ATF Manager says he shared Fast and Furious Info with White House

[Barry O'Bama]

At a lengthy hearing on ATF's controversial gunwalking operation (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20075484-10391695.html?tag=mncol;lst;4) today, a key ATF manager told Congress he discussed the case with a White House National Security staffer as early as September 2010. The communications were between ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office, Bill Newell, and White House National Security Director for North America Kevin O'Reilly. Newell said the two are longtime friends. The content of what Newell shared with O'Reilly is unclear and wasn't fully explored at the hearing.
It's the first time anyone has publicly stated that a White House official had any familiarity with ATF's operation Fast and Furious, which allowed thousands of weapons to fall into the hands of suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels in an attempt to gain intelligence. It's unknown as to whether O'Reilly shared information with anybody else at the White House.

Congressional investigators obtained an email from Newell to O'Reilly in September of last year in which Newell began with the words: "you didn't get this from me."

"What does that mean," one member of Congress asked Newell, " 'you didn't get this from me?' "
"Obviously he was a friend of mine," Newell replied, "and I shouldn't have been sending that to him."

Newell told Congress that O'Reilly had asked him for information.

"Why do you think he asked for that information," Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) asked Newell.
"He was asking about the impact of Project Gunrunner to brief people in preparation for a trip to Mexico... what we were doing to combat firearms trafficking and other issues."

Today, a White House spokesman said the email was not about Fast and Furious, but about other gun trafficking efforts. The spokesman also said he didn't know what Newell was referring to when he said he'd spoken to O'Reilly about Fast and Furious.

President Obama has said (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20075484-10391695.html?tag=mncol;lst;4) neither he nor Attorney General Eric Holder authorized or knew about the operation. Holder has asked the Inspector General to investigate.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20083772-10391695.html

[Wild Cobra]

Is that Obama's solution to get rid on guns in America... Ship them all to Mexico?

[ElNono]

I'm glad to hear that an investigation is taking place. It's a definitive advance from calling state secrets and sweeping everything under the executive rug.

[ChumpDumper]

Is that Obama's solution to get rid on guns in America... Ship them all to Mexico?Why is this Obama's idea all of the sudden?

[boutons_deux]

ATF guys know they're going down, so might as well take as many other as possible, maybe invoke the Eichmann defense.

[boutons_deux]

Emails Debunk IBD's "The White House Knew" Claim

After reviewing the actual email chain, LAT's Richard Serrano wrote: "The ATF's field supervisor on the Southwest border sent a series of emails last year to a top White House national security official detailing the agency's ambitious efforts to stop weapons trafficking into Mexico, but did not mention that a botched sting operation had allowed hundreds of guns to flow to drug cartels."

Indeed, the emails show O'Reilly reaching out to Newell for information about the ATF's Gun Runner Impact Team (GRIT), a separate initiative that deployed scores of agents to Arizona and New Mexico on a short term basis. According to ATF, "GRIT special agents initiated 174 firearms trafficking-related criminal investigations and seized approximately 1,300 illegally-trafficked firearms and 71,000 rounds of ammunition, along with drugs and currency." O'Reilly was seeking information about GRIT in order to brief White House counterterrorism advisor John Brennan about the operation in preparation for a meeting with Mexican officials.

Not only do the emails include no mention of Fast and Furious, they actually detail ATF tactics very different from those employed in that operation.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201107290008?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MediaMattersForAmerica-CountyFair+%28Media+Matters+for+America+-+County+Fair%29

[George Gervin's Afro]

I just wish the republicans were more concerned about how and why we got into a war that cost thousands of american lives...


but they want to know what the WH knew and didn't know..


about 7 yrs too late if you ask me

[boutons_deux]

7 years? Try 11 or 12 years.

AIPAC, PNAC, Repugs, oilcos decided to invade Iraq BEFORE dubya and dickhead were elected. They wanted Clinton to go in.

[boutons_deux]

7 years? Try 11 or 12 years.

AIPAC, PNAC, Repugs, oilcos decided to invade Iraq BEFORE dubya and dickhead were elected. They wanted Clinton to go in.