Get PJ Media on your Apple

Fast and Furious Defense Strategy: Keep Them Quiet

The Justice Department may be leveraging employees to keep them from testifying.

by
Bob Owens

Bio

January 5, 2012 - 6:28 am

An overlooked detail of the personnel shuffling that has occurred in the wake of Operation Fast and Furious: current Acting ATF Director B. Todd Jones was in a position to be as culpable regarding the gunwalking plot as was the removed director, Kenneth Melson.

Before taking over for Melson in a DOJ push to appear to have done “something,” Jones was the chairman of the attorney general’s Advisory Committee. He sat in on Fast and Furious calls as early as October 26,  2009 — a meeting Melson also attended.

With the personnel move to Jones, control merely shifted from one possible co-conspirator to another, though the administration assured that they still held a tight rein over the new acting director with the choice of Jones.

In a Christmas Eve article in the Los Angeles Times, reporter Richard Serrano revealed that Melson had blamed ATF staff for Operation Fast and Furious during confidential testimony with congressional investigators:

The deposition, which was taken in July and was recently obtained by the Washington bureau, shows that Kenneth E. Melson was irate. Even his chief intelligence officer at ATF headquarters was upset with the operation, dubbed Fast and Furious, but did little to shut it down, Melson complained. “He didn’t come in and tell me, either,” Melson said. “And he’s on the same damn floor as I am.”

Perhaps the most vital information in Serrano’s article is how the DOJ is apparently intending to handle the inspector general’s investigation:

At Holder’s request, the Justice Department’s inspector general began investigating Fast and Furious in February, a month after the controversial operation in the ATF’s Phoenix field office came to light.

Jones expects the inspector general’s report early next year. He said he will immediately refer it to the ATF’s Office of Professional Responsibility for recommendations on job terminations or suspensions. “We sure will” be making some quick personnel decisions, he said.

In response to a gunwalking operation that put more than 2,000 firearms into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, and which led to the death of at least one U.S. law enforcement agent and more than 300 people in Mexico, the ATF will look for “recommendations on job terminations or suspensions.”

Numerous felonies were committed by government employees of Barack Obama’s administration. These felonies include violations of the Arms Export Control Act, violations of the Kingpin Act, possible RICO violations, violations of the Whistleblower Protection Act, felonies related to the cover-up of Brian Terry’s death at the hands of an FBI criminal informant, including the hiding of the informant’s SKS rifle, and other crimes. Eric Holder’s apparent perjury in front of Congress about when he know of Operation Fast and Furious is the least of the administration’s problems.

This points to a possible DOJ defense tactic: in exchange for suspensions and resignations, those responsible will be thrilled to have the option of not talking about the criminality of their actions. Those in the position to “tell all” to reduce their sentence length with a plea bargain in a criminal trial have no reason whatsoever to talk if their continued silence can be bought for such a cheap price.

If Inspector General Cynthia Schnedar really does allow the conspirators off without any criminal charges being filed, you can be assured that the fix is in.

Bob Owens blogs at Bob-Owens.com.
Click here to view the 40 legacy comments

Comments are closed.