Justice Department trying to shield officials in guns scandal, ATF chief says

[beevul]

Justice Department trying to shield officials in guns scandal, ATF chief says

Kenneth Melson, the ATF's acting director, claims Justice Department officials refuse to release a telling internal report on the Fast and Furious operation.

By Richard A. Serrano, Washington Bureau

July 19, 2011

Reporting from Washington—

The Justice Department is trying to protect its political appointees from the Fast and Furious scandal by concealing an internal "smoking gun" report and other documents that acknowledge the role top officials played in the program that allowed firearms to flow illegally into Mexico, according to the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.


"It was very frustrating to all of us," Melson told congressional investigators in a private meeting over the Fourth of July holiday, "and it appears thoroughly to us that the department is really trying to figure out a way to push the information away from their political appointees at the department."


"The deputy attorney general's office wasn't very happy with us" at the ATF, Melson said, "because they thought this was an admission that there were mistakes made. Well, there were some mistakes made."

Melson said the Justice Department repeatedly thwarted his attempts to tell investigators about the failures of Fast and Furious, which was run out of the ATF's Phoenix field office. When the ATF reassigned managers in Phoenix, he said, "the department resisted" his offer to tell Congress about the changes. Melson said he was told not to issue any news releases about Fast and Furious and was instructed not to brief rank-and-file ATF agents about the growing scandal.

When Grassley sought to meet with Melson this year, the Justice Department blocked that interview too, Melson said. "This is really just poking in the eye," Melson said he told Justice Department officials. "He's going to get it through the back door anyway, so why are we aggravating this situation?"


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-na-guns-scandal-20110719,0,2052417.story

[X_Digger]

1. K&R! n/t

[Hoopla Phil]

2. Another K and R!!!

[spin]

3. K&R (n/t)

[Doctor_J]

4. It's really cool living in a banana republic

our corruption is right up there with the worst of the worst.

[spin]

5. That is why a responsible free press is extremely important ...

and why the First Amendment is the first.

The sad part is that our press has largely ignored this story and concentrated on the Casey Anthony trial.

[gejohnston]

7. corruption is not limited to banana republics

just ask the head of Scotland Yard, oh former head.

[virginia mountainman]

6. Time to drain the swamp!! K&R!

[MyrnaLoy]

8. meanwhile

Fast and Furious was part of Project Gunrunner, a broad A.T.F. program aimed at stemming the flow of guns to criminal groups in Mexico. Since it began in 2006, Gunrunner has seized more than 10,000 firearms and led to the arrests of more than 800 suspects. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/us/16guns.html?_r=3&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto

[X_Digger]

9. So the ends justify the means, MyrnaLoy?

Omelets and eggs, is it?

[friendly_iconoclast]

13. Apparently, you can't make an omelet without slaughtering some people eating breakfast n/t

[TPaine7]

10. You buried the lead on the cited story. Even the biased NYTimes lead with the core point--

Top officials at the ATF knew about this fiasco. That ties in beautifully with the OP.

Charles Manson is part of the human race, a race that has produced art and science and has many examples of unselfish heroism. This has little to do with Manson personally, just like the decent things done by hard-working agents has little to do with this fiasco. I guess throwing up that red herring does serve a tiny purpose: it shows the motivation of the speaker.

No one doubts that the ATF has arrested bad guys, any more than they doubt that Manson is genetically human. But reaching back to Bush era arrests is a stretch, isn't it? Especially on a Democratic site.

I thought the EEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL NRA was the entity throwing up distractions.

[SteveM]

11. You know, I think Wikileaks would be well advised to take this up. nt

[east texas lib]

12. So the deaths directly resulting from Fast and Furious were only "collateral damage"?

All part of a Grand and Noble Cause, no doubt. OUR OWN GOVERNMENT armed drug cartels! And to what end? So they could then shout "American weaponry is making its way to the cartel!". Is this any different than setting someone's home on fire and screaming "Oh my God, there's a fire!". Well I'm glad you approve!

[SSDA]

15. Pure nonsense.

Do us all a favor and actually research this topic before speading such disinformation.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DWC]

16. "How can you idiots possibly defend this admn any more? "

Seriously good question.

Semper Fi,

[friendly_iconoclast]

17. Thanks for the lead, SSDA. I will repost this n/t