Another Friday evening document dump from the White House on the ‘Fast and Furious’ gunwalker debacle in Arizona. The doc dump was incomplete due to an exertion of executive privilege; here is CBS:
WASHINGTON – Late Friday, the White House turned over new documents in the Congressional investigation into the ATF “Fast and Furious” gunwalking scandal.
The documents show extensive communications between then-ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office Bill Newell – who led Fast and Furious – and then-White House National Security Staffer Kevin O’Reilly. Emails indicate the two also spoke on the phone. Such detailed, direct communications between a local ATF manager in Phoenix and a White House national security staffer has raised interest among Congressional investigators looking into Fast and Furious. Newell has said he and O’Reilly are long time friends.
ATF agents say that in Fast and Furious, their agency allowed thousands of assault rifles and other weapons to be sold to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels. At least two of the guns turned up at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry last December.
The email exchanges span a little over a month last summer. They discuss ATF’s gun trafficking efforts along the border including the controversial Fast and Furious case, though not by name. The emails to and from O’Reilly indicate more than just a passing interest in the Phoenix office’s gun trafficking cases. They do not mention specific tactics such as “letting guns walk.”
A lawyer for the White House wrote Congressional investigators: “none of the communications between ATF and the White House revealed the investigative law enforcement tactics at issue in your inquiry, let alone any decision to allow guns to ‘walk.'”
Well, there is no unmistakeable description of the investigative tactics being employed. However, on page 73 of the 102 page .pdf we notice this, from Special Agent Bill Newell of the Phoenix ATF office:
Also, not mentioned in these docs but VERY relevant to Mr. Brennan’s [I infer that to be counterterror advisor John Brennan] meeting next week is the fact that we and the USA were going to announce the indictment of a dozen “straw purchase” case addressing firearms trafficking by 30 individuals. We finally have the USAO here on board with going after “straw” purchasers and making a statement, publically especially, that we will take action against those folks. In reality we look at “straw” purchases as the lowest ring on the firearms trafficking ladder but in many investigations we need their cooperation in order to identify the real traffickers and middlemen. Having the USAO backing our “play” when we first interact with “straw” purchases adds tremendous leverage to our efforts to get the truth from them so we can work our way up the ladder.
That seems to be a clear statement that the US Attorney’s office had not been interested in prosecuting the buyers at the bottom of the straw purchase food chain, and is certainly consistent with the allegation that straw buyers were kept under surveillance and allowed to stay in business.
“The White House counsel who produced the documents stated that some records were not included because of “significant confidentiality interests.”
…’the Administration informed them that O’Reilly is on assignment for the State Department in Iraq and unavailable.’ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20114184-10391695.html
How many dead ….so far?
Over 200.
The one ATF agent who tried to follow the guns was prevented from doing so.
WHY?
Will we have one or two men thrown under the bus ….or the entire ATF?*
Nan, do you think O’Reilly is packing two pistols in Iraq. If I were him, I’d pack two pistols and have the men I trusted the most with me all the time, but maybe there is no one he can trust. Issa better get him back here soon. How convenient to make sure the leads stop with the last man in Iraq. This is Obama’s Waterloo and it is time for a criminal trial for Holder. Someone better tell O’Reilly to be packing iron, he may need it real soon. LOL
Let the heads roll!
Obama is not in Chicago any more. He will not be able to contain this no matter how much the media tries to hide it. As more rats abandon the Obama ship, they will eventually turn against him unless they are complicit, too.