Operation Fast and Furious - The Cover up Continues

Dept. of Justice Inspector General Cynthia Schnedar, may have compromised the investigation.

Courtesy: Political Realities

(OKLAHOMA CITY) - Although I have written only sparingly about the ATF’s misguided attempts to sell and track guns as they went into Mexico, Operation Fast and Furious, I have followed it with some interest.

It is the best example of a sting operation gone bad and as a result, people have died, including one of our own Border Patrol agents. As a direct result of Fast and Furious, Agent Brian Terry was killed with a weapon that was traced back to the operation.

I can not imagine who the idiot was that came up with this operation, but I find it highly objectionable that they would knowingly subject anyone to such danger, much less one of our own people.

There is no excuse for this level of callousness and stupidity. Could they not see the dangers of what could go wrong with such an operation?

As more and more information comes to light, uncovered by Darrell Issa and Chuck Grassley, one thing is becoming more and more apparent. From the first sign of trouble in the operation, there has been a cover up and hiding of information and evidence relevant to the case.

Representative Issa and Senator Grassley have written a letter, claiming Department of Justice Inspector General Cynthia Schnedar has compromised their investigation and their ability to get to the bottom of what actually happened.

From Fox News:

The inspector general of the Department of Justice undermined and obstructed a congressional investigation by releasing secret tape recordings that corroborate allegations of misconduct in “Operation Fast and Furious,” according to a letter written by Rep. Darrell Issa and Sen. Charles Grassley.

The two lawmakers leading the probe into the Obama administration scandal claim Justice Inspector General Cynthia Schnedar compromised their investigators’ ability to get to the truth and potentially prosecute those responsible for selling thousands of weapons to the Mexican drug cartels.

Schnedar failed to even listen to the recordings before handing them over to the actual targets of the investigation, the letter alleges.

“Each of these disclosures undermines our ability to assess the candor of witnesses in our investigation and thus obstructs it,” they wrote in a letter dated Tuesday. “Moreover, your decision to immediately disclose the recordings to those you are investigating creates at least the appearance, if not more, that your inquiry is not sufficiently objective and independent.

“It appears that you did not consider the significant harm that providing these recordings to the very individuals under investigation could cause to either our inquiry or your own. You did not consult with us about the recordings even though the congressional inquiry and reactions to it are discussed at length.”

It’s bad enough that we have our own people dying because of this operation, but it makes it even worse when those who are responsible, not only refuse to own up to their part in the debacle, but also actively participate in covering up information relevant to the investigation.

The tapes in question were recorded by Andre Howard, owner of the Lone Wolf Trading Co. He began recording his conversations with the lead ATF agent in Fast and Furious, Hope MacAllister, after he suspected the ATF was not exactly being forthcoming about the weapons they instructed him to sell to straw buyers that were headed to Mexico and the drug cartels. As it turns out, he was right. The ATF was lying through their teeth about what they were doing and they have worked hard to prevent that information from becoming public knowledge. From removing agents from the operation who questioned the decision to let these weapons waltz across the border, to putting the whistleblowers into dead end jobs away from the investigation, it’s clear a cover up is in full swing. The ATF is right in the middle of this and their bosses at the Department of Justice are covering for them, with Eric Holder in the lead.

It’s clear that some who were involved in Operation Fast and Furious have their regrets, but those regrets seem to be limited to the people who began to question the validity of the operation and took steps to air their concerns. Unfortunately, those regrets and concerns do not seem to extend to those who are in the know at the Department of Justice and the ATF. All they seem to care about is covering their own posteriors, instead of addressing what really happened, punishing those who were responsible, and making sure it never happens again. I consider that to be the ultimate insult to Brian Terry and anyone else who’s life was taken or affected by Operation Fast and Furious.

Operation Fast and Furious – The Cover up Continues was originally published by: Political Realities

About LD Jackson

Larry Jackson is the founder and author of the political and news commentary blog Political Realities. I have always loved to write, but never have I felt my writing was more important than in this present day. If I have changed one mind or impressed one American about the direction our country is headed, then I will consider my endeavors a success. I take the tag line on this blog very seriously. Above all else, in search of the truth.

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