Another week, another scandal for the Obama administration. While the Operation Fast and Furious controversy did not first come to light last week, revelations have culminated to the point where heads are about to roll.
As negligent as the Solyndra scandal is, it pales in comparison to this gun-running operation. Make no mistake, complicity in this affair and consequent cover-up is tantamount to being an accessory to murder.
In January 2010, a combination of law enforcement personnel from the DOJ, ATF and DEA to the IRS, ICE and FBI ran an undercover operation to selling traced guns to Mexican drug cartel leaders. Unfortunately, the operation was so badly bungled that it resulted in the U.S. government arming vicious criminals, who used some 2,000 high powered guns to wreck havoc in their criminal enterprises.
Among the many mistakes was the fact that ATF agents in Mexico were left in the dark about the operation. ATF officials then lied to those agents, claiming the program had ended when, in reality, it wouldn’t end for several more months. This resulted in many of these guns disappearing, only to reappear at crime scenes later. So far, the use of these guns in at least 200 murders in Mexico and 11 crimes in the U.S., including the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, has been confirmed.
As is true with most scandals, sometimes it isn’t the act itself that causes the situation to escalate; it’s the cover-up. Last month, congressional representatives who are investigating Fast and Furious learned that DOJ 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 allegedly obstructed justice by turning over secret recordings implicating government officials to those same officials being investigated.
Sadly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The person who may fall on his sword for this is Attorney General Eric Holder. His statements to Congress thus far have been suspicious and contradictory. There are serious questions as to what he knew, when he knew it and what materials he may still have in his possession which could prove he perjured himself. Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, slapped him with a subpoena last week in hopes of clarifying his conflicting testimonies.
President Obama claims he knew nothing about Fast and Furious. His actions though, seem to indicate otherwise. His much-heralded economic stimulus plan set aside $10 million for the operations (you thought that money was just for job creation, didn’t you?) and he specifically mentioned “gun tracing and gun enforcement policies” during a press conference in Mexico City in April 2009. Finding out what he knew about the operation could become very enlightening.
This scandal is unraveling faster than a cheap suit. Sadly, when we are left with an administration so incompetent and amateurish, we can expect these types of things. President Obama has been flirting with disaster his whole presidency. Don’t be surprised if Fast and Furious contributes to his ultimate downfall.
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