Dogman
23rd June 2011, 07:50 AM
Issa: ‘Administration should be ashamed’ of Fast and Furious
June 17, 2011 7:56 am PT
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/5d/ef/5defe123d37701e3771e6f7d81691632.182.JPG (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/dave-workman) Dave Workman (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/dave-workman)
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/dave-workman)
In a powerful late afternoon interview Thursday with NRA News (http://bit.ly/kR4LBN), Congressman Darrell Issa said the Obama administration should be ashamed of how the Justice Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted, and then evaded answering for, a botched gun sting operation that has put thousands of guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartel criminals.
This column has covered the hearing here (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/fast-furious-explodes-issa-calls-operation-felony-stupid), here (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/gunrunner-atf-director-melson-very-much-the-weeds) and here (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/fast-no-furious-definitely-grassley-s-statement-paves-way-for-atf-overhaul). The first report, in which Issa called the gun sting operation "felony stupid," has gotten heavy reaction from readers.
The interview, headlined Rep. Issa calls for Firings and prosecutions (http://home.nra.org/#/nranews), conducted by NRA’s Ginny Simone, revealed that Issa is planning a trip to Mexico next week in an effort to repair damaged credibility resulting from the administration’s Operation Fast and Furious that flooded Mexico with guns. Those guns have been used to murder not only a Border Patrol agent, but countless Mexican citizens.
Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said his committee will hold more hearings, and eventually he wants to put Attorney General Eric Holder under questioning. Here’s how he explained his strategy:
“One of the rules that we have is that we go vertical. We start at the bottom and we work up whenever possible, so earlier today I was asked ‘are you going to have Eric Holder there?’ and the answer is Eric Holder comes last…We will continue through the chain of people who knew, or should have known or we believe knew and get their testimony.
“We know it gets all the way to the top. We want to do our investigation in the right way. We’re hoping that somewhere along the way, the president will realize that cutting his losses, make holding those people accountable that allowed this program, encouraged this program and funded this program to pay the price of losing their jobs.”
The on-air telephone interview lasted about ten minutes. Issa criticized the administration for talking about reinstating the ban on so-called “assault weapons” when there should really first be a ban “on federal agents promoting getting assault weapons into the hands of known bad people.”
“That’s exactly where the NRA and anti-gun groups agree,” Issa observed. “Bad people shouldn’t get guns.”
This administration gave the worst people 2500 weapons and that has to be absolutely be paid for with firings and if necessary, prosecutions.—Darrell Issa to NRA News
Issa was also critical of Democrats on the committee who attempted to interject their anti-gun agenda into the proceedings.
“Obviously they had an agenda,” the California Republican stated, “perhaps the administration’s agenda was that this collateral damage, as they obviously thought it would be, in fact served their agenda. But it’s very clear they are still trying to promote one thing using anyone, including Brian Terry’s now dead body, and it was the worst I’d ever seen in Congress, that kind of opportunism, inappropriate opportunism.”
Ranking Democrat committee member Congressman Elijah Cummings suggested there be a separate minority hearing. This clearly perturbed Issa, who remarked to Simone, “In addition to their trying to defend the administration, they asked for a separate minority hearing on the gun control issue and the issue of weapons going to Mexico in spite of the fact that these weapons were promoted by the administration to go to Mexico.”
“…The administration should be ashamed of what they did…trying to continue to stick by an incredible story, and they will..continue until ultimately they realize it is politically dangerous for them to continue being behind a program that killed Americans and Mexicans.”—Darrell Issa
“This is an administration that came with an agenda,” Issa contined. “They did something incredibly bad. It happens to help their agenda.”
He also explained his outburst at Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich during the final segment of the Wednesday hearing. It was a blistering chastisement that rocked the hearing and perhaps provided its seminel moment:
“I did so for many good reasons but the best reason was that Brian Terry’s mother and sister and cousin were sitting in the anteroom looking at television, having given their testimony, and they were going to see whether I put up with this kind of lying right in our faces and distorting all the realities that everyone knew and I could not let that go without being knocked down and knocked down hard.”
When Cummings tried to apologize to Weich, Issa quickly made it clear that he (Issa) was not going to apologize.
Issa defended the gun dealers who came forward and assisted the investigation, even after expressing misgivings and concerns about allowing known or suspected gun straw buyers walk out of their stores with loads of firearms. He noted that these retailers allowed hidden cameras in their businesses, and kept in contact with the ATF, and after their guns were walked out the door, “initially the Justice Department tried to blame them.”
Fortunately, Issa said, the ATF whistleblower agents who have come forward to reveal the wrongdoing kept good notes and other evidence that they were ordered to do this.
Advertisement http://ads.undertone.com/l?bannerid=207362&campaignid=35621&zoneid=14218&UTCBLOCK=86400&UTSCCAP=10&cb=c73725c9c8074c77afb7f9b6e23990e6&bk=ln8zhv&id=710npll62iwhhhlqttkplpozh
“The administration has to realize,” Issa said of Wednesday’s blockbuster hearing, “that…was only the beginning of turning up the heat.”
http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/issa-administration-should-be-ashamed-of-fast-and-furious
June 17, 2011 7:56 am PT
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/5d/ef/5defe123d37701e3771e6f7d81691632.182.JPG (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/dave-workman) Dave Workman (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/dave-workman)
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/dave-workman)
In a powerful late afternoon interview Thursday with NRA News (http://bit.ly/kR4LBN), Congressman Darrell Issa said the Obama administration should be ashamed of how the Justice Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted, and then evaded answering for, a botched gun sting operation that has put thousands of guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartel criminals.
This column has covered the hearing here (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/fast-furious-explodes-issa-calls-operation-felony-stupid), here (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/gunrunner-atf-director-melson-very-much-the-weeds) and here (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/fast-no-furious-definitely-grassley-s-statement-paves-way-for-atf-overhaul). The first report, in which Issa called the gun sting operation "felony stupid," has gotten heavy reaction from readers.
The interview, headlined Rep. Issa calls for Firings and prosecutions (http://home.nra.org/#/nranews), conducted by NRA’s Ginny Simone, revealed that Issa is planning a trip to Mexico next week in an effort to repair damaged credibility resulting from the administration’s Operation Fast and Furious that flooded Mexico with guns. Those guns have been used to murder not only a Border Patrol agent, but countless Mexican citizens.
Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said his committee will hold more hearings, and eventually he wants to put Attorney General Eric Holder under questioning. Here’s how he explained his strategy:
“One of the rules that we have is that we go vertical. We start at the bottom and we work up whenever possible, so earlier today I was asked ‘are you going to have Eric Holder there?’ and the answer is Eric Holder comes last…We will continue through the chain of people who knew, or should have known or we believe knew and get their testimony.
“We know it gets all the way to the top. We want to do our investigation in the right way. We’re hoping that somewhere along the way, the president will realize that cutting his losses, make holding those people accountable that allowed this program, encouraged this program and funded this program to pay the price of losing their jobs.”
The on-air telephone interview lasted about ten minutes. Issa criticized the administration for talking about reinstating the ban on so-called “assault weapons” when there should really first be a ban “on federal agents promoting getting assault weapons into the hands of known bad people.”
“That’s exactly where the NRA and anti-gun groups agree,” Issa observed. “Bad people shouldn’t get guns.”
This administration gave the worst people 2500 weapons and that has to be absolutely be paid for with firings and if necessary, prosecutions.—Darrell Issa to NRA News
Issa was also critical of Democrats on the committee who attempted to interject their anti-gun agenda into the proceedings.
“Obviously they had an agenda,” the California Republican stated, “perhaps the administration’s agenda was that this collateral damage, as they obviously thought it would be, in fact served their agenda. But it’s very clear they are still trying to promote one thing using anyone, including Brian Terry’s now dead body, and it was the worst I’d ever seen in Congress, that kind of opportunism, inappropriate opportunism.”
Ranking Democrat committee member Congressman Elijah Cummings suggested there be a separate minority hearing. This clearly perturbed Issa, who remarked to Simone, “In addition to their trying to defend the administration, they asked for a separate minority hearing on the gun control issue and the issue of weapons going to Mexico in spite of the fact that these weapons were promoted by the administration to go to Mexico.”
“…The administration should be ashamed of what they did…trying to continue to stick by an incredible story, and they will..continue until ultimately they realize it is politically dangerous for them to continue being behind a program that killed Americans and Mexicans.”—Darrell Issa
“This is an administration that came with an agenda,” Issa contined. “They did something incredibly bad. It happens to help their agenda.”
He also explained his outburst at Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich during the final segment of the Wednesday hearing. It was a blistering chastisement that rocked the hearing and perhaps provided its seminel moment:
“I did so for many good reasons but the best reason was that Brian Terry’s mother and sister and cousin were sitting in the anteroom looking at television, having given their testimony, and they were going to see whether I put up with this kind of lying right in our faces and distorting all the realities that everyone knew and I could not let that go without being knocked down and knocked down hard.”
When Cummings tried to apologize to Weich, Issa quickly made it clear that he (Issa) was not going to apologize.
Issa defended the gun dealers who came forward and assisted the investigation, even after expressing misgivings and concerns about allowing known or suspected gun straw buyers walk out of their stores with loads of firearms. He noted that these retailers allowed hidden cameras in their businesses, and kept in contact with the ATF, and after their guns were walked out the door, “initially the Justice Department tried to blame them.”
Fortunately, Issa said, the ATF whistleblower agents who have come forward to reveal the wrongdoing kept good notes and other evidence that they were ordered to do this.
Advertisement http://ads.undertone.com/l?bannerid=207362&campaignid=35621&zoneid=14218&UTCBLOCK=86400&UTSCCAP=10&cb=c73725c9c8074c77afb7f9b6e23990e6&bk=ln8zhv&id=710npll62iwhhhlqttkplpozh
“The administration has to realize,” Issa said of Wednesday’s blockbuster hearing, “that…was only the beginning of turning up the heat.”
http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/issa-administration-should-be-ashamed-of-fast-and-furious