More Blood on Their Hands: Univision Finds More Fast and Furious Victims
Univision is keeping the heat on President Obama, performing investigative work that the American media has simply refused to do regarding Fast and Furious.
In a recent interview with the President, a Univision reporter asked why he shouldn’t fire Attorney General Eric Holder. It turns out, the reporter may have been asking based on even further evidence of the operation’s criminal nature.
Yesterday, the Spanish-language television network aired a special that revealed the botched gun-smuggling operation known as Fast and Furious was far more deadly than previously understood.
The documentary revealed that in 2010, a party of nearly 60 teenagers were gunned down by assassins who had been armed by the United States Government. The result – 16 people dead, mostly teenagers.
Indirectly, the United States government played a role in the massacre by supplying some of the firearms used by the cartel murderers. Three of the high caliber weapons fired that night in Villas de Salvarcar were linked to a gun tracing operation run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), according to a Mexican army document obtained exclusively by Univision News.
And it gets worse…
Univision News identified a total of 57 more previously unreported firearms that were bought by straw purchasers monitored by ATF during Operation Fast and Furious, and then recovered in Mexico in sites related to murders, kidnappings, and at least one other massacre.
In fact, the report indicates that other U.S. agents had fallen victim to guns supplied by the U.S. government.
Victor Avila and Jaime Zapata, two U.S. Federal Agents assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, were in the process of transporting surveillance equipment when their vehicle was surrounded by cartel members and shot more than 90 times. Zapata died and Avila was seriously wounded.
An official familiar with the Congressional investigation into Fast and Furious referred to Univision’s report as “the holy grail”. The report also showed that guns were trafficked to other countries as well.
“Univision News’ Investigative Unit was also able to identify additional guns that escaped the control of ATF agents and were used in different types of crimes throughout Mexico,” the network added. “Furthermore, some of these guns — none of which were reported by congressional investigators — were put in the hands of drug traffickers in Honduras, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. A person familiar with the recent congressional hearings called Univision’s findings ‘the holy grail’ that Congress had been searching for.”
Justice Department: Schizophrenic, Intellectually Disabled? We Want You!
There’s politically correct hiring practices, and then there’s weapons grade stupidity. Guess which side of the aisle Eric Holder’s Department of Justice falls on?
Yes, the same agency that brought you the bumbling effort known as Fast and Furious, has been actively engaged in a policy of ‘affirmatively recruiting’ people with ‘targeted disabilities’. This means that they weren’t simply issuing directives against discriminatory hiring practices regarding disabled individuals, it means they actively sought out those very recruits.
So what types of disabilities were the Justice Department looking for in their attorneys and staff members (document embedded below)?
- Severe Intellectual Disabilities
- Psychiatric Disabilities
- Other Current Severe Physical, Intellectual, or Mental Conditions
The easy joke here is that this explains the incompetence of the Justice Department, but such a ridiculous method for affirmatively hiring disabled employees is no laughing matter.
Read the rest of the report here…
Be sure to check out the Justice Department documents below…
Fast and Furious Official Given Extended Paid Leave While Earning Six Figures at Financial Services Company
In what can only be described as a curious arrangement, a senior official at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a man who has been singled out as a top official involved in the gun-running scandal known as Fast and Furious, has been earning paid leave from the bureau while simultaneously drawing an additional six figure salary with a major financial services company.
Bill McMahon was one of five officials named in an indictment that charged him with extensive involvement in the leadership failures of Operation Fast and Furious. The indictment specifically accused McMahon of giving false Congressional testimony. An additional report indicated that McMahon knew there were no safeguards in place to prevent a large number of guns from getting across the border, but he still made no effort to stop it.
Now however, two Republican lawmakers are demanding answers as to how McMahon can remain on paid leave while earning another six-figure salary working full time for the investment bank J.P. Morgan. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) have penned a letter to the Department of Justice asking how such an arrangement could be approved.
“Under any reading of the relevant personnel regulations, it appears that ATF management was under no obligation to approve this sort of arrangement,” wrote Issa and Grassley. “Given McMahon’s outsized role in the Fast and Furious scandal, the decision to approve an extended annual leave arrangement in order to attain pension eligibility and facilitate full-time, outside employment while still collecting a full-time salary at ATF raises a host of questions about both the propriety of the arrangement and the judgment of ATF management.”
The letter continues: “ATF has essentially facilitated McMahon’s early retirement and ability to double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two full-time paychecks—one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector. Moreover, ATF did not wait for the Office of Inspector General to complete its report on Fast and Furious before approving the arrangement. This is in sharp contrast to the posture the agency has taken with whistleblowers like Special Agent John Dodson, who is told he must wait until the Inspector General’s report is complete before the agency will even consider his simple request for a statement retracting the false statements made about him by agency leadership.”
The full text of the letter can be found here…
To this date, nobody has been punished for a botched and possibly illegal gun-smuggling operation that resulted in the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, as well as countless Mexican citizens.
This report simply indicates that the Justice Department not only feels they have nothing to answer to (a mindset facilitated by Eric Holder’s contempt of Congress and the President’s utilization of Executive Privilege), but that they are actually willing to reward those who were directly involved in the operation.
The Justice Department, Eric Holder, and the President continue to dance on the graves of those that their incompetence and corruption killed.
Homeland Security Instructing Border Patrol Agents to "Run Away" and "Hide"
Fausta’s blog is simply referring to it as “border security for pu**ies”.
Fox News has reported that border patrol agents in Arizona are not happy about a new ‘Active Shooter’ course being provided by the Department of Homeland Security, in which agents are instructed to ‘run away and hide’ when they encounter an ‘active shooter’.
One agent referred to it as ‘insulting’.
It’s one thing to tell civilian employees to cower under a desk if a gunman starts spraying fire in a confined area, say members of Tucson Local 2544/National Border Patrol Council, but to give armed law enforcement professionals the same advice is downright insulting. The instructions from DHS come in the form of pamphlets and a mandatory computer tutorial.
“We are now taught in an ‘Active Shooter’ course that if we encounter a shooter in a public place we are to ‘run away’ and ‘hide’” union leader Brandon Judd wrote on the website of 3,300-member union local. “If we are cornered by such a shooter we are to (only as a last resort) become ‘aggressive’ and ‘throw things’ at him or her. We are then advised to ‘call law enforcement’ and wait for their arrival (presumably, while more innocent victims are slaughtered).”
Here is a copy of the pocket guide to border security:
While it is difficult to read, the instructions throughout the pamphlet read like a sad comedy routine. For example, step three in the ‘How to Respond’ section states that “when your life is in imminent danger” respond by “throwing items at the active shooter”.
How about, blow their head clean off of their body?
Fausta likens it to a Monty Python skit:
Say again? “Attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter”? Whatever happened to shoot to kill?
What’s next? Holler at them, “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elder berries”?
It’s quite odd that our government has been arming drug cartels at the border with powerful assault weapons, while simultaneously telling Americans working along the border to throw rocks back at them.
Issa Statement on Vote Holding Eric Holder in Contempt
“The Congressional inquiry into Operation Fast and Furious, and the cover-up by Justice Department officials of wrongdoing, has been a fair and fact based investigation. False and partisan allegations by the White House and some congressional Democrats about the Oversight Committee’s efforts were undermined by the votes of 17 Democrats. These Members resisted the pressure of their own leadership and the Obama Administration to support this investigation on the House floor.
“Claims by the Justice Department that it has fully cooperated with this investigation fall at odds with its conduct: issuing false denials to Congress when senior officials clearly knew about gunwalking, directing witnesses not to answer entire categories of questions, retaliating against whistleblowers, and producing only 7,600 documents while withholding over 100,000.
“I greatly appreciate the ongoing efforts of Senator Chuck Grassley, his staff, and other Senators on the Judiciary Committee who have pressed the Obama Administration for the full truth. Senator Grassley began this investigation and has been a full partner throughout it. I must also recognize the hard work done by many of my colleagues here in the House – without their efforts the Justice Department’s stonewalling would have succeeded.
“My message to my colleagues and others who have fought for answers: We are still fighting for the truth and accountability – for the family of murdered Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, for whistleblowers who have faced retaliation, and for countless victims of Operation Fast and Furious in Mexico. Unless President Obama relents to this bipartisan call for transparency and an end to the cover-up, our fight will move to the courts where we will prevail in getting the documents that the Justice Department and President Obama’s flawed assertion of executive privilege have denied the American people.”
Poll: Most Americans Believe Obama Abused His Power By Using Executive Privilege to Stonewall Fast and Furious Investigation
While some believe that the very invocation of executive privilege by the President regarding Fast and Furious, signals some level of knowledge at the highest levels of the White House, it is evident that a vast majority believe that at the very least, it is a demonstration of a clear-cut abuse of power.
In fact, a recent poll of likely voters shows that two out of every three respondents believe the President abused the privilege.
Via The Hill:
A clear majority of likely voters believes President Obama has exercised his executive power inappropriately — particularly in blocking the release of documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious, according to a new poll for The Hill.
But in a sign that the electorate’s frustration extends to Capitol Hill, voters by a significant margin also feel Congress has behaved in an obstructionist manner toward the president.
Amid the discontent over the behavior of both Obama and members of Congress, the poll found a strong preference among voters for a return to one-party rule in Washington.
Obama last week invoked executive privilege to stop certain Justice Department documents relating to the botched “gun-walking” operation from being disclosed to the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.
The Hill Poll found that likely voters disapproved by an almost 2-to-1 margin of Obama’s assertion of presidential power in the case. Overall, 56 percent of voters disapproved of his action, while only 29 percent approved.
Which of course begs the question, are those 56% simply trying to fight Holder’s attempt to block voter ID laws, and are they all by extension racists?
And yes, Congress does get a share of criticism in this poll as expected, but nowhere near the level Obama has.
How badly do you have to mangle a situation to make Congress look better?
Will the administration explain itself, or will the President simply continue to abuse his power? His actions are practically an admission that abusing power is less politically damaging than whatever critical information is in those documents.
That is a scary thought.
Democrats Can’t Even Fake Caring About Slain Border Agent in Fast and Furious
Brian Terry.
Brian Terry is the name of the man who was murdered by Mexican drug cartels armed with weapons provided by a botched gun trafficking operation known as Fast and Furious.
He wasn’t simply a border patrol agent – he was a son and a brother. And he lost his life with guns provided by the very nation he vowed to protect.
Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi in her displaced anger, lashed out at Darrell Issa and his attempts at holding Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, rambling about some fantasy involving Karl Rove and handcuffs.
That rant made the headlines, but as All-American Blogger points out, there was another comment that showed Pelosi’s absolute lack of compassion when it comes to the murder of Brian Terry.
… the buzz about former Speaker Nancy Pelosi revolves around her statement that she could have arrested Karl Rove at any time. But if you dig deeper into the story, you come across a quote that shows just how heartless this woman really is:
Pelosi also criticized Republicans pushing for justice for Border Patrol agent Brian Terry — as House oversight committee ranking Democratic member Rep. Elijah Cummings has on numerous occasions — as “just strictly political.”
“It’s just the irresponsibility of the Republicans,” Pelosi said. “We want jobs. Why are they spending this time doing this?”
Read it again.
“We want jobs. Why are they spending this time doing this?”
They’re spending their time on this because the American people want answers as to why our government was letting guns walk across the border, into the hands of drug cartels, and eventually used to kill American and Mexican citizens.
How bad does this Fast and Furious situation have to be for Pelosi to try and put the focus back on something that has been a hallmark administration failure – jobs. Regardless, it is clear she has no concern for the Terry family.
You know who else doesn’t seem all that concerned about Brian Terry? White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who, in a press briefing earlier today could not remember the family’s name. At the presser, a reporter actually mentioned Terry’s name when prefacing his question – and Carney still couldn’t recall it in his answer!
Brian Terry deserves better than this. His family deserves better than this. And the American people deserve better.
Issa Issues Statement Regarding Fast and Furious Contempt Vote
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa issued the following statement on the Committee’s approval of a report finding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress over his refusal to produce documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. The Committee yesterday approved the finding of contempt on a vote of 23 to 17.
“The Oversight Committee voted to hold Attorney General Holder in contempt for his continued refusal to produce relevant documents in the investigation of Operation Fast and Furious. This was not the outcome I had hoped for and today’s proceeding would not have occurred had Attorney General Eric Holder actually produced the subpoenaed documents he said he could provide.
“The President’s assertion of Executive Privilege this morning took us by surprise but did not alter the Committee’s conclusion that documents had been inappropriately withheld. Executive Privilege only applies to materials that directly pertain to communications with the President and his senior advisors. This assertion indicates that the White House’s role in Operation Fast and Furious and the response to whistleblower accusations has been greater than previously acknowledged. Just yesterday, the Attorney General indicated a willingness to produce a small subset of documents on the condition that the Committee end its investigation before they were described or made available for review. Today, the President asserted Executive Privilege to ensure they are never produced.
“At the heart of the Congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious are disastrous consequences: a murdered Border Patrol Agent, his grieving family seeking answers, countless deaths in Mexico, and the souring effect on our relationship with Mexico. Congress has not just a right, but an obligation to do all that it can to uncover exactly what happened and ensure that it never occurs again. After the Justice Department’s earlier false denial of reckless conduct, the Committee has a duty to pursue all options to gather and evaluate key evidence.
“I still believe that a settlement, rendering the process of contempt unnecessary, is in the best interest of the Justice Department, Congress, and those most directly affected by Operation Fast and Furious. I urge Attorney General Holder and President Obama to reconsider their decision to withhold documents that would allow Congress to complete its investigation.”
Issa is trying to work with Holder but this has gone on long enough. Holder has had every opportunity to turn over the requested documents, and repeatedly ignores subpoenas, something that would have the average American in jail by now.
Speaking of jail, Nancy Pelosi yesterday made the wild accusation that she could have had Karl Rove arrested a number of times if he was spotted in the Captiol – but then couldn’t name a specific charge he could have been arrested on.
From the Huffington Post:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is playing politics with its vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, an action she said that even she didn’t seek as House Speaker when she thought someone was legitimately deserving of it.“I could have arrested Karl Rove on any given day,” Pelosi said to laughter, during a sit-down with reporters. “I’m not kidding. There’s a prison here in the Capitol … If we had spotted him in the Capitol, we could have arrested him.”Rove was senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2007.Asked on what grounds she could have arrested Rove, Pelosi replied, “Oh, any number. But there were some specific ones for his being in contempt of Congress. But we didn’t.”
Pelosi has a history of spouting off at the mouth without any facts to back up her claims. Remember recently when she alleged she had some sort of secret knowledge about Newt Gingrich, that when revealed would kill his Presidential campaign? She immediately backed off, of course.
Let’s see if one single member of the media repeatedly hits her with the simple question ‘What could you have had Rove arrested for?’ They won’t, despite the fact that it would be a bombshell news story if there was an action that Rove had taken that could be considered in contempt of Congress.
The media knows Pelosi is lying, and they will not call her out on it. They know Holder is lying and they will not call him out on it. They know Obama is lying and they will not call him out on it.
Sarah Palin Rips President on Something He Rarely Discusses – Real Issues
What does it say when the woman that libs like to portray as incompetent, can easily poke holes in the administration’s talking points and consistently rip him a new one? It says there is a dolt in the conversation, but their name isn’t Sarah.
The far Left continues to believe American voters are not smart enough to grasp the diversionary tactics it employs to distract us from the issues our President just doesn’t want to talk about – issues that affect us all every day and must be addressed.Exhibit A in these diversionary tactics is an absurd new attack ad President Obama has released taking my comments out of context. I’m not running for any office, but I’m more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obama’s “enemy of the week” if that includes the opportunity to debate him on the issues Americans are actually concerned about. (Remember when I said you don’t need a title to make a difference?)Just off the top of my head, a few of these concerning issues include: a debt crisis that has us hurtling towards a Greek-style collapse, entitlement programs going bankrupt, a credit downgrade for the first time in our history, a government takeover of the health care industry that makes care more expensive and puts a rationing panel of faceless bureaucrats between you and your doctor (aka a “death panel”), $4 and $5 gas at the pump exacerbated by an anti-drilling agenda that rejects good paying energy sector jobs and makes us more dependent on dangerous foreign regimes, a war in Afghanistan that seems unfocused and unending, a global presidential apology tour that’s made us look feeble and ridiculous, a housing market in the tank, the longest streak of high unemployment since World War II, private-sector job creators and industry strangled by burdensome regulations and an out-of-control Obama EPA, an attack on the Constitutional protection of religious liberty, an attack on private industry in right-to-work states, crony capitalism run amok in an administration in bed with their favored cronies to the detriment of genuine free market capitalism, green energy pay-to-play kickbacks to Obama campaign donors, and a Justice Department still stonewalling on a bungled operation that armed violent Mexican drug lords and led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.
The Audacity of Opacity: Obama Least Transparent of Last 6 Presidents
You mean the administration that rammed healthcare down our throats via backroom deals and a mantra of ‘we have to pass it to find out what’s in it’, isn’t the most transparent administration in history after all?
Shocking.
We’ve executed several FOIA requests with the White House, none of which have been answered in the proper amount of time. In fact, they’ve still not been answered, with some approaching a full year since they were executed.
Congressman Issa has continually been stonewalled by the administration regarding Fast and Furious. So why is this a surprise?
From Politico:
President Barack Obama set a high bar for open government, and he set it quickly.
A minute after he took office, the White House website declared his administration would become “the most open and transparent in history.” By the end of his first full day on the job, Obama had issued high-profile orders pledging “a new era” and “an unprecedented level of openness” across the massive federal government.
But three years into his presidency, critics say Obama’s administration has failed to deliver the refreshing blast of transparency that the president promised.
“Obama is the sixth administration that’s been in office since I’ve been doing Freedom of Information Act work. … It’s kind of shocking to me to say this, but of the six, this administration is the worst on FOIA issues. The worst. There’s just no question about it,” said Katherine Meyer, a Washington lawyer who’s been filing FOIA cases since 1978. “This administration is raising one barrier after another. … It’s gotten to the point where I’m stunned — I’m really stunned.”
You shouldn’t be, this is Chicago politics.
Mental Recession 