Saturday, July 09, 2011

Holder Lied, People Died

"Project Gun Runner" -- also known as "Operation Fast and Furious" -- was a massive firearm smuggling program orchestrated by the Department of Justice. It was ostensibly designed to monitor the flow of weapons to Mexican drug cartels. More than 2000 weapons, including military-style assault- and sniper rifles, were intentionally sold to the cartels over the protests of gun-shop owners and ATF field agents. And virtually none of the weapons were actually tracked by U.S. officials.

The murders of at least two American law enforcement officials and dozens of Mexican nationals have since been tied to these weapons.

In sworn testimony, Attorney General Eric Holder denied knowledge of Gunrunner on May 3, 2011.

Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee says he does not believe Attorney General Eric Holder gave accurate testimony under oath to Congress during the House Judiciary Committee on May 3.

Asked in May when he learned of Operation “Fast and Furious” and “Project Gunrunner,” Holder claimed he ‘probably’ learned of it ‘over the last few weeks.’ In the testy exchange that followed, Issa pointed out that two Americans were killed by weapons associated with the botched operation, and that in the end, no major criminals were brought to justice. Issa also implies that the Department of Justice was deliberately slow-rolling the request for documentation about the program. You can watch the exchange between Holder and Issa here.

Unfortunately for Holder, an April 2, 2009 speech in Cuernavaca, Mexico documented his boasts about Operation Gunrunner to Mexican authorities.

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.

In addition, the book Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress alludes to Holder's vociferous support of these types of operations.

Holder praised Mexico-U.S. cooperation in the investigations that led to [the] indictments [of 43 Mexican drug dealers]... ...ATF has begun a new intelligence-driven effort known as Gunrunner Impact Teams (GRITs)... and beefed up its Project Gunrunner program as a part of its efforts to stop the flow of guns into Mexico... ...on August 13, 2009, DHS and DOJ, along with Mexico, signed a letter of intent to develop a coordinated, bilateral arms trafficking strategy...

Not only did Holder lie to Congress, but President Obama likewise has feigned ignorance. Yet Gunrunner was part of the "Stimulus package" signed by the President in 2009.

The original Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009 was sponsored by Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas. Rodriguez's co-sponsors were two other Texans, Henry Cuellar and Silvestre Reyes, plus Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Harry Teague, D-N.M.

...Holder is clearly not telling the truth about his role in Gunrunner. He knew about it, boasted of it and took credit for it. Now he's orchestrating a cover-up of it. President Obama needs to man up about Gunrunner and either take responsibility for this tragedy or admit, under oath if need be, that even he didn't know what was in the stimulus bill.

During an interview with a Univision reporter that aired in March, Obama said he was "absolutely not" informed about the ATF program that deliberately funneled guns into Mexico. "I did not authorize it," he said. "Eric Holder, the attorney general, did not authorize it..."

We need a special prosecutor.


Linked by: Ace o' Spades and Sipsey Street Irregulars. Thanks!

15 comments:

David said...

This is impeachment material if there ever was any. Both of these marxists lied, holder under oath and obama certainly knew about it and tried to cover it up by saying he and holder knew nothing. But, justice in the obama admisistration is limited to opposing We the People every time.

Anonymous said...

Is Gun Runner also Gun Walker?

Matches Malone

Mt Top Patriot said...

The treason and crimes these bums have committed is outrageous, unacceptable and a travesty of the most important tenets of the rule of law and constitution.
Who do these people think they are?
Laws are only for the little people?
The hubris and arrogance of these men is unbelievable.

There is not a bit of dofference between holder, obama and all involved than the criminals and gunrunners who they are purported to have been after.

And that is another thing. It burns my arse to no end these criminals in our own government had no intention of catching the gunrunners. It was a smokescreen designed for one purpose, Chaos. A false flag crisis used for the purpose of undermining and robbing America of its 2nd Amendment Liberty. The # 1 pet need of the left to disarm Americans so they can turn a Constitutional Republic into a dictatorship.

You hear that obama and Holder?
Can you hear me?
Your toast. You just don't know it.
This acts of treason, along with all the other acts of tyranny you are imposing will not stand.
What you are doing is Illegal. Plain as day. You both are Illegal.
illegal by every concept principle and ideal of the rule of law.

astonerii said...

Obama has already shown he can fire special prosecutors. So what is the point of having a new one?

Jeanne Patterson said...

The man is a slug. I (gloriously) paid no attention to politics prior to 2009. When this man (and I use that term loosely) was chosen as Attorney General, I became alarmed. I did some research and thus was born a Tea Partier even if I didn't know it at the time. His Race Coward speech/statement remains one of the most vile public communications in our Nation's history.

Anonymous said...

Gunwalker (fast and furious) is a piece of gunrunner but it's not the same thing either. Gunrunner was started by W.

Pat Austin Becker said...

Linked at SIGIS!

directorblue said...

@astonerii - Obama fired an Inspector General, but not any special prosecutor (that I'm aware of).

ActiveMan said...

"More than 2000 weapons, including military-style assault- and sniper rifles, were intentionally sold to the cartels over the protests of gun-shop owners and ATF field agents."

Arrgh, I hate the passive voice.
Who specifically did the selling?

Anonymous said...

Gun Dealers did the selling.

ActiveMan said...

OK, keep going. Are you saying that Holder's minions ordered the gun dealers to sell? (I'm not doubting or insisting that they did; I'm just trying to get to the truth.) Also, if true, I must have missed the "why" of it all.

directorblue said...

Yes - see the ATF Report Issued by the House Oversight Committee.

Gun dealers and ATF agents were ordered to allow guns "to walk" even when it was obvious Mexican cartels were getting the guns through straw-buyers.

Like someone walking in and laying down $21K in cash for 3 Barrett .50 sniper rifles.

ActiveMan said...

Thanks! I'm glad I took the time to read more into it. (Thanks for being patient with me.)

SmokeP said...

Holderr knew about Gunrunner in 2009!
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.
http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090402.html

SmokeP said...

Someone in Congress wanater to fund gunrunner. Look at the figures. Think holder would miss line item apporpriations of more then 10 million?

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 111th Congress, H.R.1 (Stimulus Bill)
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1/text?version=enr&nid=t0:enr:232t

Office of Justice Programs, 3rd paragraph.
For an additional amount for ‘State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance’, $90,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 20140,000,000, for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10,000,000 shall be transferred to ‘Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Salaries and Expenses’ for the ATF Project Gunrunner.
&
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.pdf
(page 16)


How Much Money Did Operation Gunrunner get:

A November 2010 report says it got $10 Million in February 2009 Recovery Act Supplemental Appropriations Act,
June 2009 another Six Million Dollars.
Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2010 allocated $37.5 million to ATF for Project Gunrunner,in August 2010, as Reported in this DOJ Document: http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/ATF/e1101.pdf Scroll down to page 110 of the report at the link above to read for yourself

Another 20 Million Dollars in the Stimulus package, plus an additional 10 Million Dollars that was due for this operation in the fiscal 2011 Budget thats never been voted on