Wolf Howling: Fast and Furious

Showing posts with label Fast and Furious. Show all posts

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The IG Report On Fast & Furious - It Ain't Over

The IG Report on Fast and Furious - the Holder ATF / DOJ program that purposefully allowed purchasers for Mexico's drug cartels to buy weapons inside the U.S. in bulk, then did not trace the weapons, did not stop the weapons before getting into cartel hands, did not coordinate or even inform the government of Mexico of the program, and justified this insanity on the grounds that DOJ would be able to find out where the guns ended up by tracing guns that were left at the scene of crimes - has been released. This from a report summarizing the IG findings and the immediate effect of its release:

A bombshell report released Wednesday on Operation Fast and Furious faulted a range of federal agencies for the failed anti-gunrunning program and accused officials in charge of a "disregard" for public safety. In the wake of the report, one Justice Department official resigned and another retired.

The sprawling report by the department's inspector general is the most comprehensive account yet on the deadly operation which allowed weapons to "walk" across the U.S.-Mexico border and resulted in hundreds of firearms turning up at crime scenes in both countries.

The report says Attorney General Eric Holder was not made aware of potential flaws in the program until February of last year. But the report cites 14 other department employees -- including Criminal Division head Lanny Breuer -- for potential wrongdoing, recommending the department consider disciplinary action against them. One congressional source told Fox News the report was "more brutal than was expected."

The report marked Jason Weinstein, the deputy assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division, as the highest-ranking DOJ employee in a position to stop the program. Weinstein, who disputes the findings, is resigning in the wake of the report.

Another official criticized for not asking enough questions about the Furious operation, former ATF acting director Kenneth Melson, retired after the report came down.

Congressman Issa appeared on Fox News last night to point out the fact that the report is not anywhere near a completed investigation:

And this is Congressman Issa questioning the IG today, pointing out DOJ's unlawful refusal to provide 90% of documents relevant to Fast and Furious to Congress, as well as the refusal of government employees outside of the DOJ with relevant knowledge to answer questions from the IG.

Now that the IG Report is finished, Issa needs to dust off all of the old document subpoenas which Holder refused to comply with on the ground of an on-going IG investigation and resubmit them. Immediately.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Former CIA Chief Hayden Bathing In Schadenfreude Over AG Holder

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden has been so overcome by his schadenfreude over the many problems now besetting AG Eric Holder that Hayden had to share it with the world or burst. As you read this, you can almost hear Hayden laughing and rubbing his hands in glee at the poetic justice being dealt to Eric Holder. It really makes for a fun read.

This from Gen. Hayden writing at CNN:

Schadenfreude -- joy at the misfortune of others -- is a bad thing.

So I've been trying to resist temptation these past months as I watch Attorney General Eric Holder deal with public and congressional reaction to the "Fast and Furious" scheme, the failed attempt by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to seed and then track U.S. firearms to Mexican drug cartels. Fast and Furious was a secretive, high-risk operation seemingly intended to deal with an intractable problem abroad. . . .

. . . Now Holder , , , must defend himself against some very tough accusations, including one by some skeptics that the operation was intended principally to discredit, and thereby justify further regulation of, firearms dealers. This is where the schadenfreude comes in.

After the congressional elections of 2006, the CIA was forced to defend edgy (often controversial and sometimes unsuccessful) actions in a tough political environment. President George W. Bush was politically weakened, the Senate and the House were under Democratic control and a presidential election was in the offing.

On the Hill, the questions were aggressive, often partisan and, in my view, sometimes even deeply mean-spirited and unfair to the many intelligence professionals who were putting their lives and careers on the line in a very successful effort to protect America from further attack. The agency dealt with the committees as best a nonpolitical organization could, fully recognizing that, although congressional oversight was a necessary instrument, it could sometimes be a difficult one.

But any personal instinct toward some common "executive branch" empathy for Holder is muted not only by the dubious character of Fast and Furious, but by some of the attorney general's other actions, as well. While out of office, for example, he famously called for a "reckoning" for CIA officers and other officials who authorized and conducted operations that were edgy and risky and intended to deal with difficult circumstances.

Once in office, he launched a "reckoning" of CIA renditions, detentions and interrogations of terrorists by directing the Justice Department to reopen investigations closed years before by career prosecutors. This decision was opposed by then-CIA Director Leon Panetta and seven of his predecessors, and Holder reportedly made the decision without reading detailed memos prepared by those career prosecutors declining to pursue further proceedings.

The CIA officers affected by this may be forgiven some feelings of irony when they now hear the attorney general repudiating some of the charges made against his officers by stating: "Those who serve in the ranks of law enforcement are our nation's heroes and deserve our nation's thanks, not the disrespect that is being heaped on them by those who see political advantage."

Of course, it was also Holder who decided in 2009 to release what had been secret DOJ memos outlining the details and providing the legal justification for the Bush administration's interrogation program. The release was defended by the administration as part of a broad commitment to "transparency."

Holder may have had even more in mind though as, according to a contemporary Newsweek account of the decision, the leadership of the Department of Justice calculated that "if the public knew the details, ... there would be a groundswell of support for an independent probe," and that when the decision to release those memos had been made, the attorney general and his leadership team "celebrated quietly, and waited for the national outrage to begin."

Later that summer, Holder also released a previously classified CIA inspector general report on the interrogation program as the administration seemed to be actively shaping this story to put its predecessor's actions in the worst possible light.

As I said, schadenfreude is a bad thing. But it is sometimes hard to avoid, especially when life seems to come full circle.

Attorney General Eric Holder has made it clear that he thinks he has been subjected to a heavily politicized process over Fast and Furious.

If he has -- and that's still an if -- I suspect that some folks at CIA know exactly how he feels.

You have to love how he refuses to give Holder the benefit of the doubt as to whether he is actually being subject to an unjust process. I had almost as fun reading this as I am sure Hayden had in writing it.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Holder Playing A Devalued Race Card

This from the Daily Caller:

Attorney General Eric Holder accused his growing chorus of critics of racist motivations in a Sunday interview published in the New York Times. When reached by The Daily Caller Monday morning, the Department of Justice provided no evidence to support the attorney general’s claims.

Holder said some unspecified faction — what he refers to as the “more extreme segment” — is driven to criticize both him and President Barack Obama due to the color of their skin. Holder did not appear to elaborate on who he considered to make up the “more extreme segment.”

“This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him,” Holder said, according to the Times. “Both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we’re both African-American.”

Whomever said that the Constitution is the last refuge of the scoundrel had it wrong. Its the use of the race card.

In truth, probably the greatest contribution that the Obama Administration has made to America has been the devaluing of the race card to the point that it is now largely worthless. There was a day when the race card trumped all - when playing the race card would send one's critics scurrying for cover. It grossly distorted our political system for decades. Those days are over. Holder is, at best, incompetent. The fact that he is black is only incidental, and should play no role whatsoever in his treatment. Indeed, is there anyone in America who could possibly think that the charges being raised against Holder have even the smallest iota of basis in racism?

Holder needs to be called to account for making this charge, that it is the color of his skin rather than his incompetence and bias for which he is being called to account. I really want to see Issa go after him on this. I want to see Holder justify his claim. I want to hear Holder justify special treatment on account of his skin color. It is far beyond time that the race card be challenged in all public forums.

Update: Rep. Allen West has weighed in on the above issue:

Florida Republican Rep. Allen West told The Daily Caller on Monday that Attorney General Eric Holder’s use of the race card as a way to attack those who are criticizing him is “reprehensible.”

“I think this is absolutely the last card in the deck, and that shows how weak their ground is,” West said in a phone interview. “But, what that means is they want to make white individuals afraid of continuing to put the pressure on Eric Holder because they don’t want to be seen as racist, and that is something that we have got to move beyond.”

Amen.

(H/T This Ain't Hell)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Holder Tap Dances Fast & Furiously

If you haven't seen it, do click over to Right Scoop to watch the explosive questioning of Atty. Gen. Eric Holder by Rep. Daryl Issa during today's Fast and Furious hearings.

The point Issa makes, that there have been NO e-mails released from the Atty Gen. himself relevant to Fast & Furious, is simply atrocious. Holder tries to tap dance around it and, in the end, says that some e-mails "might" have been withheld that were part of other ongoing investigations. That is an answer of supreme bull shit - as is any attempt to use the IG investigation as an excuse not to produce Holder's own e-mails. I swear to God, this administration truly is a thugocracy operating outside of the law.

A second point is also worthy of note - Holder's dual incompetence and ignorance defense, paraphrased as "I know nothing, and neither did my direct subordinates because, when they were briefed on this operation, they weren't briefed on any of the tactical specifics and didn't ask," simply doesn't pass the smell test. The particulars of this operation were straightforward, and it does not seem in any way possible to brief on the operation without explaining the specifics. It is long past time to get Eric Holder under oath, along the subordinates we know received briefings on Fast and Furious, and get some answers.

Lastly, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who repeatedly interrupted the questioning in order to buy time for Eric Holder, should have been removed from the Chamber. Hell, she is an abomination who should be censured by the House.

Fast & Furious Gun Control

I always thought that the only reasonable explanation for Fast & Furious was as a back door effort to promote gun control, but I never thought anyone in the government would be so incredibly stupid as to actually make a record of it. Silly me.