As
the House Democrats extend their temper
tantrum into a fundraiser, it’s
worth pointing out their rank
hypocrisy when it comes to guns.
A few important points:
First, Deputy Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny Breuer
(the number two man in DOJ), approved wiretaps for Operation Fast and
Furious. Wiretap applications require excruciating detail about a case
to be presented before approval. Wiretaps are considered the most
intrusive tool law enforcement can use. Breuer, who read through the
wiretap applications, knew details of the strategy used in Fast and
Furious, letting guns walk into Mexico without alerting
If
Wilkinson’s “I don’t recall,” argument sounds familiar, there’s a
reason why. On May 3, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder testifed
before the House Judicary Committee that he had only known about Fast
and Furious, “for a couple of weeks.”
Mexican authorities, yet he approved it anyway. New emails released
last Friday in a late night document dump, show Attorney General Eric
Holder was briefed about Brian Terry’s death just hours after he was
murdered in the early morning hours on December 15, 2010.
Later in the
day, Holder’s deputy chief of staff at the time Monty Wilkinson, was
told directly by former Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke that the
guns found at the murder scene were part of Operation Fast and Furious.
According to the report, Wilkinson doesn’t “recall” that email, despite
replying to it with, “Call you tomorrow.” Burke, who resigned from his
position as U.S. Attorney in August, was in “complete agreement” with
former ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Division Bill Newell
about Fast and Furious tactics according to a January 8, 2010 briefing
memo.
If Wilkinson’s “I don’t recall,” argument sounds familiar, there’s a
reason why. On May 3, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder testifed
before the House Judicary Committee that he had only known about Fast
and Furious, “for a couple of weeks.” Five months later, memos
addressed directly to Holder surfaced, with details and discussion
about the program. In defense, Holder said he didn’t read the memos and
that his staff didn’t inform him of their content.
Second, the report claims Fast and Furious was not used as a way for
the Obama administration to push through back door gun control measures.
“The report debunks many
unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. Contrary
to repeated claims by some, the Committee has obtained no evidence that
Operation Fast and Furious was a politically-motivated operation
conceived and directed by high-level Obama Administration political
appointees at the Department of Justice,” Cummings wrote in the report.
[Full
Deck]
