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

To: Saulamanca who wrote (447)	6/27/2012 4:38:47 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 749

When Mexico was notified: WR – When arms were purchased & smugglers crossed border. F&F – Not told the program even existed.

To: Saulamanca who wrote (447)	6/27/2012 4:58:15 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 749

Slain officer’s parents call President Obama a liar Tuesday, June 26, 2012 By Scott Held twitter.com Click to enlarge WASHINGTON — A slain former Downriver police officer is at the center of criticism of President Barack Obama’s dealings with an investigation into a federal program that allowed guns to end up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels and bandits. The parents of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was fatally shot by bandits, appeared on a Fox News program last week and called Obama a liar after he asserted executive privilege to keep Attorney General Eric Holder and other Department of Justice officials from a congressional investigation of “Operation Fast and Furious.” “It sounds like they’re hiding something,” Kent Terry said Thursday during an interview. “They’re lying big time and passing the buck. That’s how I feel. I just know they’re hiding something big. “Something happened out there and we’re not supposed to know.” Kent and Josephine Terry’s son was shot Dec. 14, 2010, and died a day later after his group encountered some men near Rio Rico, Ariz. The unit was targeting so-called “rip crews” that stalk and rob drug runners crossing the U.S. border from Mexico. Terry was 40. Two of the guns used by the bandits — four were captured and another escaped — were traced to a dealer who sold them to a suspected Mexican drug cartel. The sales were allowed during a surveillance program conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Terry’s family filed a $25 million wrongful death suit against the federal government in February, claiming the ATF created the conditions for his death by allowing more than 1,400 guns to be sent to Mexico and fall into the hands of traffickers who supply the country’s drug cartels. The suit also alleges that the federal government attempted to cover up the ATF’s role in the gun-running program. In 2009, ATF agents noticed large numbers of guns being purchased in the United States by suspected drug cartels, but didn’t stop the sales. Instead, they allowed the transactions to go through and followed the guns into Mexico, presumably hoping to trace them to drug organizations. After Terry was killed, Holder issued a directive stopping the so-called “gun walking.” The Department of Justice initially denied any role in allowing the guns to cross the border, but an agent later told CBS News he was part of a group that did just that. Kent Terry said he was amazed when he learned the guns used to shoot his son were procured while federal agents watched. “I was furious; I was shocked,” he said. “I don’t think my son should’ve went before me. It’s very hard.” The couple said they received a call from Obama before their son’s funeral but have not had any correspondence with the White House or Department of Justice since learning that guns procured under the “Fast and Furious” period were used in his shooting. In a party-line vote, Holder was held in contempt last week by a House subcommittee. Terry was buried a week after his death at Michigan Memorial Park in Huron Township, and the Border Patrol office in Bisbee, Ariz., was renamed in his memory. The Flat Rock Community High School graduate, like an uncle, Robert Heier, a former Lincoln Park police chief and mayor, went into law enforcement after a four-year stint in the Marine Corps. He became an Ecorse police officer in 1998 and later transferred to Lincoln Park. He was accepted into the Border Patrol Academy in 2007 and was assigned to the Tucson (Ariz.) sector. He eventually became part of the patrol’s elite BORTAC unit. Kent and Josephine Terry could not be reached for comment by yesterday. Brian Terry’s family created a website (rememberbrianterry.com) and foundation to honor his memory.

To: Saulamanca who wrote (447)	6/27/2012 9:38:38 PM
From: joseffy	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 749

Black Lawmakers Plot 'Walkout Strategy' During Holder Contempt Vote By Shane Goldmacher June 27, 2012 influencealley.nationaljournal.com The Congressional Black Caucus has called a members-only "emergency" meeting on Thursday to plot a "walkout strategy" ahead of the scheduled contempt vote of Attorney General Eric Holder later in the day. The plans, detailed in an email from the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus obtained by the Alley, include circulating a letter disapproving of the vote and having lawmakers walk out of the Capitol to hold The letter, a draft of which is being circulated for signatures, accuses the GOP leadership of "rushing recklessly to a contempt vote." The letter is being circulated among the Black, Hispanic, Asian and Progressive caucuses, among other. "We cannot and will not participate in a vote to hold the Attorney General in contempt," says the letter, in which the signers urge that "all members of Congress to stand with us during a press conference on the Capitol Building steps during this appalling series of votes to discuss our nation's most significant priority--creating jobs." The House is expected to vote on Thursday hold Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to release certain documents related to the failed "Fast and Furious" gun-running program. At moments, the fight has taken on racial undertones, most notably when Holder, who is African American, told the New York Times in December 2011 that he served as a stand-in for GOP attacks on President Obama. "This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him," Holder said, "both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we're both African-American." A copy of the full draft letter is below: Dear Colleague: We write to urge you to stand with us in the pursuit of justice for the Attorney General of the United States of America, Eric H. Holder. In its history, the United States House of Representatives has never held a United States Attorney General, or any other Cabinet official, in contempt. Instead of focusing on job creation and other critical issues before this Congress, we have been asked to engage in a political stunt on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Our constituents elected us to do real work, not to engage in meaningless partisan activity. Over the past 15 months, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice have cooperated with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's requests for information on "Fast and Furious", an unfortunate operation that began under the Bush Administration and, in fact, was terminated by Attorney General Holder. The Department has made extraordinary efforts to accommodate Congress by turning over almost 8,000 documents--including all the documents that relate to the tactics in this investigation and the other flawed investigations that occurred in Arizona during the Bush Administration. The Attorney General also participated in a bicameral meeting in a good faith effort to satisfy the Committee's information requests. While the Attorney General has advised House Republicans that he is willing to work with them in attempting to reach an agreement, the Republican Leadership is instead rushing recklessly to a contempt vote. Contempt power should be used sparingly, carefully and only in the most egregious situations. The Republican Leadership has articulated no legislative purpose for pursuing this course of action. For these reasons we cannot and will not participate in a vote to hold the Attorney General in contempt. We adamantly oppose this partisan attack and refuse to participate in any vote that would tarnish the image of Congress or of an Attorney General who has done nothing but work tirelessly to protect the rights of the American people. We must reflect upon why we are elected to this body and choose now to stand up for justice. We call upon all members of Congress to stand with us during a press conference on the Capitol Building steps during this appalling series of votes to discuss our nation's most significant priority--creating jobs. At this critically important time in our nation, we must work as colleagues rather than political enemies. Guest These lawmakers are remorselessly racist bigots. Like 2 hours ago 318 Likes adieB Running away from reality worked so well in Wisconsin, hmmm? Like 2 hours ago 352 Likes TallDave Here I am! I wonder how the families of the hundreds murdered by this deliberate plot to gin up gun violence feel about the walkout. I hope Brian Terry's family is there to meet them on the Capitol steps... Like 2 hours ago 426 Likes Viator16 "Fast and Furious" was started under the Obama administration. I guess if you tell a lie long enough, people will believe it. Don' t take my word for it. Look it up for yourself. Holder and Obama have done everything possible to block congress from finding out the truth. Like 2 hours ago 369 Likes AngryinOhio This is just typical isn't it? The black caucus walking out...so mature, so professional. Is this what Sharpton came up with? EVERY ONE OF THESE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOULB BE IMPEACHED. A sorrier bunch of Congress I have never seen. Like 2 hours ago 389 Likes HostileLogic Mother Nature created houseflies, cockroaches, maggots, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, slugs, leeches and intestinal parasites. Then she lowered her standards to a breathtaking new depth of depravity and created Progressives. Like 2 hours ago 394 Likes Dan from Pheonix Keep walking and don't come back. 98% of the Black Caucus are either Marxists or believe in the racist liberation theology with is Marxism with a heaping helping of racism and a sprinkling of voodoo. They should loop by the White House and pick up their fellow traveller Obama. Like 2 hours ago 417 Likes ron They need to grow up and act like adults. The people are sick and tired of these childish actions demonstrated by these democrats everytime they dont get their way. Like 2 hours ago 343 Likes Yukiko While they are out of the room the real politicians can burn the race card. Like 2 hours ago 241 Likes darrylseeTop 50 Again I say: Let them walk out. Just establish they're playing politics on Bryan Terry's death, Jaime Zapata's death, and up to 600 Mexican nationals' deaths. DISGRACEFUL!!!! Like 2 hours ago 324 Likes dtom2Top 100 I have no problem with the Black lawmakers walking out. However,I do have a problem with their returning. Like 2 hours ago 526 Likes MacGyver If only they would STAY out Like 2 hours ago 277 Likes amplitude jones arrest and execute the congressional black traitor pig marxists. Like 2 hours ago 150 Likes grumpyolguy If only they would walk out and stay out. Like 2 hours ago 197 Likes Scooter Van Neuter Racist morons :( Like 2 hours ago 149 Likes Mary_teri and the press like the lap dofgs they are will run to the new shiney toy Like 2 hours ago 121 Likes Beartooth777 Is Michelle proud of her country now? Like 2 hours ago 204 Likes darrylseeTop 50 She don't care about any of this! She's looking to take another expensive taxpayer-financed vacation! ...and Barack better say nothing, or else she'll go all Diva upside his head! Like 2 hours ago in reply to Beartooth777 161 Likes darrylseeTop 50 Let them walk out. Just establish they're playing politics on Bryan Terry's death, Jaime Zapata's death, and up to 600 Mexican nationals' deaths. DISGRACEFUL!!!! Like 2 hours ago 144 Likes Tosheba Racial hypocrites all. Their abject racist attitudes shock the conscience. Like 2 hours ago 163 Likes yusa1929 If they walk out they should keep on walking. The congress is not a place for thin skinned people that labor under the delusion that their opinion is the only correct opinion. The overriding problem is how government can adapt to an era where the main problem is determining a method of distribution of goods that is acceptable to the majority. The problem is fraught with conflict. Posturing and playingbthe race card is of no value. We need more statesmen and less politicians. Progress is the key, not who wins or loses a battle. Like 2 hours ago 126 Likes Pouncekitty This will be a scandal if the black congressmen walk out, a scandal for them. It will prove to the entire nation that some black people are not willing to move forward, but prefer to stick to the plantation politics of the democrat party. This will be shown to schoolchildren 50 years from now as an example of how backward the civil rights movement became. Like 2 hours ago 223 Likes Chuck Upster They are the very definition of racists. Like 2 hours ago 184 Likes Cogsys You have to wonder what would be said if the Republicans had walked out during the ObamaCare process, what would the Press and Media have said. In this case they will say little except to ratify the action because these are (almost to a person) sympathizers with Holder. Is it racial, you betcha, but that is a secondary derivative of the direction of their politics. Like 2 hours ago 108 Likes Mike Crognale They didn't have to walk out. They were deliberately excluded from the entire process. You'll recall that the bill passed without a single republican vote. Like 2 hours ago in reply to Cogsys 86 Likes mustberacist Racists being racist... I'm not surprised. Like 2 hours ago 153 Likes Beartooth777 so, their message is? if you are black you are never wrong? Like 2 hours ago 190 Likes Brian110256 this group of people are corrupt to the bone they will do whatever necessary to support holder and protect him anyone remember how they came to slick willie's defense when he was caught his his pants down Like 2 hours ago in reply to Beartooth777 122 Likes darrylseeTop 50 Yes, that is their message. Right or wrong, black Democrats MUST stick together, no mater how disgraceful the matter is. Like 2 hours ago in reply to Beartooth777 155 Likes Mike Crognale Sort of typical for Democrats though. Bunch of cry-babies, stamping their feet and threatening to run away if they don't get to have it their way. Well guess what CBC? Go right ahead. We've tried to compromise on this since last year, so there is no "rush to judgement." Just like there was no "rush to war" which is what your party accused the Presidents Bush of the last time you came up against men with cojones. Like 2 hours ago 133 Likes Bob Nunemaker Just the fact that they are walking out because he is Black shows THEIR racism. So, because he's black, we should never hold him accountable because they want to play the race card? It's the boy who cried wolf and when there truly is racism, no one will pay attention. Holder has been anti-American so many times and now he truly is hiding something. Those who walk out should be ashamed and shamed publicly in ads. Like 2 hours ago 197 Likes Gator345 The black caucus, what joke. Their policy to stop red-lining loans is what got us in this economic mess in the first place. Their use of the race card is really starting to become tiresome. Like 2 hours ago 167 Likes holistic Does anyone really give one crap whether the black lawmakers walk or not. NO! They are doing nothing more than showing their ignorance. Like 2 hours ago 145 Likes Guest When you walk out, think of the family of Brian Terry FIRST!!! Like 2 hours ago 114 Likes Richard Bolles Then it will be an honest and clean vote. Nice! Like 2 hours ago 101 Likes BHO_CONNECTICUT_SSNTop 100 Shocker. The list grows daily of dem lawmakers employing a "WHITE BOYCOTT STRATEGY" against Barry's convention. Like 2 hours ago 76 Likes coast2co Over 200 mexican nationals have been killed by the gun running fast and furious. And The 2 federal agents killed that we know of. And there stone walling and now its executive priviledge WHAT? Those of the black caucus are a bunch of racists. They always have been racial hate baiters. Its never what right or decent but whats in it for the black community. Now they do this I guess its because there crooked like Boxer, Rangle, Holder and Obama. Birds of a feather. You can't have it both ways. Like 2 hours ago 118 Likes MaryASanDiego And don't forget to add that racist Maxine Waters to the list. Like 2 hours ago in reply to coast2co 140 Likes JamesDrouin Why is it that racists always assume others are as racist as they are??? Is it a mental disease???

To: Saulamanca who wrote (447)	6/27/2012 9:49:27 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 749

Fortune Magazine Tries to Tell The "Truth" About Fast and Furious, Fails Miserably Katie Pavlich Jun 27, 2012 townhall.com "A Fortune investigation reveals that the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. How the world came to believe just the opposite is a tale of rivalry, murder, and political bloodlust." That's the subtitle of an "investigation" from Fortune Magazine today, or in other words, a full out distortion and dismissal of the facts in the Fact and Furious case. The article is long and I'm not going to take the time to debunk the entire thing, but just a few points. First, the article gives a full defense of corrupt ATF Supervisor David Voth while smearing gun dealers as massive suppliers of drug cartels. Customers can legally buy as many weapons as they want in Arizona as long as they're 18 or older and pass a criminal background check. There are no waiting periods and no need for permits, and buyers are allowed to resell the guns. "In Arizona," says Voth, "someone buying three guns is like someone buying a sandwich." By 2009 the Sinaloa drug cartel had made Phoenix its gun supermarket and recruited young Americans as its designated shoppers or straw purchasers. Voth and his agents began investigating a group of buyers, some not even old enough to buy beer, whose members were plunking down as much as $20,000 in cash to purchase up to 20 semiautomatics at a time, and then delivering the weapons to others. Fact: During Operation Fast and Furious, gun dealers repeatedly emailed Voth, asking whether guns they were selling under orders from ATF, were ending up in the wrong hands. Voth assured them they were not. More than two thousands guns trafficked into Mexico and hundreds of dead victims later, that turned out to be a lie. Gun dealers repeatedly raised concerns about ATF telling them to allow straw purchasers using false ID and loads of cash to buy weapons. In 2010, a gun dealer emailed Voth because a straw purchaser had placed a large order and the dealer wanted to know if he should order more stock. Once again, so he could comply with ATF's order to sell. Voth told him, go right ahead. Order the guns, sell to the bad guys. On June 17, 2010 a concerned dealer wrote, "As per our discussion about over communicating I wanted to share some concerns that came up. Tuesday night I watched a segment of a Fox News report about firearms and the border. The segment, if the information was correct, is disturbing to me. When you, Emory and I met on May 13th I shared my concerns with you guys that I wanted to make sure that none of the firearms that were sold per our conversation with you and various ATF agents could or would ever end up south of the border or in the hands of the bad guys. I guess I am looking for a bit of reassurance that the guns are not getting south or in wrong hands. I know it is an ongoing investigation so there is limited information you can share with me. But as I said in our meeting, I want to help ATF with its investigation but not at the risk of agents [sic] safety because I have some very close friends that are U.S. Border Patrol agents in southern AZ as well as my concern for all the agents [sic] safety that protect our country. If possible please email me back and share with me any reassurances that you can. As always thank you for your time and I send this email with all respect and a heart felt concern to do the right thing." Voth sent an email on April 2, 2010 saying, "Our subjects purchased 359 firearms during the month of March alone, to include numerous Barrett .50 caliber rifles," he went on, "I believe we are righteous in our plan to dismantle this entire organization and to rush in to arrest any one person without taking in to account the entire scope of the conspiracy would be ill advices to the overall good of the mission." In another email, Voth mentioned 1200 people killed in March 2010, yet still called the program "righteous." You can read more about Voth here. Next, the Fortune article claims officials directly involved in Fast and Furious never intentionally trafficked guns into Mexico and and actually seized guns. Quite simply, there's a fundamental misconception at the heart of the Fast and Furious scandal. Nobody disputes that suspected straw purchasers under surveillance by the ATF repeatedly bought guns that eventually fell into criminal hands. Issa and others charge that the ATF intentionally allowed guns to walk as an operational tactic. But five law-enforcement agents directly involved in Fast and Furious tell Fortune that the ATF had no such tactic. They insist they never purposefully allowed guns to be illegally trafficked. Just the opposite: They say they seized weapons whenever they could but were hamstrung by prosecutors and weak laws, which stymied them at every turn. The guns sold during Fast and Furious didn't "eventually fall into criminal hands," they were put there intentionally as soon as ATF approved the sale of those guns to guys they knew were straw purchasers before they even walked through the door of the gun dealerships. Not to mention, weapons were never seized until they were found at violent crime scenes; 1400 remain missing. And of course, according to Fortune, this whole Fast and Furious scandal has been drummed up by...right wing bloggers! How Fast and Furious reached the headlines is a strange and unsettling saga, one that reveals a lot about politics and media today. It's a story that starts with a grudge, specifically Dodson's anger at Voth. After the terrible murder of agent Terry, Dodson made complaints that were then amplified, first by right-wing bloggers, then by CBS. Rep. Issa and other politicians then seized those elements to score points against the Obama administration, which, for its part, has capitulated in an apparent effort to avoid a rhetorical battle over gun control in the run-up to the presidential election. (A Justice Department spokesperson denies this and asserts that the department is not drawing conclusions until the inspector general's report is submitted.) Right, exposing the horrors of this scandal according to Fortune is simply bloggers, CBS and Issa "amplifying" "complaints" made by ATF Whistleblower John Dodson. More like, telling the truth, Fortune. Also, Fortune quotes an IRS agent, but why was the IRS involved in Operation Fast and Furious? Because the IRS in partnership with ATF was giving gun dealers participating in the program advice about how to do their taxes with such a large inflow of cash. And of course, the Fortune article mocks Arizona for being a pro-Second Amendment state while implying the reason for cartel violence in Mexico is because of limited gun control laws in the state when it was ATF who was deliberately trafficking weapons directly to the cartels in Mexico, doing nothing about it. This is simply an attempt to put a sliver of reasonable doubt into the minds of potential jurors should supervisors like Voth face criminal prosecution down the road. The rest of my rebuttal to Fortune can be completed by reading my book. Becca Watkins, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform spokeswoman, has issued the following statement: “Fortune’s story is a fantasy made up almost entirely from the accounts of individuals involved in the reckless tactics that took place in Operation Fast and Furious. It contains factual errors – including the false statement that Chairman Issa has called for Attorney General Holder’s resignation – and multiple distortions. It also hides critical information from readers – including a report in the Wall Street Journal – indicating that its primary sources may be facing criminal charges. Congressional staff gave Fortune Magazine numerous examples of false statements made by the story’s primary source and the magazine did not dispute this information. It did not, however, explain this material to its readers. The one point of agreement the Committee has with this story is its emphasis on the role Justice Department prosecutors, not just ATF agents, played in guns being transferred to drug cartels in Mexico. The allegations made in the story have been examined and rejected by congressional Republicans, Democrats, and the Justice Department.” credit to calgal

To: Saulamanca who wrote (447)	6/28/2012 5:41:44 PM
From: joseffy	2 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 749

House holds Holder in contempt over ‘Fast and Furious’ documents By Stephen Dinan The Washington Times June 28, 2012 washingtontimes.com The House on Thursday cited Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. for contempt of Congress in a historic vote weighted with political significance, though it does little to break the stalemate over his decision to withhold documents over the Justice Department’s actions in a botched gun-walking operation. The 255-67 vote amounted to a political spanking for Mr. Holder and President Obama, and 17 Democrats joined with Republicans in demanding the documents be released. Most Democrats, however, walked out in protest of the vote. It marks the first time an attorney general has been held in contempt by a chamber. But the White House dismissed the proceedings as a sideshow, and the vote does nothing to break the impasse, though it further poisoned feelings in an already bitterly divided chamber. “No Justice Department is above the law, and no Justice Department is above the Constitution,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. Democrats pleaded with the Republicans to slow down the proceedings, saying the oversight committee, led by Chairman Darrell Issa, California Republican, has done a shoddy job in putting together its investigation. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, even introduced a resolution demanding that the House reprimand Mr. Issa for partisanship and accusing him of having “engaged in a witch hunt.” Many Democrats walked out of the contempt vote in protest, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said the vote was a black eye for the Republicans. “Just when you think you have seen it all. Just when you think they couldn’t possibly go any further over the edge, they come up with something like this,” she said. “What is happening here is shameful.” Democrats also tried to force the matter back into Mr. Issa's committee, but the House defeated that motion. As issue is the oversight committee’s investigation into Fast and Furious, an operation intended to track sales of U.S. guns and watch the guns be shipped across the border to a Mexican drug cartel, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) lost track of the roughly 2,000 weapons after they were sold. Some of the guns eventually began showing up at crime scenes, including two that were recovered at the site of a 2010 Arizona shootout that left Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry dead. Mr. Holder shut down the operation, but his efforts to clean up after it have come under scrutiny. The Justice Department initially told Congress it never knowingly lost track of guns, but after whistleblowers made it clear that this was false, Mr. Holder had to withdraw that claim. The Justice Department has turned over documents about the actual gun-walking operation, but have refused to turn over documents about how it handled the false information it provided to Congress. Last week President Obama asserted executive privilege, arguing those documents are protected by precedent that governs internal deliberations. Democrats said they aren’t defending the gun-walking operation, but said the committee should leave Mr. Holder alone. “This is a witch hunt. This is politics, pure and simple,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat. Republicans, though, said they have issued a valid subpoena, and said Mr. Holder is stonewalling. They said they are trying to hold the administration accountable and to try to get answers for the Terry family. Mr. Issa even closed out the debate speaking in front of a giant poster of the agent in his Border Patrol uniform, saying he was trying to remind his colleagues of the human cost of the gun-walking operation. “We were lied to repeatedly and over a 10-month period,” Mr. Issa said. “That is what we’re here for.”