Administration Still Trying to Cover up Fast & Furious
Fast & Furious is in the news again. The Obama Administration this week filed court papers to get the lawsuit filed by the House of Representatives against Attorney General Eric Holder thrown out.
The House lawsuit asks the court to reject a claim of executive privilege by the President, who sealed thousands of documents relating to Fast & Furious, a Justice Department operation that facilitated the smuggling of thousands of U.S. weapons south of the border.
The administration calls the House lawsuit a mere “political dispute” between the branches of government. But this is much more than a political dispute. People died as a result of Fast Furious, which makes it much worse than even Watergate where no one died. Fast & Furious has led to the deaths of more than 200 Mexicans and at least one U.S. federal agent.
On a somewhat positive note Continue reading
Fast And Furious Report Released
The United States Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General has released, at long last, their report on the “Fast and Furious” Mexican gun walking scandal. Inspector General Michael Horowitz is set to testify on the report at 9:30AM on September 20.
Read the full USDOJ OIG’s report, A Review of ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious and Related Matters, here.
Stay tuned to GunLink for updates as more information becomes available.
Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress over Gun Walking Scandal
VOA News
June 28, 2012
CAPITOL HILL — The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to cite Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to release documents relating to “Fast and Furious” – a failed government operation that put guns in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. The was vote viewed by many as a legal and political showdown between the Republican-led House and Democratic President Barack Obama and his attorney general.
With Democratic lawmakers in the mood to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling upholding President Obama’s health care law, Republican Speaker John Boehner agreed to bring the contempt votes to the floor of the House.
“Now, I don’t take this matter lightly and I would frankly hope that it would never come to this,” said Boehner. “The House’s focus is on jobs and on the economy. But no Justice Department is above the law, and no Justice Department is above the Constitution, which each of us has sworn an oath to uphold.”
While Republicans stressed that Congress deserve to hear all of the facts about the failed “Fast and Furious” operation, Democrats accused Continue reading
Barreling Toward Contempt? Issa to DOJ: Make Us an Offer
From oversight.house.gov. View the original letter here.
Issa to DOJ: Make Us an Offer
June 13, 2012
Comittee on Oversight & Government Reform
WASHINGTON – Today, Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to submit a proposal for how he intends to comply with the Committee’s subpoena in an effort to facilitate an agreement rendering the process of contempt unnecessary. The letter notes that the Oversight Committee, in order to accommodate a solution, has twice significantly narrowed the focus of documents it requires, but the Justice Department has neither accepted this offer nor made a counterproposal.
The text of the letter is below: Continue reading
Oversight Committee to Consider Fast and Furious Contempt Report
From oversight.house.gov:
Advisory: Oversight Committee to Consider Operation Fast and Furious Contempt Report on June 20
June 11, 2012
Comittee on Oversight & Government Reform
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will convene to consider a report holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to produce documents specified in the Committee’s October 12, 2011, subpoena. Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa issued the following statement on the scheduling of a Committee vote on contempt:
“For over a year and a half, the House Oversight Committee, with Senator Chuck Grassley, has conducted a joint investigation of reckless conduct in Operation Fast and Furious. With the support of House leadership, the Republican Conference, and even some Democratic Members who have expressed concern to the White House over the Justice Department’s failure to cooperate, this investigation has yielded significant results. The Attorney General has acknowledged that the operation was fundamentally flawed and he has committed to take steps to ensure that it does not occur again. Evidence found in applications for wiretaps shows that although senior officials were given information about reckless tactics, they still signed affirmations that they had reviewed the investigation and determined that electronic surveillance of phones was necessary. Continue reading
Federal Court OKs Border State Gun Sale Reporting Requirement
A federal district court in Washington, DC recently upheld a BATFE firearms sale reporting policy. This policy, via ATF Demand Letter 3, will require all of the nearly 9,000 firearms dealers in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas to report sales of two or more semi-automatic rifles by the same buyer within five consecutive days. The plaintiffs, who plan to appeal immediately, noted that this number of dealers is around 20 times the number subject to similar previous demand letters.
A recent NRA-ILA article was published on the court ruling, in which they continue to make their argument that the Fast And Furious operation was used as justification for this new Demand Letter.
