Blog dedicated to reporting on Mexican drug cartels
on the border line between the US and Mexico
.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Fast and Furious: Justice Department report faults 14 officials

Borderland Beat
Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.
WASHINGTON -- Nearly two years after a U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot and killed in southern Arizona, the Department of Justice's Inspector General will issue its report into the ATF’s Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation, which allowed illegal firearms to circulate among criminals on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The report, scheduled to be released at 2 p.m., was called for by Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. after mounting criticism that the Department of Justice and federal ATF agents in Phoenix and supervisors in Washington ran the Fast and Furious operation for more than a year without appropriate supervision.

The program was not shut down until two months after Agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010. At that point, whistle blowers went public with assertions that ATF had hoped to track firearms to Mexican cartel leaders but instead lost about 2,000 weapons. Some were recovered at violent crime scenes in Mexico and in the hands of illegal gun-smugglers in this country.
Agent Brian Terry
The report -- the first independent review of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and its Fast Furious operation – sets the stage for Holder and the Obama administration to decide whether individual agents and supervisors should be punished, and on a larger scale how best to restore confidence in the long-troubled ATF.


Also likely to be disclosed is how deeply Justice Department officials were involved in overseeing Fast and Furious, especially since several top officials approved wiretap applications for the program.

Terry was killed by Mexican bandits in a confrontation south of Tucson, and two fast and Furious weapons were later recovered at the scene of his death.
President Calderon's emphatic statement made from  guns 
WASHINGTON -- Fourteen federal law enforcement officials -- from field agents in Arizona to top managers in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Justice Department in Washington -- created a "significant danger to public safety" under Operation Fast and Furious, an investigative report found.

Those officials still employed were referred for possible job discipline for carrying out the gun-trafficking operation that saturated the Southwest border with more than 2,000 illegally purchased firearms.

Less than an hour after the findings were announced Wednesday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, two of the individuals -- Kenneth Melson, the former head of the ATF, and Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. Jacob Weinstein -- announced they were stepping down.

The 18-month investigation, the only independent review of Fast and Furious, concluded that Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. had no prior knowledge of operation, a position he has long held despite intense criticism from Republican lawmakers who earlier voted him in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over some Justice Department documents regarding Fast and Furious.

The inspector general's office also determined that ATF agents and federal prosecutors had enough evidence to arrest and charge Jaime Avila, a Phoenix gun smuggler, months before U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010. Two of the Fast and Furious weapons Avila illegally purchased were recovered at the scene of that slaying.

Fast and Furious -- in which officials permitted illegal gun purchases hoping they could track the weapons to top Mexican drug cartel leaders -- was a "risky strategy," implemented by ATF and the U.S. attorney's office without adequate regard for the risk it posed to "public safety in the United States and Mexico," said Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.

Holder said the job performance of the officials criticized in the report would be reviewed with the "consideration of potential personnel actions." He declined to elaborate, citing privacy restrictions.


45 comments:

  1. Shameful. More of Obama's Chicago corrupt ways. Everything about Obama is a huge lie. How does the boss not fall, but everyone under him does? If he didn't know about 2000 guns going to Mexico via his workers, then he should be shit canned for that alone! The incompetence of this administration is staggering!!!!! I love how they still had to blame some of this on Bush. How any of you can vote for such a fraud and killer of the American dream is beyond me. I guess people like to be treated like retards with free money instead of being told that they can make it on their own. 16 trillion in debt. Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no,not Fast and Furious again?Man,beat it for all its worth,the USA caught out and in the open.
    While we got it,hit it,and keep hitting it,to show everyone how bad and truly jingoistic the US is?Yes,it messed up,of that there is no doubt.Does anyone agree with this tactic?It does seem pretty hopeful and ridiculous,to let weapons fall into hands who then use them,and then there is evidence against them and others?
    I think?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eric Holder is just happy that everyone took the blame except him. The snake!

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.polskawalczaca.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16189&sid=2ea80ba87dceb7c3ef496f067ff7e64b
    eric holder is half jewish and the american government and wall street is controlled by the fed which is owned/directed by all the top jewish families_with these "people" and there lies in charge all will suffer on the world stage.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The whole thing was exposed last June. No 'Gun walking' ever happened. Why do people keep bringing this up?

    ReplyDelete
  6. OK. So he's not guilty of a crime, he's just imcompetent. Either way, he needs to go.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is just scratching the surface, once the Zambada Niebla case starts more will begin to trickle out, as according to him the reason behind this "program" was not to track weapons, but rather to arm the CDS against all the others.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ummm similiar programs like Fast and furious also happened under Bush. I personally think there would be no benefit for Obama and his administration to get caught up in this program.

    There was this one interview of a sicario gun runner who said they would get weapons from southern gun shops in Arizona and New Mexico. He said "sometimes even the government would sell us the guns back in 2007."

    ReplyDelete
  9. Agreed. Eric Holder and the Dept of Justice are corrupt to the core. Especially Holder. What a weasel. In other news, the DOJ was caught colluding with Media Matters to smear unfavorable news organizations and personalities. The Department of JUSTICE! Unbelievable... is this the US or Russia???

    Please everyone vote Obama and all his cronies out.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ATF regards Agent Brian Terry's death to be the start of trouble. The good citizens of the U.S. and Mexico had trouble the minute the first weapon walked out of the door. With a service life in the upper tens of thousands of rounds, these weapons are capable of killing tens of thousands of people. The DOJ whitewash of 'fast and furious' fools no one. The liberal press states that both sides are claiming retribution upon the DOJ findings. What about us Citizens who only want law and order without regard to which political party screwed up? It is just plain wrong and shows incompetance on the part of our elected representatives and our appointed civil servants. This is taxation with misrepresentation!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree,"if" he didn't know he should have,it says he's imcopitant . I understand their theory of leading back to the cartel heads but chase $ back to them...not weapons!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, let us all beat our chests and decry the injustice of it all...yet nobody seems to give a shit that at the core of most of this is NOT the fact that the ATF left guns walk to the border, it's the fact that the Mexican't government didn't bother fucking showing up to follow them the rest of the way! What a crock of shit this whole thing is! At least the ATF tried! Which is much less than the Mexican't government can say for its own securing of its borders! Try crossing at Tacate sometime...cross a cattle grate and a speed bump and you're home free! Two lanes entering Mexico with nobody policing them and 12 lanes leaving Mexico with Border Patrol everywhere. We're too busy policing our border to police theirs too...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 3:01 are you seriously trying to blame Mexico for the ATF fucking up?? The good ol USA and its non corrupt politics... Get the Fuck out of here...

      Delete
    2. I don't disagree that the ATF had a stupid idea...it could have been handled better at minimum. But frankly had the Mexican authorities done their part at least it may not have been a total disaster. This entire plan could not have been put into place without some sort of cooperation from the Mexican side at the beginning. Some Mexican authority figure said "si" to the plan, went to their cartel contact and figured out a way to profit from it by not following through. Everyone is bitching about Holder and Obama fucking it up without any blame directed into Mexico...is a chick gets knocked up its not her fault alone...it always takes two to tango! All I'm saying...

      Delete
    3. Got it.. I see what your saying now...

      Delete
    4. Wasn't a major problem with this program that the U.S. didn't inform Mexico at all? Didn't the U.S. knowingly allow weapons to cross the border in violation of international law and Mexican law? WTF? I still have never heard what tracking method was to be used; GPS bug, mobile surveillance, what?blame Mexico for greater than 80% of the problem but not for fast and furious. How can a major federal agency have an operation code named Fast and Furious yet the top bosses never knew a thing? Think about the mid level jack asses who were quibbling about having to work the odd shifts. Whaaa!!! Hollywood needs to portray our elite agents as they really are; college boys with a cool desk and a title, chasing whores in the presidential suite, allowing a secret tape of a major political candidate to be leaked, off early every Friday with no one to answer that pesky phone call about assault rifles being transported to the cartels, getting wiretaps but not following through, allowing the bad guys to make the forbes list from his secret mountain lair for years, etc. fire these panty waist desk jockeys and put some of our young elite soldiers on duty. They can work long hours on short notice and adhere to the mission.

      Delete
  13. The pentagon pours weapons into this bloodbath as it does all over the world. I don't blame people for wanting to make a political issue out of Fast and Furious but know its flea fart compared to the amount of weapons being shipped in.

    ReplyDelete
  14. They were/are lazy, inept, dishonest,, incompetent, unable to think ahead, without conscience, manipulative, complicit in covering up and playing dumb, not necessarily in that order. Many more should have been taken down and they all should be very ashamed to have gone along with such a harebrained plan when it was initiated which was with Bush. Holder should have ended it the second he learned of it. Basically we're governed by shameful buffoons, if you ask me, but 'cha didn't.

    ReplyDelete
  15. And what about the spike in soon to be pilfered FMS rifles from the state dept ? From 2008-2010 this increased from 3 mill to almost 60 million dollars worth of arms , a good portion of which were diverted to the cartels . These were the SAWs , and M16's , 40 mm grenades so proudly displayed daily on the news right up until the night Terry was shot (by a snitch!).

    Jaimie Zapata had also interdicted another 50 rifles moved from Texas some of which were "walked" under similar circumstances . And look where that got him .

    ReplyDelete
  16. What is with these federal agencies we spend so much of our tax dollars on????? We got the DEA, which should mean Doesn't Enforce Anything, that does next to nothing to stop the drug business in the USA. Then you got ICE that only deports some illegals. There are millions of illegal Mexicans running amuck in the US. Then you ATF doing stupid stings like this Fast and Furious abortion. Of course last but not least the Secret Service that chase whores on our dime. WTF is wrong with all these overpaid college idiots we call federal agents.

    ReplyDelete
  17. must see you tube 15 minutes each Ross Kemp Extreme World - Mexico 1 of 3.

    ReplyDelete
  18. 11:41 am, your anti Semitic rant has nothing to do with the issue at hand.but I guess you just needed a place to let it out. Now I don't want to take up any more of your precious time....time that you could spend practicing goose stepping up and down your street in your neighborhood....

    ReplyDelete
  19. http://www.polskawalczaca.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16189&sid=2ea80ba87dceb7c3ef496f067ff7e64
    havana ill respond to comment in polish to this inhuman brainless hitler lover in few words mash w glowie tak durzo jak hitler mial ty iesdtesz chlowiek co nie ma nic w glowie thats it havana thanks please post it sorry for the interruption back to mexican drug wars

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't believe any of it! These write ups on Fast & Furious are cover ups. There have been dirty things going on behind the scene for a long long time and if something goes wrong with plans to achieve certain things then IN COMES THE DAMAGE CONTROL a-n-d LOTS of games and lies to fool the public and the world at large.

    And WHO is REALLY in charge of Mexico when any president is elected?

    Please watch this video where a major researcher of global affairs Speaks In This Video:

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=alan+watt&view=detail&mid=31C9C5B535F8BBD5CB5731C9C5B535F8BBD5CB57&first=61

    *Please note that the video begins with Spanish translation of the English speaker message but later the video freezes along with the Spanish translation BUT, the Audio File continues without technical glitches and the message is loud and clear, please don't miss 'this' 'opportunity' folks.

    Saludos a todos y todas,
    - Dr. M.P.,

    ReplyDelete
  21. PS, the video problem clears up and the Spanish Translation continues to be seen in Text Format at the Bottom of the Video. Please share the link and message with friends. Muchas gracias,

    - Sr. MP

    ReplyDelete
  22. @8:28 PM You mean 10:21 AM. Try to pay attention.

    ReplyDelete
  23. @832 OK so your saying Romney is a better choice, yeah right

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, yes. Romney isnt the best choice of all time, but hes better than the lazy imposter and corrupt administration in the white house. At a minimum, romney is a successful businessman, religious man, married to one woman and grew up in a stable household. I know the media crushes the ideas of fidelity, religion and success, but its what we need. Its not hip to have old fashioned morals but our country is suffering greatly due to a lack of morals. So are other countries.

      The current President has been plagued by scandal after scandal after scandal. We need to put them all out on their asses. If romney acts the same way, we will vote him out next. The populace deserves better.

      Delete
    2. I feel like fast and furious transcends political lines. We pay taxes for a strong nation but recieve inept civil servants who erode our personal freedoms at every turn yet fail to act when the true criminals are handed to them on a silver platter. The news story's are timed for the elections but the dereliction of duty flies in the face of all good men without regard to political affiliation. Save the politics for a political blog.

      Delete
    3. ROMNEY SUCCESSFULL? Lol yes he was in theprivate bussiness. WHICH MEANS PRIVATE! We pay our taxes so the fed gives money to private business corporationa and the profit they make they don't pay it back . That's what capitalism is about here in thebus. ND IF YOU BELIEVE ROMNEY WORDS LOL IN SORRU FOR YOU . YOU MIGHT AS WELL BEND OVER AND PULL DOWN YOUR PANTS. I LOVE HOW PEOPLE BRAG ABOUT POLITICAL WHO HAS THE FAULT BLAH BLAH.MM YET PEOPLE TELL THEM WHO DOES ,AND THEY TRY TO JUSTIFY IT ,OR SIMPLY PUT A BLIND EYE AND BLAME MEXICO AGAIN. OUR HYPOCRISY IS OUR OWN DOOM. USA IS NOT WHAT IT WAS. BY THE WAY DEPORTING UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE JUST MAKES YOUR ECONOMY WEAKER .HISTORY PROVES ME.RIGHT. USA IS WAS AND WILL BE A LAND BUILD ANDWORKED BY IMMIGRANTS.

      Delete
  24. My bad 11:41, my comment was directed towards 10:21 (obviously). It must have been that I war still thinking about your comment about what a pos holder is.....

    ReplyDelete
  25. "Take it easy hitler"
    Yeah,that's right.By the way,is he lying?I thought he was just stating the obvious?But,what do i know,i,m just an anti Semite racist?I must be,just for the mere fact of mentioning it,mustn't i?See it,but don't dare mention it.
    I wonder if a gentile could marry a Jewish girl?

    ReplyDelete
  26. "3:01 are you seriously trying to blame Mexico for the ATF fucking up"
    What,how dare you,how could Mexico fuck anything up.Preposterous old boy.

    ReplyDelete
  27. "Wasn't a major problem with this program that the U.S. didn't inform Mexico at all? Didn't the U.S. knowingly allow weapons to cross the border in violation of international law and Mexican law? WTF"
    You tell them.How dare they do secret ops without telling anyone.What were they thinking?

    ReplyDelete
  28. No question ATF and DOJ are idiots. No question.

    But if Mexican Customs Inspectors weren't so crooked, so focused on collecting bribes, very few guns would have crossed.

    Aduana rips off everybody. They would sell their mother for another $50.00.

    ReplyDelete
  29. If u dont like US ur wecome to go to Mexico

    ReplyDelete
  30. ATF r smarter than u.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Please10:21 let it go,this is not 1938 nuremberg.this is about the mx drug war...try to stay focused,that shit was 75 years ago...ok....thank-you

    ReplyDelete
  32. :http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/holder_not_in_the_furious_clear_LHzO2g3thDfyO6s8XhKGbO#ixzz27Ep42A7y

    ReplyDelete
  33. I'm starting to think that the only solution is to arm all Mexican citizens.

    They can't depend on the police or military, so at least let them protect themselves.

    Stupid sign. Looks like a blanket hanging from a bridge.

    ReplyDelete
  34. @ 8:23... U have to be kidding me... Maybe he should have known, but saying that everyone falls but him is just plain stupid... Your taking about your boy bush, thousands of lives were lost in a war that began because he made his top officials lie (and, or exaggerate) about... If anyone should have fallen, it should have been him...

    ReplyDelete
  35. Well boys and girls, another of erics little toys has shown up. It was recovered in the hands of a mexican beauty queen as she exited a vehicle in a firefight with mexican police. Oh, one more thing, Bush left office five YEARS ago. There is a new guy in the whitehouse, and HE is responsible for covering this "action".

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated, refer to policy for more information.
Envía fotos, vídeos, notas, enlaces o información
Todo 100% Anónimo;

borderlandbeat@gmail.com