GOP REPORT FINDS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN WHITE HOUSE AND ‘FAST AND FURIOUS’
Source: Think Progress
GOP REPORT FINDS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN WHITE HOUSE AND FAST AND FURIOUS | Despite insistence from GOP leadership that the White House was behind the so-called Fast and Furious gunwalking program, a report from House Republicans released Tuesday names five officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as culprits in the misguided effort. All five were reassigned before the release of the report the first of three. The indictments in the report contradict House Speaker John Boehners (R-OH) insistence that the President invoked executive privilege over the Justice Departments information on ongoing investigations to protect his personal interests. The indication, however, is that the upcoming reports will try to tie the President to the program. It will address the unprecedented obstruction of the investigation by the highest levels of the Justice Department, including the attorney general himself, according to the Republicans who wrote the report.
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/31/614491/fast-furious-report-white-house/
sinkingfeeling
(51,473 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)SaveAmerica
(5,342 posts)How you like it now?
freshwest
(53,661 posts)SaveAmerica
(5,342 posts)One of the Dems who voted to hold Holder in contempt is my Congressman. I have been frustrated to watch as Obama worked hard to stay above the fray and volley against the hate and lies that have been thrown at him while my Congressman has shown no interest in educating his constituents on the truth instead of embracing tea party lies.
He jumped on that crazy bandwagon against Obama and Holder without waiting for details and the truth.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Thav
(946 posts)They will continue to repeat the lie because it bolsters their position.
They have no need for facts.
caraher
(6,279 posts)Facts are simply not part of their worldview. If anything, they'll only get more outraged that Obama didn't fix this before it happened... even before he took office
Champion Jack
(5,378 posts)tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)onehandle
(51,122 posts)mlevans
(843 posts)Javaman
(62,534 posts)and it will become part and parcel of the right wing nuts lexicon much like the right wing memes of "Obama is a Muslim" and "He was born in Kenya".
They don't want to reason or facts, they want a way to vent their colossally misplaced anger of self loathing.
louis-t
(23,297 posts)ATF was trying to stop straw buyers from selling to gun runners who were smuggling weapons to Mexico. They could NOT have stopped the legal sale of weapons. They could NOT have stopped straw buyers from 'changing their minds' about personal use clause in the paperwork and selling to third parties. There is no evidence of 'gunwalking'. Am I missing something?
GoCubsGo
(32,088 posts)There is an article about it in some prominent magazine. Fortune, maybe? If I find it, I'll post a link. I understand there was also an issue with some judges refusing to help stop what was going on.
louis-t
(23,297 posts)to do anything, saying what they were doing was NOT illegal. that's the problem. The NRA wrote those weak laws in AZ through ALEC. Now repugs are saying it's Obama's fault.
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)they were violating federal law, Gun Control Act of 1968 to be exact. Why the US attorney refused to do anything, after seeing cash and guns exchange hands on video tape, is a mystery to both of us.
louis-t
(23,297 posts)I need to find out more about this.
PavePusher
(15,374 posts)It was a Federal investigation into violation of Federal gun laws. The U.S. District Attorney refused to charge anyone, saying that no Federal laws had yet been broken.
louis-t
(23,297 posts)And I still have not seen any proof that the ATF "allowed" guns to be sold to drug cartels in Mexico.
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)My guess is the AUSA in Arizona, one of the ones Bush put in to help suppress votes, was either lazy or on the take, because the ATF agents had money and guns changing hand on video. For example Vermont says it is OK for a 16 year old to buy a gun. Federal law, which trumps state law, says "18 for long guns and 21 for handguns". If I'm working at a gun store, with federal license and ATF inspectors over seeing my operation, I'm going to follow the stricter federal law. It is wise for a private seller to as well, but that is a more complex issue that it seems because of privacy laws, commerce clause etc.
Meanwhile, Vermont figures why have a redundant law? If the feds updated the rules for them, why bother? So while they didn't violate AZ law, the ATF is there to enforce federal law.
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)even though the field agents were begging him to do so. In the case that led to the shooting of a field agent, they knew that the guns were being bought by a straw buyer for the cartels and begged the US attorney to allow them to arrest the straw buyer. The attorney said their case wasn't strong enough to hold up in court, so they let him walk. All of the events are well known at this point.
Yes, you've got it exactly right as far as I understand. The laws are such that there's nothing necessarily illegal about an individual of no real means buying fifty guns today and then buying fifty more tomorrow.
wordpix
(18,652 posts)a case "too weak" to prosecute.
The NRA and weak gun control are to blame for this. Mexico has been asking the US to control our side of the border where the guns are coming from but NRA says "no way" so the guns keep flowing in to the cartels.
PavePusher
(15,374 posts)Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)Republicans treated Holder, even holding him in contempt of Congress over this fabricated, political theater?
Do hold your breath. I have little confidence that an apology is forthcoming.
Mz Pip
(27,453 posts)It doesn't fit with their Obama-is-responsible-for-everything-bad-that-has-ever-happened-or-will-ever-happen meme.
Kingofalldems
(38,475 posts)about this. Guess they were wrong.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)but I wonder just how much did this 'effort' by the GOP cost us?
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)wordpix
(18,652 posts)Panasonic
(2,921 posts)And have Congress levy a contempt of Congress on Issa and kicked out of Congress for lying to Congress.
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)Qutzupalotl
(14,327 posts)wordpix
(18,652 posts)la la
(1,855 posts)....and, yeah...i have to admit to watching it....he said 'there's more to come'....lordy, lordy...the man just doesn't know when to shut up and go away...i'm surprised he showed his face on 'the teevee' after this report/money spent/harassment of Holder/Obama....
lastlib
(23,286 posts)we couldn't put it past 'em, that's for certain!
has Issa heard about this? any chance of an apology??? yeah, right
RedStateLiberal
(1,374 posts)and 'Fast and Furious' was just cover for the fact that it was actually Arizona's lax gun laws that allowed guns to "walk" into Mexico.
Republicans knew that once people learned the facts they'd see these gun laws are ridiculous because they allow anyone to buy a bunch of guns and then immediately sell them to whoever they want no questions asked.
That's why they concocted the conspiracy theory that the WH intentionally did this in an attempt to increase gun control. So when these facts came to light they could head off any attempts to increase gun regulations by making people believe it was really the Obama admin creating a controversy by intentionally letting guns walk - which they obviously didn't do.
Now whenever anyone mentions 'Fast and Furious' the question is whether the WH did something inappropriate and not whether these gun laws need to be looked at so they may not have gotten Holder, but they've changed the narrative - just like they always do.
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)sakabatou
(42,174 posts)They'll keep hammering the meme that F&F and the WH are connected.
Yeah Its Spin
(236 posts)Obama will just pardon them...
The Dems are shaking in their shoes now and so forth.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,049 posts)apparently, at least a few Republicans are still some clinging to bizarre conspiracy theories.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)since Issa started this crud.
billky
(159 posts)Have any of the news organizations even spoken about this? I haven't heard anything.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I find that hilarious. The Obama haters and fringe wing nuts are wetting their panties over this and no one else in America has any idea about this.
rks306
(116 posts)I know that happen.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)wordpix
(18,652 posts)Berlum
(7,044 posts)as they demonstrate once again...