Breaking News: Source claims ATF's Tampa SAC walked guns to Honduras

[friendly_iconoclast]

Two notes: Vanderboegh and Codrea, along with the Sipsey Street Irregulars site that is corroborating this, have been shown

to been accurate in their early reporting about Operation Fast And Furious.

Also, this story was originally posted at DU by member SSDA:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x434375#434575




http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/breaking-news-source-claims-atf-s-tampa-sac-walked-guns-to-honduras?render=print#print

Breaking News: Source claims ATF's Tampa SAC walked guns to Honduras
David Codrea, Gun Rights Examiner
July 6, 2011
Part of 'Operation Castaway'?


Exclusive Special Report by Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea

Virginia O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Tampa Field Division, ran a gun-running investigation that was walking guns to Honduras using the techniques and tactics identical to Fast and Furious, it was reported to these correspondents this evening via private correspondence from a proven credible source...

SAC O’Brien was previously the Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division, was later promoted to the Deputy Assistant Director of ATF, but then stepped down to the position in Tampa. Whether the allegations of our source refer to the ongoing Operation Castaway remains at this hour unclear, but our source is certain that O'Brien has allowed the "walking" of straw-purchased firearms to Honduras using the same failed strategy as the Phoenix Field Division's Operation Fast and Furious. That Operation Castaway involved arms smuggling to Honduras is also certain....

...."This is confirmed as accurate," the correspondence continued. "There are emails in existence where O’Brien has advised those involved that Tampa does not have to report their walked guns because Tampa FD is not a part of Southwest Border or Project Gunrunner."

"From a first person source she is sh*tting herself trying to cover it up," the report stated....

[Hoopla Phil]

1. This just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

[Hangingon]

2. Why is this being un-reced?

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. System justification theory in action, perhaps?

Thanks to DUer Bonobo, who posted this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1348316

"System Justification Theory - why people (even Dems) defend authoritarianism"


After seeing the mind-boggling degree to which some people bend over backwards to defend TSA procedures -even as they become more egregious and start to spread out to other locations such as buses and trains - I decided to see if I could find some psychological theory that would explain this tendency.

I see echoes of the same thing when people defend social injustices, supreme court judge behavior and any theory that threatens their sense that everything is okay and fine. This explains, in my mind, why some people seem to have an obsessive need to try to "debunk" things which threaten their sense of a stable system that they understand (they call them "conspiracy theories")

For those interested, here is a link to an article on "System Justification Theory".....


http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/System_Justification_Theory

[Hangingon]

6. Expains it as well as anything

[Tejas]

23. Schumerbots and Feinensteins

They're everywhere, damage control maybe?

[jeepnstein]

3. Two field offices...

come up with identical, and exceedingly dumb, operations at roughly the same time? When I hear that I look at the common denominator between the two. Hmm... Who has direct supervisory control over those two field offices? That's who I'd want to have a little meeting with about now.

It was a dumb policy. I don't care whose administration it happened under it was just plain stupid to investigate gun running by facilitating gun runners.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

7. Usually...

...we separate the allowing/using/paying (or even sponsoring) the gun runners from locking them up and putting them on trial by 10 or 15 years.
Does the name, Viktor Bout ring a bell?

If this debacle isn't evidence that the federal government needs to be smaller and have a less international focus I don't know what is.

Now Hillary wants to arm the Libyan rebels. I wonder who'll be making that delivery, and where they'll be in 5 to 15 years?

[jeepnstein]

8. I know one of the delivery guys.

They'll be alright. There are some job openings in the general aviation field right now, if you know what I mean.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

9. Thanks...

...but I've already got a spot as a contractor and this one's a lot safer. I know what you mean. ;)

[Atypical Liberal]

21. Rumor has it...

Rumor has it that there was/is going to be a push to try and obtain gun control via an upcoming international treaty. If our government allowed US guns to "infiltrate" into other countries this could be used to bolster the case that such treaties were needed.

Assault rifle gun control in this country is dead. Enough people are now educated to know that all rifles, let alone assault rifles, account for only about 300 murders a year - half as many as hands and feet. You can't use rifles crime as an excuse for gun control. So something else had to be cooked up.

[slackmaster]

4. It's a long, often wet walk from Tampa to Honduras.

:grouphug:

[spin]

10. Not even one post so far saying that this is all NRA/GOP propaganda. (n/t)

[eqfan592]

11. jpak must be on break. :P nt

[virginia mountainman]

20. No, he is getting a new keyboard..

The "Y", "U" and the "P" keys on his old one got stuck, for some odd reason.

[TPaine7]

12. The NRA's influence extends even further than anyone suspected. Honduras?

Ok, someone has to represent the antis. They can't (or for some mysterious reason don't want to) represent themeselves on this subject.

[oneshooter]

13. Even if they were here, they couldn't

represent themselves, and their possible argument, in a reasonable, logical manner.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[AzWorker]

14. Heating up in Tampa....

Deputy Assistant Director Julie Torres. The Tampa Honduras cover-up is going on under her nose, and perhaps with her approval.

Breaking News: Tampa SAC 'in full meltdown...shredders are buzzing'

Exclusive Special Report by David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh

The source previously reporting that Special Agent in Charge of ATF's Tampa Field Division Virginia O'Brien "ran a gun-running investigation that was walking guns to Honduras using the techniques and tactics identical to Fast and Furious" contacted these correspondents again this evening with this follow-up report:


O'Brien is in full meltdown. She ordered supervisors from around the Division to report immediately to division offices and to plan on working through the entire weekend on the coverup.

Her partner in the bungle was ASAC Scott McCampbell. At one point the case was ready to be wrapped up with arrests and remain relatively efficient but O'Brien and McCampbell decided on their own to keep it going to "get more" against the advise of thier field employees and the walked guns numbers got out of control.

OB is terrified that her intentional concealing of her walked guns is going to do her in since she disregarded orders to report to DOJ and Congress.

Nearly the same culprits above her are on the hook for this. Chait knew about it so did Hoover and Melson. The new player is DAD East Julie Torres. She took O'Brien's old DAD job when OB went to Tampa and has given OB carte blanche to do whatever she wants with little oversight.

Reportedly the shredders are buzzing.

[SSDA]

15. Holder lied to Issa

Holder - busted!!!!!




Attorney General Eric Holder at the Mexico/United States Arms Trafficking Conference
CUERNAVACA, MEXICO ~ Thursday, April 2, 2009

Remarks as prepared for delivery.

First, let me express my thanks to Attorney General Medina Mora and Secretary of Government Gomez Mont for making this conference possible.

 This is my first trip to another country as Attorney General.   I wanted to come to Mexico to deliver a single message: We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this fight against the narcotics cartels.  The United States shares responsibility for this problem and we will take responsibility by joining our Mexican counterparts in every step of this fight. 

 And, together, we will win – thanks in large part to the courage of my Mexican colleagues here today, who are on the front lines every day, and with whom I am proud to collaborate.

 The topic that has been addressed over the past two days could not be more important – the development of an arms trafficking prosecution and enforcement strategy on both sides of the border.  

 I would like to thank the Mexican and U.S. experts who have worked so hard on this issue.  On our side, Secretary Napolitano and I are committed to putting the resources in place to increase our attack on arms trafficking into Mexico. 

 Last week, our administration launched a major new effort to break the backs of the cartels.  My department is committing 100 new ATF personnel to the Southwest border in the next 100 days to supplement our ongoing Project Gunrunner, DEA is adding 16 new positions on the border, as well as mobile enforcement teams, and the FBI is creating a new intelligence group focusing on kidnapping and extortion.  DHS is making similar commitments, as Secretary Napolitano will detail.

 But as today’s conference has emphasized, the problem of arms trafficking will not be stopped at the border alone.  Rather, as our experts emphasized, this is a problem that must be met as part of a comprehensive attack against the cartels – an attack in depth, on both sides of the border, that focuses on the leadership and assets of the cartel.  This is the type of full-bore, prosecution-driven approach that the U.S. Department of Justice took to dismantle La Cosa Nostra – once the most powerful organized crime group operating in the United States.  
 With partners like those we have here today, I am confident that together, we will defeat these narcotics cartels in exactly the same way.  I am proud to stand with you, and to join you in this fight.  Thank you again for inviting me here.

Quiero que el pueblo Mexicano sepa que mi nación está con ustedes en la lucha contra los narcotraficantes.

México y los Estados Unidos comparten mas que una frontera—compartimos cultura, sangre e intereses comunes. Somos hermanos unidos contra una batalla que ganaremos.

Tenemos que aprender de uno a otro, trabajar juntos y luchar juntos.  Si hacemos estas cosas, si nos dedicamos juntos a esta lucha, no tengo duda que tendremos éxito.



http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090402.html

[X_Digger]

16. I don't think this is the smoking gun you think it is (pun intended)

'Project Gunrunner' is ATF's big umbrella project to stop guns from flowing south, and precedes this administration. F&F is a subset of that project.

Now, I do think that the DOJ knew about F&F (someone signed off on the warrants) but I don't think we have direct information on how high that knowledge goes (yet).

[Hoopla Phil]

17. I think this is serious enough evidence (circumstantial) that it warrants a

separate investigation of lying to congress.

[X_Digger]

18. Agreed. We've got those warrants w/ DOJ signatures. n/t

[SSDA]

31. It's getting worse foe Holder

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/09/2440172/atf-mexican-cartels-paid-to-inform.html

[X_Digger]

32. I have to wonder how much of it is Melson trying to cover his own ass..

He's denied knowing anything about F&F, but agents said he had a direct feed to his personal computer of the video surveillance.

[Katya Mullethov]

19. Breaking : Eric Holder is in Florida this morning

Ostensibly to see the shuttle launch , but reliable sources confirm it is in support of Operation Moonwalker .

[Tejas]

22. Bets on where next?

Any bets on what locale will make the news next? DFW?

[Katya Mullethov]

24. Space

The final frontier .

[eqfan592]

25. Oh no, you mean Operation Moonwalker?!?!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Katya Mullethov]

27. Shovel Ready Stimulus Jobs !

[Tejas]

26. In space, can

you hear a .50BMG? What about recoil? What round could survive re-entry?

[Hoopla Phil]

28. Something out of Texas and/or California would not surprise me.

[Katya Mullethov]

29. Carters Country didnt hire Dick DeGuerin for nothin'

In fact , it was a great deal more expensive than hiring an off duty cop to sit in your restaurant and drink your coffee , the kind of innovative thinking that is driving our national economic recovery .



They have an interactive map now , I cant wait for the South Park !
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/07/texas-guns-mexican-murders-an-interactive-map-of-gun-purchases-and-cartel-killings/

[SSDA]

30. SELF-DELETED BY MEMBER

This message was self-deleted by SSDA.

[SteveM]

33. Gun-running in Florida is as old as citrus, and on a scale too big...

to function without government acquiescence. As my brother said when teaching in the Keys: "The only place where fishing boats left heavy and came back light ."

It is interesting, the hierarchy: The AFT must defer to the DEA must defer to the CIA.