2012 11:10:03 AM
From: joseffy	2 Recommendations Respond to of 749

Upping the Ante, Issa Says Obama Conspired With DOJ CONGRESSMAN'S LETTER ESCALATES FAST & FURIOUS BATTLE By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Jun 26, 2012 newser.com (NEWSER) – Darrell Issa is upping his attack on President Obama following the president's use of executive privilege in an attempt to bail out Eric Holder. A letter to Obama released today minces no words: "Either you or your most senior advisors were involved in managing Operation Fast & Furious and the fallout from it," it reads, "or, you are asserting a presidential power that you know to be unjustified solely for the purpose of further obstructing a congressional investigation." The White House has continued to insist it has not been working with the DOJ during the congressional investigation into the failed ATF gun-walking operation, but Issa says Obama's use of executive privilege raises doubts about that assertion. Politico notes that the letter probably won't force Obama to do anything, but will definitely get attention. This week is a particularly tense one for the White House: It's very possible the House's decision on whether to hold Holder in contempt will come on the same day as the Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare. Meanwhile, Democrats are looking to spin the contempt motion—as an assault on minority rights that could possibly suppress voters, seeing as the DOJ is currently fighting against voter ID laws. Al Sharpton and a number of other civil rights leaders will hold a press conference on the issue today. "I’m not saying that this is because Holder is black, and I’m not calling [Republicans] racists," Sharpton tells The Hill. "I’m saying what they’re doing has a racial effect, and that’s what we’re going to talk about."

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/26/2012 11:37:04 AM
From: joseffy	1 Recommendation Respond to of 749

Issa Letter Hammers Obama on Operation 'Fast and Furious' By Major Garrett : June 26, 2012 nationaljournal.com The chairman of the House oversight committee investigating White House involvement in the botched “gun-walking” program that led to the 2010 death of U.S. Border Patrol agent accused President Obama on Monday of downplaying his involvement in the program or intentionally obstructing the Congress' inquiry. Rep. Darrel Issa's letter to Obama questioned the legal basis of the White House move to withhold subpoenaed documents from the Government Reform and Oversight Committee under protections afforded Obama by executive privilege. The Justice Department denied Issa's committee the subpoenaed documents last week, prompting the GOP-led committee to vote along party lines to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. The full House is scheduled to consider the contempt citation this week. The White House contends it's legally entitled to withhold documents related to internal deliberations on policy and advisory discussions among Obama's senior advisers. It was the first time Obama, who pledged a new era of government transparency, has exerted executive privilege. Issa said the assertion of executive privilege, which occurred after 16-months of negotiations between his committee and Justice officials over documents related to the gun-walking program called Fast and Furious, raised two troubling questions. "Either you or your most senior advisers were involved in managing Operation Fast & Furious and the fallout from it...or, you are asserting a Presidential power that you know to be unjustified solely for the purpose of further obstructing a congressional investigation," Issa wrote. "To date, the White House has steadfastly maintained that it has not had any role in advising the Department with respect to the congressional investigation. The surprising assertion of executive privilege raised the question of whether that is still the case." Issa's committee has subpoenaed documents it believes relevant to Justice and White House deliberations that led to a false Justice Department submission—in Holder's name—in February 2011 that Fast and Furious was not a gun walking operation. The committee had been told by whistle-blowers that Fast and Furious allowed large quantities of AK-47 firearms and variants to "walk" into Mexico. Two of those firearms were discovered at the scene where Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed near Rio Rico, Az., on Dec. 14, 2010. The White House dismissed Issa's letter. ( READ FULL LETTER) “The Congressman’s analysis has as much merit as his absurd contention that Operation Fast and Furious was created in order to promote gun control," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz. "Our position is consistent with Executive Branch legal precedent for the past three decades spanning Administrations of both parties, and dating back to President Reagan’s Department of Justice. The Courts have routinely considered deliberative process privilege claims and affirmed the right of the executive branch to invoke the privilege even when White House documents are not involved.” At the heart of Issa's inquiry is how much Justice and the White House knew about the origins of Fast and Furious, its scope and its operational ambitions. As he did on the Sunday talk shows, Issa held out hope for a compromise over the disputed documents. The full House has never before voted to hold an attorney general in contempt of Congress. (TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Darrell Issa on ABC's This Week) "I remain hopeful that the Attorney General will produce the specified documents," Issa said. Short of that, the chairman urged Obama to "define the universe of documents over which you asserted executive privilege and provide the Committee with the legal justification from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)." "These key documents would help the Committee understand how and why the Justice Department moved from denying whistle blower allegations to understanding they were true; the identities of officials who attempted to retaliate against whistle blowers," Issa wrote, adding the committee also want to learn "whether senior (Justice) Department officials are being held to the same standard as lower-level employees who have been blamed for Fast and Furious by their politically-appointed bosses in Washington." Issa also asked Obama to explain "what extent were you or your most senior advisers involved in Operation Fast and Furious and the fallout from it" and sought documents related to "any communications, meetings, and teleconferences between the White House and the Justice Department between February 4, 2011 and June 18, 2012, the day before the Attorney General requested that you assert executive privilege."

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/26/2012 11:57:35 PM
From: joseffy	1 Recommendation Respond to of 749

‘Obama Truth Team’ Orders Website Shut Down June 26, 2012 westernjournalism.com A political website that contained stinging criticism of the Obama administration and its handling of the Fast and Furious scandal was ordered to be shut down by the Obama campaign’s ‘Truth Team’, according to private investigator Douglas Hagmann, who was told by ISP GoDaddy his site contained information that was “maliciously harmful to individuals in the government.” Hagmann, CEO of Hagmann Investigative Services, Inc., a private investigative agency serving a roster of Fortune 500 clients, was given 48 hours by GoDaddy to find a new home for his website before it was deleted. Hagmann was told the reason for the shut down was because the website featured “morally objectionable” material. After GoDaddy refused to identify the complainant, only saying that it was not “any official government agency,” further investigation by Hagmann revealed that the order came from a group tied to Obama campaign headquarters. Speaking with the chief investigator in the GoDaddy Abuse division, Hagmann discovered, “Ultimately it was found that the complaint originated ostensibly with a group associated with the campaign to re-elect Barack Hussein Obama.” Turning to his contacts within government, Hagmann then spoke with another source who confirmed that the ‘Obama Truth Team’ was responsible for the shut down order.

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/27/2012 11:03:31 AM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 749

Obama and Holder made purely political calculations that this scandal would be swept under the rug by the media, giving them plenty of room to stonewall investigators until after the 2012 elections. The first level of stonewalling involved denials that were indisputably proven false, and subsequently retracted. Level Two involved claiming that the surrender of documents would imperil criminal prosecutions under way because of Operation Fast and Furious. That little tactic quietly dissolved when it became apparent there really weren’t any notable prosecutions coming out of the gun-walking program… which is one of its more curious attributes.

To: FJB who wrote (415)	6/27/2012 2:05:13 PM
From: joseffy	1 Recommendation Respond to of 749

The MSM is now locked in a furious attempt to explain why they have completely ignored this incredible story for almost two years now. The sitting AG is about to be held in contempt by a BIPARTISAN vote of the House tomorrow(!) and anybody who only gets their news from DNC/CNN/ABC/NBC/MSNBDNC/WAPO/NYT will be saying ... HUH!? What is Fast & Furious?! And the fantasy being concocted by the desperate MSM will be laughable in the face of ... Issa: 31 Democrats Will Vote To Condemn Holder