Gunwalker Cover-Up Accelerates: Ken Melson Reassigned
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acting Director Ken Melson, who has been linked to Operation Fast and Furious which allowed thousands of military-style weapons across the border into Mexico, is stepping down to take a position in the Department of Justice:
Kenneth E. Melson, who has faced heavy criticism in connection with the gun-trafficking investigation, announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Also resigning is Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney in Phoenix whose office oversaw the Fast and Furious program, in which ATF agents purposely allowed weapons to be illegally purchased in the hope of catching Mexican drug cartel leaders.
According to CBS News, Melson will become a senior advisor on forensic science in the DOJ’s Office of Legal Programs.
The move is suspect at best, given that Melson gave secret testimony about who knew what and when within DOJ, and included Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer.
ATF Special Agent Vince Cefalu, one of the original whistleblowers on the case, believes it’s motivated by a “cover your ass” attitude on the part of Holder. Cefalu notes Melson is a “lab rat” and believes he should never have been put in charge of ATF in the first place:
I think everything we said all along has been proven to be true. It’s no secret that they’re cleaning house.
Cefalu thinks Holder asked Melson what job he wanted in return for his silence:
You don’t think they gave him that for his stellar performance at ATF, do you?
Melson reportedly watched some of the straw purchases in Arizona live via webcam in his office.
Despite the fact that Dennis Burke’s resignation letter cited everything but Fast and Furious as his reason for stepping down, sources within ATF tell PJMedia he was forced to resign because he’d thrown Melson and Holder under the bus on Operation Fast and Furious. According to Fox News:
Burke was on the hot seat last week with congressional investigators and, according to several sources, got physically sick during questioning and could not finish his session.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has been investigating the case, responded to the moves by Justice:
While the reckless disregard for safety that took place in Operation Fast and Furious certainly merits changes within the Department of Justice, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will continue its investigation to ensure that blame isn’t offloaded on just a few individuals for a matter that involved much higher levels of the Justice Department. There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in Operation Fast and Furious and who else bears responsibility, but these changes are warranted and offer an opportunity for the Justice Department to explain the role other officials and offices played in the infamous efforts to allow weapons to flow to Mexican drug cartels. I also remain very concerned by Acting Director Melson’s statement that the Department of Justice is managing its response in a manner intended to protect its political appointees. Senator Grassley and I will continue to press the Department of Justice for answers in order to ensure that a reckless effort like Fast and Furious does not take place again.
In addition to Melson’s reassignment, several others have been reassigned as well. Fox News reports:
In Phoenix, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley, who oversaw Fast and Furious on a day-to-day basis, was reassigned from the criminal to civil division. Also in Phoenix, three out of the four whistleblowers involved in the case have been reassigned to new positions outside Arizona. Two are headed to Florida, one to South Carolina.
Hurley’s reassignment came after three ATF supervisors responsible for the operation were promoted. William G. McMahon, a former deputy director of operations, took over the Office of Professional Responsibility. Field supervisors William D. Newell and David Voth also moved up despite heavy criticism.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) was unamused:
Instead of reassigning those responsible for “Fast and Furious” within the Department of Justice, Attorney General Holder should ask for their resignations and come clean on all alleged gun-walking operations, including a detailed response to allegations of a Texas-based scheme.
The new acting ATF director will be U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Todd Jones, who is supposed to be an outsider. However, information obtained by PJMedia contributor Bob Owens at Confederate Yankee indicates that may not be quite the case. In fact, Jones may have ties to Fast and Furious himself:
Jones was appointed to chair the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee back in August of 2009, and was briefed in Gunwalker.
According to Senator Charles Grassley’s June 15, 2011 congressional testimony attachment 4, the chair of AGAC (Jones) was a member of the Southwest Border Strategy Group and attended at least one briefing on Fast and Furious in October 2009.
It’s fairly clear the real cover-up has started. The mid- to upper-level officials who could conceivably hurt the people at the top are being moved out or given promotions in order to keep them quiet.
He got physically sick? Heck I’m physically sick watching all this crap go down and how little outrage there is! For frack’s sake people we PURPOSEFULLY allowed guns to just walk into Mexico. Now they’re all hiding it in every which way they can. How is this not a bigger story? Because the president is BLACK?!?!
thats it Gozer. the president and holder are black. instead of allowing thos people to resign they should all be fired. then prossecuted to the fullest extent of the law. and that includes holder and obama. any one with an ounce of common sense knows damned well obama and holder are both a part of gun walker,
Great comments from both of you. I find it hard to believe that these guys, no matter how ‘high’ they are in the ATF could orchestrate this scheme on their own. Which is why they need to start at the TOP.. in the WH and then work their way down. It will be tough to convince me that this didn’t start in the WH. Ovomit and Holder are two peas in a pod and what other reason would they do this except to provide examples of gun sales gone awry. Therefore the Feds needs to step in and protect us from ourselves. Like everything they do it blew up in their face and a border patrol agent lost his life. But no one seems to even focus on that fact either. Holder should be out! Barry should be out too!
Naw, It aint their color, although that helps.
Its that they are hard-core leftists.
The kind of Full-on Commie Statists that the Left wing media loves.
Loves, adores, worships and encourages.
The media hates gun owners, so anything done to hurt the 2nd Amendment (as this was) has their full and unquestioned support.
Their color only provides an “extra” emotional incentive for their apologists in the media to willing avert their eyes and happily provide cover by zero examination of this story.
Anyone who does cover it, is a Racist Teabagging Birther, donchaknow.
For starters. They had to have a man that people would be very careful not to insult or shame. Enter BO. See how simple it it? Now they can get on with destroying this nation.
I love the fact that he commits crimes and then is demoted. Have you ever heard of a federal employee being terminated for incompetence or in this case criminal conduct? Another reason to reduce government size and scope but don’t get your hopes up. Also how could such an innovative program NOT be known by Holder and Obama? what a load of excrement!
Here we see a totally ”out of control” mob of Chicago gangsters and street thugs trying to run a major part of the federal gvt….This is so sickening how they all are getting raises and promotions, for this Felon`ius violation of the laws of two nations…Eric Holder is a slimeball from ”deHood” same as the bigg boss mann, 0b0mm0….this gang of hoods and criminals have taken over the USA. and there is no limit that they will not go to, to hold onto that power…I really think they are planning on the greatest of all heist`s, the criminal take over of the USA….by means of executive order….this is ,in my belief, the time that 0b0mm0…will justify his move….and watch this also, what about those gangsters from the black congressional cauc….they are sewing this kind of hatred against the races, hoping that this will spark a race war, all it needs now is for some whitey to waste a few of the flash mobs, then this hate whitey mob in congress will scream their vial poison until there is a response from someone, all this is for holder and Co. to CRY HAVOC, AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR…one thing i will point out and shut up, When Holder and Co. do unleash the dogs of war…this old 1ST. AIR. Calv. trooper, has run all he ever intends to run…..i say bring it on….Josie Wales
Thank you Josie: You have given me hope here in AZ.
You have expressed on so many levels exacting how I feel.
Holder the Red, is up to his armpits in duplicity issuing numerous lawsuits trageted at border states. It’s my belief they will do anything to destroy the middle classes.
I , like you, will hold Issa ‘s feet to the fire until this pig squeals who’s record as ATT. General of the USA, will go down in American history as the most corruptive DOJ, in our counrties short history.
Thank you my fellow American.
No need to hold Darrell Issa’s feet to the fire!
He’s ON FIRE.
Get your Congressmen and Senators to take off their shoes and scoot closer to the fire.
“…do you really think you can shoot all those men down?
We have a thing in this country called JUSTICE”
“…well, we got us a thing we call the Missouri Boat Ride”
I’m with you on this one pardner,
Corps to Cav, I’ll split my last canteen and magazine with ya.
“you can pay me when you see me, Josie Whales”
Note the recent reports of black mobs, targeting and beating up whites. Then look at the speeches by members of the black congressional caucus, inciting violence. This is NO accident. It is all planned and orchestrated by this administration and it’s allies on the left. Sparking a race war would be the perfect excuse for Obama to declare martial law, and suspend the Constitution and the 2012 elections. The left believes it’s the end game. Will the rest of the country stand idly by and allow the putsch, to happen is the question.
We now have four people who were directly involved in the deadly operation who have been “reassigned” or promoted and it is obvious that this is a bribe by the DOJ. These people are allowed to keep their salaries and the pensions and in return they will keep quiet. I am so glad to see Issa’s statement! Eric Holder was hoping these moves would satify Issa but it hasn’t. Let the investigation continue because this goes all the way to the top.
Until Thug Holder is thrown in jail, there will be no justice on this issue. The DOJ has become a criminal enterprise run by criminals, and supervised by the thug-in-chief residing in the White House.
How long til we are fighting in the streets to preserve our liberty,and protect our families? That question is the 800 lb. gorilla in the room no one wants to address.
Only the minds of Chicago mobsters would conceive such a hair-brained scheme as this, in order to pacify and give ammunition to the Anti-gun,(Brady Bunch)in America. Eric Holder should have been strung up long ago. Moving all the players around to confuse the truth-seekers is pure “thug-like” politics. We do not comprehend just how they play this game, so the beat goes on
This all makes sense when one accepts as reality the patent fact that Obama is deliberately destroying America. A sure-fire way to transform North America into one borderless nation is to arm violent thugs at our borders. DOJ and Homeland Security’s mission.
At what point in our history did the ATF turn into the American Gestapo? Was it Waco? Was it Ruby Ridge?
When it was created by Presidential order out of the old Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms TAX Division of Treasury. By Richard Nixon, in 1969.
Nixon, a classic “progressive” RINO, ostensibly wanted ATF to “do something about gun violence”. In fact, his main motive was to get back at “sportsmen” who, in his estimation, hadn’t given him sufficient support in the 1968 election.
People forget that Nixon’s victory that year was a relatively narrow one. He barely carried several MidWest states, including Ohio, one of two states he claimed as “home states”, the other being California. (He grew up in CA, but was born near Toledo- or so he said.) The reason was that then-Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, the Democratic nominee and former Senator from Minnesota, was a firm defender of the Second Amendment- the last Democratic presidential nominee who could make that claim with a straight face.
At that point, the Democratic Party hadn’t yet signed on with Ted Kennedy’s jihad against the 2nd Amendment and gun owners, anymore that they were wholly onboard with Ted’s “Revolution Lobby”, which a decade later would be trying to cut deals with every Communist in the South American, African, and Asian phone books while simultaneously trying to help the frontline Arab states to erase Israel from the map. Most modern Democrats do not comprehend the heavy price their party has paid for these historically bad decisions.
It was the hard-left swerve of the Democrats in the late Sixties and early Seventies which cost them the support of many traditional constituencies, notably gun owners who were (and are) mainly middle-class and working-class. Instead, they went with the Adlai Stevenson theory that as long as all the “smart, sophisticated” people, plus minority voting blocs, supported them, they could give everybody else the finger from Capitol Hill and the White House. It has never really worked, but by now they are so ossified in their hatred of anyone who is not exactly like them, part of their “enlightened” clique’, that they can’t imagine it any other way.
Nixon was a part of that clique’, whether they like it or not. And he was the one who set ATF up to be what Democrats since that time have repeatedly used it for. Namely a club to beat on people whose existence they disapprove of on general principles.
This is why ATF, or rather BATFE now, has always been ineffective as a law enforcement agency, and always will be. Its entire “corporate culture” is based on the premise “guns are evil, and so are their owners”, with a sneering side order of “there is no such thing as a ‘law-abiding’ gun owner”.
Add in their disinclination to “waste time” going after actual armed criminals (as seen in F&F), and you have an agency which needs armed criminals to justify its existence- but has no interest in ever actually doing anything to put them behind bars. Throwing innocent Americans behind bars for owning guns is so much easier, and more “fun” (as the ATF director in charge of F&F said of the “operation”).
ATF was never intended to be an actual law enforcement agency. It was created for the purpose of political harassment. For this reason alone, it should be abolished. It not only has outlived its usefulness, it never had any to begin with.
clear ether
eon
eon – Great comments, and of course, kudos to Patrick Richardson for doing a lot of the legwork on this. BTW Do you all notice the studied indifference of most of the MSM to this matter?
Too bad you feel that way. I have worked in law enforcement for 15 years. Every ATF Agent I have ever met and worked with primarily have focused on putting felon drug dealing illegal aliens and gang members in jail where they belong. Most of the agents are strong believers in the 2nd Amendment and in fact fight to protect the rights and liberty of legal gun owners. It is unfortunate the public usually doesn’t see what ATF does for state and local law enforcement all the time.
I have worked with almost all the major federal law enforcement agencies and my experience has been that ATF is the most competent, grounded and least pretentious. Those guys (and gals) really do work hard to put the BAD guys in jail and usually do it with a lot less money and man power. I think there or only a 1500 ATF agents national wide. Compare that to DEA and FBI who have 8000 to 12000 agents.
The U.S. has become more like a lawless third world dictatorship where the criminals at the top can get away with murder or anything they desire at will.
Remember that it was the dumbed down voters who let the devil in the house.
With their co-conspirators of the MSM at least they left us some window dressing.
Illusions of the Constitution remain as the original was disposed of in the quiet of the night.
The night and the darkness and evil of President O.
This does not end well folks.
Holder was a bag man for Clinton. I was shocked he made it to AG and the Republican Senators were powerless to stop his appointment.
Does anyone remember Obama’s statement about working on gun control under the radar. This was part of the master plan. They were going to blame the deaths on the out of control gun owners in the US. Thankfully the guys in the ATF that wouldn’t go along with it spoke up. This is more BS from the Chicago mofia in the white house.
Obama’s DWI uncle had SSN and Driver license and was under a deportation order for being an illegal alien. Valid. So I’m guessing he could vote AND purchase firearms. The government ‘of the people’ exists no more apparently. It is arming our enemies south of the border and giving valid documentation to usurpers inside the country. And feeding them! Isn’t it time that we had some reporting on where our tax dollars go to these recipients of ‘income,redistributed’? 1099-GOV 1099-GOV 1099-GOV
‘Isn’t it time that we had some reporting on where our tax dollars go’
DHS Janet Ncompetent has folks like you on the terrorist watch list along with your grandmother and grandchild in diapers.
All thanks to the president before Obama who laid the groundwork for pappy GHWB’s New World Order.
It’s here.
I wonder how many of these “reassigned” folks will end up assuming room temperature in the near future??
I see that the Main Stream Media is trying to hype Melson’s removal as a win for Issa, it’s more like burying the truth. Eric Holder is guilty of at least obstruction of justice if not being the part of this fiasco. When all is said and done the whistleblowers will end up in prison and the real criminals will walk free.
I’ve been following the articles about the DOJ “new hires” here at PJM. Every one is a left-wing radical. Now, Melson has been brought into that corrupt organization. I’m convinced he’s there, rather than being fired, to keep him quiet. I’d like to know what his salary is. I’d be willing to bet he was also given a big “bonus” to shut him up. This is our tax money, people! Every day, it seems, we hear of more corruption from the upper ranks of government.
Finally!!, We are starting to get somewhere. We need to keep the pressure up until Eric Holder Resigns or is Fired. He must be held accountable for his actions as the head of the failed plot to destroy our 2nd Amendment rights. This was his plan that he designed and implemented to take away yours and my rights to own guns. If Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry had not been killed by one of these weapons that was allowed to walk across the border, we probably would not have found out about this conspiracy until it was far too late to save the 2nd Amendment from complete destruction. This failed plot must be “totally” uncovered from its roots to its tips to see exactly who was involved. It is my firm belief that this goes all the way to the White House and was approved by Obama for his good buddy Eric Holder to carry out and implement the total destruction of our 2nd Amendment. They almost got away with it too.
Almost..
But they didn’t!
Now, it is up to us to make sure that they pay for their crimes! This was an illegal operation almost from the beginning to end. It actually started out as a legal operation under President Bush but was modified when Obama & Holder took power. The minute that they allowed guns to travel across the border into Mexico they broke the law. Not just our laws, They broke International laws & treaties that we have with the Country of Mexico. The fact that they let thousands of high powered military style weapons just walk across the border untraced is outrageous!! Our own government basically supplied the Mexican Cartels with the weapons to wage war against the Mexican government and they were (& are still) blaming it all on American’s like me & you!! By all rights, whoever is found to be responsible for Gunrunner F/F should be extradited to Mexico to stand trial for being accomplishes to the murder of multiple federal and State authorities of Mexico. At the very least, they must ALL be fired and prosecuted for their participation in this illegal operation. If we let them get away with this, there will be no stopping them. They already think they are above the law-(because they are the law). Keep contacting your Senators & Congressmen/women to let them know that “WE THE PEOPLE” won’t stand for this type of corruption in our government.
This may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and brings Obama down from Power.
How will adding a special prosecutor to this investigation change it? Can’t people like Melson and Burke lie no matter where they are?
Not easy these days to remain above cynicism. I think, as a matter of political expediency, Holder will almost certainly resign — eventually. It will be spun in a way that best suits the Dems’ campaign.
Assuming that culpability migrates up the chain to the AG (if not Obama), will he be prosecuted under criminal law? Who would prosecute him? Why, the DOJ, of course. As PJM has shown, a department clearly operating under the rule of men. The decision whether or not to prosecute will depend on the direction of political winds, rather than criminality. Magic Kingdom.
I heard Darrell Issa, whose work I admire, say that his main concern was that the Gunwalker fiasco not be repeated, indicating (to me) that he might be less interested in prosecution. Maybe so as not to appear vindictive. Let’s hope so.
What is it with Democrat Presidents and their DofJ’s, Attorney Generals and the ATF.
We have the last two Democrats to hold the Presidency and two of the most monumental screw-ups by the ATF that both cost American lives. To whit: Waco Texas and now Gunrunner.
It is hard to believe that we have another Janet Reno level disaster on our hands and nobody is under indictment, in jail or under really tough scrutiny by Congress.
These things are not so much being covered up as they are being ignored by the administration and their lapdog media.
Keep in mind that Eric Holder, our present U.S. Attorney General, was Deputy AG under Clinton and Reno. His job then?- gun control issues.
Nothing ever changes with this lot. Not even the names or faces.
clear ether
eon
What is it with Democrat Presidents and their DofJ’s, Attorney Generals and the ATF.
We have the last two Democrats to hold the Presidency and two of the most monumental screw-ups by the ATF that both cost American lives. To whit: Waco Texas and now Gunrunner.
It is hard to believe that we have another Janet Reno level disaster on our hands and nobody is under indictment, in jail or under really tough scrutiny by Congress.
This thing is not so much being covered up as it are being ignored by the administration and their lapdog media. More personel shuffles to follow.
Somehow we need to do an end run around the “mainstream media” to get the truth out and keep the pressure on. Maybe republican debates can shine some light on this issue as an example. As an aside; thank you all patriotic Americans who will uphold the U.S. Consitution come what may!!!
They should hand all involved for treason and tyranny! We’ll have to change the current government first however. I hope NO ONE forgets this horrific crime committed by this gov come Nov. 2012!
Who really got hurt in this gun running scandal? Not the government office administrator`s, they get to, keep a government job, go home every night to their families and nice big house. While we buried 2 agents that died needlessly at the hands of these administrator`s while they covered up the trail that leads to holder and obama.
As a retired DEA agent, I can tell that this operation could never have been initiated or carried out without high-level authorization in Washington. What is really sickening is that with two dead BP agents, Napolitano and Bersin are not pounding on Obama’s desk demanding to get to the bottom of it. Instead, they are silent.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it should not matter what promotions are given in return for any promise. A congressional subpoena is a congressional subpoena and cannot be refused by anyone including those who have been promoted. The guy who got sick? Get him back in there to complete his questioning. Taking the Fifth? Grant the piss-ant immunity. Redacted documents? Charge contempt of Congress and go to the D.C. Circuit for a hearing. Holder won’t assign a justice attorney to prosecute the contempt? The House can hire independent counsel. Issa just has to do this one time and the underlings will fold like paper tigers especially when the prospect of having lunch in the slammer on a daily basis is a real prospect.
Issa must appoint a special prosecutor if he is serious about bringing those responsible to justice, and uncovering the truth. If Obama is defeated in 2012,, the new Republican President must charge a new Attorney General with prosecuting those responsible for F&F, at all levels of government. Those responsible for this criminal atrocity must be held accountable.
transfer them out, bring in the new managers, remodel the offices, new computers, who wants a used computer?,how to dispose of the old ones???? Hmmmmnnnn