An update to a story we’ve been chronicling on American Rattlesnake recently: We now know that despite feigned ignorance by top administration flacks, the higher-ups at the Department of Justice were aware of Project Gunrunner, a program initiated by the ATF under President Bush which has now become a national embarrassment to the men and women charged with its enforcement.
The fact that American law enforcement officers would be told to allow the trafficking of high-powered arms into Mexico-in order to validate a now discredited theory that it would lead to them back to high profile drug cartels-is bad enough. However, the coverup of this scandal is even more egregious, especially when you consider that the death of Agent Jaime Zapata could have possibly been a result of this astoundingly foolish, dangerous policy.
We need answers, and that’s one thing we’re not getting from this White House. That’s why the suggestion by 24Ahead that we demand them is so necessary at this point in time. We need to hold our elected officials, and the journalists who ostensibly police them, accountable for their actions-or in this case, inaction. Gunwalker is a scandal of epidemic proportions, as well as a vivid illustration of the flaws in our border security policies. The government must be held accountable for its failures, and for the continued obstruction of journalists and oversight investigators-such as Senator Charles Grassley-who are attempting to get to the bottom of it.
I was a special agent in the former USINS, and I have worked a number of “sensitive issue” cases. A case, which is international in scope, is considered by DOJ to be among the types of cases regarded as sensitive.
Unless ATF went totally rogue with their investigations related to straw purchasers intent on buying guns in the U.S. and illegally taking them to Mexico, the top folks in DOJ had to have known.
First you have guns store owners complaining to the ATF about people they suspected as gun runners. Then you have the ATF opening a case in January 2010 in Southern Arizona on at least one of the suspects, in this case the guy who bought the Brian Terry murder weapon.
A lead case agent would have to be identified, and prepare the case for presentation to ATF HQ, then a DOJ committee that approves ALL sensitive issue cases.
Once the agent receives ATF HQ and DOJ approval, he/she needs to go to Mexico and seek the approval of the U.S. Ambassador (like the one that just resigned on a Saturday morning-good timing, and blamed it on Wiki Leaks).
Picture yourself as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, and you are going to be briefed on a case where ATF is going to propose something as preposterous as smuggling guns into Mexico. Who would you chose to have present from your embassy staff? How about the FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, CBP/DHS Attaches.
Do you think the U.S. Ambassador notifies the U.S. Department of State of the proposal, of course he did, if he was ever consulted.
I see it as being virtually impossible that Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Eric Holder didn’t know of this ATF operation. If they didn’t ATF went totally rogue, and need to be disbanded forthwith.
In addition, regardless the outcome of who knew, when, and what, numerous people need to go to prison.
Thanks for the explanation. It really is disturbing to think that senior members of the administration would agree to go along with this plan, but it seems like that’s a given the way you describe the process.
Somebody’s Going To Jail
Folks
You need to be aware of the purported differences in Project Gunrunner under Bush, & “Fast & Furious” under the current administration. Under Gunrunner, there were attempts to track the gun purchases, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully. Under Fast & Furious, there were no attempts to track the guns once they got across the border. The difference here is like night & day.