Fast and Furious: Post-Election, Golden Parachutes Deployed
Grindler is not the only DOJ official who has apparently been forced out. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has reportedly fired three officials and demoted two, while another has been transferred:
According to credible ATF sources, officials heavily involved in Operation Fast and Furious and named as partially responsible for the program’s failure by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz and the House Oversight Committee have been stripped of their government security clearances while some have been fired, demoted, and transferred. Criminal charges are also reportedly pending. Former ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division Bill Newell, former ATF Special Agent in Charge of Operations in the West Bill McMahon and former Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division George Gillett have been fired while former Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jim Needles and Field Supervisor David Voth have been demoted. Hope McAllister, the lead case agent for Fast and Furious, has been put on leave and transferred out of Phoenix according to reports.
Stunningly, all are expected to keep their retirement benefits, despite the fact that their actions played a role in at least 300 murders in Mexico, the murders of Border Patrol BORTAC officer Brian Terry and ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata, and the critical wounding of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila.
Townhall’s Katie Pavlich suggests that some of those involved face the possibility of criminal charges, though there is little reason to suspect that such charges will ever come to pass.
Individuals will quietly accept a transfer, demotion, or termination if those represent a lesser punishment than they might face in a criminal court. Terminations with full retirement benefits — and the very real possibility of quick and lucrative reemployment with Obama administration donors, as at least one of those fired has already found – are nothing less than golden parachutes, and those resigning, being fired, being demoted, or being reassigned are not going to come forward with the truth unless compelled by force of law.
Only the credible possibility of felony criminal charges and significant prison sentences might compel those responsible for Fast and Furious to break their silence.
Attorney General Eric Holder was found in civil and criminal contempt of Congress for his continued deception and refusal to turn over thousands of documents, and Obama-appointed District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen has failed to press charges in the six months since the contempt vote.
The rich and powerful have decided to protect their own. Consequences for weapons smuggling, and the hundreds of murders they facilitated, are for little people.
The most efficient way to sweep malfeasance under the rug is usually the path of least resistance. And this blogger was pretty convinced that Issa’s huffing and puffing would lead from there to here.
For if this wasn’t the case, surely a BIG bulls eye would have been painted on Holder’s back, making sure that off to the slammer he would go, alongside others.
In any case, the Radical-in-Chief surely threatened Issa and Co and that is that -http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/08/01/will-barack-hussein-obamas-lawless-justice-department-under-the-aegis-of-ag-holder-finally-fall-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/
The upshot becomes – why in the world would any law abiding citizen pay any attention to rules set forth by the most lawless regime in U.S. history? And this statement is coming from someone who used to have the highest respect for law enforcement.
Gone with the wind…
You are right. Obama and his minions are empty shells, seeking ever more power in a vain attempt to fill themselves, and they would make the U.S. in their empty image.
Relax, fellow posters. It’s worse than you think! This is simply a portend of things to come. Or, does anyone but me believe the same “end” awaits the Benghazi scandal?!
Pathetic, isn’t it, that Issa and Co. are “satisfied” with being able to say, “Nanny-nanny, pooh-pooh! We made the aitch admin say ‘Uncle!’ That’ll teach the potus and his administration to mess with REPUBLICANS!”
This, in case you wonder why the R Party is getting ground under the heel of the most corrupt ‘gang’ to ever occupy the WH!
Ghostbuster is right on the money. The Benghazi scandal was a prime opportunity
for the Republicans to dispose of the imposter in the White House but as usual
they were more worried about why Susan Rice told a fib instead of asking important questions of General Hamm as to why after hearing, and seeing what the State Department and the White House saw, and heard was relieved of duty when he told
them he had a team ready to go, and General Hamm was told to back away there would be no intervention of which General Hamm did not agree. This administration murdered four U.S. Citizens on 9/11 and his family must be distraught. Who gave the order to back off?
Issa and Grassley don’t necessarily accept, or are satisfied with the explanations that go along with the resignations. They know Grindler claimed 29 memory lapses and Breuer says he didn’t connect the dots, etc. Issa may just support the firings and discipline and allow the DOJ charade to play out still recognizing that the IG report was a political white wash/compromise. He still doesn’t have the documents and the DOJ did nothing but investigate itself. Those wiretap aps. were approved at the highest level.
If the Attorney General does not follow the letter of the laws, why would us citizens have any respect for the rule of law? This administration has proven time and time again that they have no respect for the law, or the citizens who have respect for it. The party currently in power, is testing the patience of those who have fought in the military, and have taken an oath to protect and defend our
Constitution. The fox is surely in the hen house,and stomping on the eggs of
freedom.
For normal people, firing some one for cause, is a difficult decision. But it is one of the most important duties of a boss. If grossly destructive conduct is ignored in an organization, the rotten apple in the barrel process will cripple any hard working team.
There are 23 million Americans out of work. None allowed 2,000 weapons to be handed to drug war lords, killers. The result has been hundreds of murdered Mexicans and two US peace officers.
Most terminated Americans are given a few days or weeks to leave the work place. However head stones race faster than the US government executives in handling employees whose foul ups are epic in infamy. It may be feasible that the retirement benefits of WWI idiots are still be evaluated in some dank room in Washington D.C. It may be feasible that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is pondering whether work rules were violated by some nut at the Little Big Horn. Is Benedict Arnold still on the pay roll?
The sole remaining issue, for Fast and Furious, is whether the line between gross incompetency or criminal conduct was crossed. For people who carry guns, this is an important point but we hope for better behavior.
And it is inexplicable why the press did not cover this deep corruption, during a Presidential campaign. The dog that did not bark, led to disaster, no justice by those charged with this duty.
I fail to see why ordinary police in the jurisdiction of the crimes cannot arrest and bring to prosecution the dealers and buyers, then work their way up the chain within their state further arrests and prosecutions.
That done, State authorities can arrest and prosecute any DOJ miscreant than puts foot across their line.
Is there some juridical problem with that? Well, then, the Congress itself, House of Representatives, has the constitutional authority to subpoena any damned individual they care to, and to subsequently order DOJ to prosecute him, impeaching Holder if he doesn’t. Why not?
The answer is in the pansy, careerist good-old-boys of the Republicrats and the undereducated, indoctrinated surfs that put them there.
It’s over. Go Galt.
“Well, then, the Congress itself, House of Representatives, has the constitutional authority to subpoena any damned individual they care to, and to subsequently order DOJ to prosecute him, impeaching Holder if he doesn’t. Why not?”
The House can’t really “order” the USDOJ, or any other Executive Branch agency, to do anything. They can hold budgets hostage, cut positions, etc., but from the legislative branch it is almost impossible to directly impact an executive agency short of totally cutting off its money – with all the attendent wailing and knashing of teeth.
They can subpoena Executive Branch employees but they can’t make them talk. If they immmunize them in order to compel testimony, they cripple any subsequent attempt to prosecute them, see, e.g., Col. North. They can’t “make” a US Attorney investigate and bring charges and if you did try to force such a thing, it is the easiest thing in the World for a government lawyer to conveniently “lose” a case. They could bring articles of impeachment against Holder but the Senate would never convict and no US Attorney is going to bring charges.
The only solution to this is for charges to be brought under AZ law, but that is a tough decision for Gov. Brewer who already has plenty of troubles with the Obama Regime. If it were my case, I’d start with bringing some serious charges against line employees involved at the “just following orders” level, charges that would ruin their lives, and I’d start wringing information out of them about their superiors and I’d work my way up as far as I could wring information out of people. Probably that would end at the COS level because they’ll take one for the team knowing that the Regime will take care of them and their family if they draw the warm bath and do the right thing. In a Democrat administration, any administration really, but the Democrats are better at it, the COS’ job is to manage the “force field” that keeps anything from hitting the elected or appointed official.
This doesn’t surprise me at all. No one will ever really have to pay a price for the murders & lies. Holder will probably be sainted by the rats & everyone else walks away snickering at Issa & the slap on the wrist the got. NEVER use DC insiders to investigate DC insiders. We need a really mean cop from Alabama to do it. Then we would actually get somewhere…
Oh, by the way, how much Sinaloa narcotics cartel cash ended up in DEA, FBI, and DOJ pockets? How much of it ended up in President You Didn’t Build That’s reelection campaign coffers? Where are the journalists?
Once again, I’ve been advised: You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down. This is supposed to be software?
“The rich and powerful have decided to protect their own. Consequences for weapons smuggling, and the hundreds of murders they facilitated, are for little people.”
So what else is new?
Far more serious than the deaths involved – although those are serious – is the apparent attempt by the government to use a ‘Reichstag fire’ to subvert a constitutionally guaranteed right. We need to keep our eye on this issue because those in government (including Issa), who have a vested interest in government, are going to gloss over it to keep from putting government in a bad – no, evil – light.
The loss of life is bad, but it’s also a distraction.
I learned early in the Mighty One’s administration that what he says and what he says are vastly two different things. He has a ready and disarming smile ready when needed, but he is so crooked that he undoubtedly has to screw his trousers on each morning
“Stunningly, all are expected to keep their retirement benefits, despite the fact that their actions played a role in at least 300 murders in Mexico, the murders of Border Patrol BORTAC officer Brian Terry and ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata, and the critical wounding of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila.”
The retirement benefits are a tempting target for tort lawyers, who could bring a “willful and wanton negligence” lawsuit to court based on the findings of Issa’s committee and the IG report.
Fast and Furious left a broad path of destruction. Locating a plaintiff is a simple and straightforward task.
It’s is frustrating having a rule of law where everyone is equal before the law, but some parties are more equal than others. Where’s Deep Throat when you need one? Seems like Deep Throats and repentant John Deans, FBI whistle blowers and White House counsels, only happen to republican administrations, usually when the Senate Select Committee or the Justice Department is breathing down their exposed necks, but not always. Sure seems like Emails would be as good as those missing 19 minutes of White House secret recordings, especially since there’s no real right to privacy with Emails. I guess aiding and abetting international murders and gun running just doesn’t have the same scandal value as a third rate Watergate burglary.
The whistle blowers aka “deep throats” fear for their lives, their families, their ability to make a living, their reputations, in this admin. They are no longer protected. And the gop have already stabbed some in the back and/or buried/ignored the info and then went along to get along. We are screwed and there is nowhere for the “deep throats” to turn to get the info out.
The only answer lies in a large part of the population rising up in unison, thus retaliation becomes more difficult and less likely. Make no mistake, both parties are in it together to some degree, and we are in the biggest mess this country has faced, because it is the country itself that faces downfall. Completely.
I am so depressed. And watching the gop self destruct in the public is nauseating. There can be no reason other than on purpose at this point. We do need to re-group, like the beginning of the Tea Party without being R’s or D’s or I’s, and just FOR THE COUNTRY period. In my opinion, the TPers should have remained OUT THERE PROTESTING, VISIBLE, HEARD, WITH JUST ONE MESSAGE, “SAVE OUR COUNTRY”. They went wrong by stepping out of the limelight, and a lot of their strategizing, even though in good faith, led to many being co-opted. And now Boner is purging the conservative representatives that were sent, because they wont be co-opted like they are supposed to.
We need again to get loud and proud (as they used to say), like the TP was in the beginning. The message took off and was resonating very well and by being so out there, the message (which originally was a simple one), was finally overcoming the constant barrage of negative MSM and academia’s brainwashing. Then it got quiet. And look what happened.
“Our government teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.”
Justice Louis D. Brandeis
nuff said.
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your site in internet explorer, would check this… IE still is the market leader and a huge portion of people will miss your fantastic writing due to this problem.