(GOP-moran) Critic of ATF gun-trafficking program (Issa) raised no objection when briefed last year

[jpak]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/critic-of-atf-gun-trafficking-program-raised-no-objection-when-briefed-last-year/2011/06/21/AGzvZ5eH_story.html

A chief Republican critic of a controversial U.S. anti-gun-trafficking operation was briefed on ATF’s “Fast and Furious” program last year and did not express any opposition, sources familiar with the classified briefing said Tuesday.

Rep. Darrell Issa (edit - GOP moran Calif.), who has repeatedly called for top Justice Department officials to be held accountable for the now-defunct operation, was given highly specific information about it at an April 2010 briefing, the sources said. Members of his staff also attended the session, which Issa and two other Republican congressmen had requested.

Fast and Furious targeted Mexican gun traffickers but was linked to the killing of a U.S. law enforcement officer. Republicans (edit morans) in Congress have criticized the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives over its handling of the operation, with Issa calling it “felony-stupid bad judgment” during a hearing last week in which he grilled a Justice Department official.

At the briefing last year, bureau officials laid out for Issa and other members of Congress from both parties details of several ATF investigations, including Fast and Furious, the sources said. For that program, the briefing covered how many guns had been bought by “straw purchasers,’’ the types of guns and how much money had been spent, said one source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the briefing was not public.

<more>

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. No calls for hearings (or firings) by Issa?

What's his explanation for his outrage now? :shrug:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rrneck]

3. Dems snookered again. nt

[krispos42]

4. So is he a moron for...

a) being a Republican?

b) being against Gunwalker now?

c) not being against Gunwalker then?

d) being a shameless fuckwad whose moral compass has been completely replaced with shameless political ambition and hatred of anything liberal?



(you can pick more than one :-) )

[gejohnston]

5. So?

And no Dems raised an objection? If it were DEA, progressives would be up in arms. But it is ATF, this torpedoes a major meme for stricter gun laws so the Dems don't care how many crimes the ATF commits.

[spin]

6. It does make it difficult to use guns smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico ...

as an excuse for another assault weapons ban.

[Tejas]

7. Don't look at this hand, look at that hand.

It would appear the recent outburst from Feinstein/Schumer with their GUN CONTROL proposal was simply a hasty attempt at "damage control" to get the attention away from unfolding events.

Wonder how long ago their "study" was done? 2-3 weeks ago? Who did the study?

[ileus]

8. It's hard to tell how they sold this back then...

[beevul]

9. Unless he was specifically briefed that they were allowing guns to walk...

Unless he was specifically briefed that they were allowing guns to walk, what does it matter?


Does anyone REALLY think that was disclosed in the briefing?

Really?

[beevul]

10. Tell you what Jpak.

Why don't you FOIA the documents dealing with that meeting, and disclose them to us, so we can see EXACTLY how issa was briefed, what information was provided to him, and what information wasn't.


Put your money where your rhetoric is.

[Abq_Sarah]

11. It's disturbing but not unusual to see

This issue turned into an attack on Issa instead of an attack on the people who thought up this program, implemented this program and approved this program.

I don't give a flip who was briefed unless it can be shown they were told the BATF instructed gun dealers to deliberately make sales to straw purchasers and then watched those guns walk across the border knowing they had no way to track them until a crime was committed with those firearms.

Was that covered in the briefing?

[pneutin]

12. Are you saying some random Congress members were briefed, but DOJ was not?

So what you're trying to insinuate is, some random Congress members first had to sign confidentiality agreements, and then were briefed with highly specific information regarding Fast and Furious. But Attorney General Eric Holder, head of DOJ, of which ATF is a subsidiary of, had no clue about any of it until the story broke on CBS News? Really?

And then you're mad that Issa didn't mention he was briefed, when it would be a federal crime to do so (since he signed a confidentiality agreement)?

[Hangingon]

13. Did they tell Issa they were not going to catch the bad guys?

[Katya Mullethov]

14. So lemme get this straight

The DOJ and the ATF are saying they briefed Oversight last year , but "they" didn't know a thing about it until Grassley asked them this year ? I have heard better quality bullshit coming out of toddlers .

Part of the problem is the shear volume being regurgitated for our consumption by numerous , and seemingly desperate sources . It is really hard to keep it all straight . Now , what you say under oath and what you say on TV and in the papers are two entirely different things , but we ARE watching out here .

[Tejas]

15. Incrimination of DOJ, Holder, et al (nice job there jpak)

Good on you for that link!