Fast & Furious Information! Darrell Issa, Chairman - Government Oversight Committee's Ongoing Investigation

[Robin]

Video Playlist on Fast & Furious! Its Great! Thanks to Congressman Issa for getting it for me!

Fast And Furious Investigation .com

Learn more at FastAndFuriousInvestigation.com - Oversight and Government Reform videos highlighting the Committee's continued efforts to get to the bottom of who authorized

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5C707B741C53C532

WASHINGTON – Chairman Darrell Issa and Senator Chuck Grassley today questioned Attorney General Eric Holder about revelations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was aware of straw buying by Manuel Barba during a several month span of which one of the weapons found at the murder scene of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Officer Jaime Zapata was purchased.

In a letter to Holder today, Issa and Grassley wrote that in addition to Otilio and Rafael Osorio and Kelvin Morrison, which they have previously asked about and received non-substantive responses, it appears that another straw purchaser with ties to the Zapata murder was well-known to ATF officials. In their letter, they wrote, "Records indicate that ATF opened a case against Manuel Barba in June 2010,[1] approximately two months before he took possession on August 20, 2010, of the rifle which was later trafficked to Mexico and also used in the murder of Agent Zapata.[2] Additionally, the documents show that ATF had indications in October 2010 that Barba was obliterating serial numbers on weapons, the possession of which would have been a prosecutable offense.[3]" Yet, Barba was not arrested until February 14, 2011.

Issa and Grassley have been investigating the actions of the Justice Department and the ATF that allowed gunwalking, guns purchased by known straw buyers who then often transferred the firearms to Mexican Drug Cartels, to occur in at least one ATF field office jurisdiction.

One of the major flaws found in the tactics used in Operation Fast and Furious, where gunwalking was known to occur, was the failure to conduct surveillance of individuals known to be trafficking weapons to Mexico, which allowed such firearms to reach the border. Issa and Grassley said that the same irresponsible tactic appears to have been used as the ATF allowed guns to cross the border in Texas.

Here is a copy of the text of today's letter from Grassley and Issa, and here is a signed copy of the letter. In addition, here's a signed copy of the October 26, 2011 letter from Grassley and Issa asking about the tactics used in Texas. Also, click here to read Grassley's March 4, 2011 letter and here to read the March 28, 2011 letter. Here is a copy of the Justice Department's response to Grassley's March 28th letter.

February 27, 2012

VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.

Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Holder:

For almost an entire year, we have been requesting that the Department provide information about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' (ATF's) knowledge regarding Otilio Osorio's straw purchasing activities. We are interested in him because he was the straw purchaser of the weapon used in the murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent Jaime Zapata on February 15, 2011.

Letters from Senator Grassley on March 4, 2011, and March 28, 2011 provided documentation that, on September 17, 2010, ATF traced trafficked weapons to Otilio's brother and co-habitant, Ranferi Osorio, as well as the Osorio brothers' next-door neighbor, Kelvin Morrison. Senator Grassley further inquired why these facts did not prompt ATF to conduct a "knock and talk" with these individuals or begin conducting surveillance on them.

On November 9, 2010, as part of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation, ATF witnessed Otilio and Ranferi Osorio providing 40 weapons with obliterated serial numbers to an undercover ATF informant for the purpose of trafficking the weapons to Mexico. Surprisingly, they were not arrested for another three and a half months. Senator Grassley further inquired why they were not arrested at the time they were observed to be in possession of weapons with obliterated serial numbers, which is a crime. He asked whether ATF or DEA continued to surveil the Osorio brothers between early November and their arrest, following the discovery that Otilio Osorio's weapon was used in the murder of Agent Zapata. Inexplicably, the Department has failed to provide substantive responses to any of these letters, including a subsequent follow-up letter on this matter, sent jointly on October 25, 2011.

ATF has tried to distinguish this case from Operation Fast and Furious and to justify its failure to intervene. In one news article on the Osorio brothers, ATF North Texas spokesperson Tom Crowley is quoted as saying: "[T]aking them down and arresting them at that time would have possibly jeopardized that investigation. . . . None of the tactics used in this investigation were anything similar to what was used in Arizona's Fast and Furious, including intentionally walking firearms across the border."[4] Yet failure to conduct surveillance of individuals known to be trafficking weapons to Mexico was a core problem with the tactics used in Fast and Furious. Lack of surveillance is what allowed such firearms to reach the border. The same irresponsible tactic appears to have been used in this matter.

Now, news reports indicate that this may have been an issue with a purchaser of another one of the weapons found at Agent Zapata's murder scene.[5] Records indicate that ATF opened a case against Manuel Barba in June 2010,[6] approximately two months before he took possession on August 20, 2010, of the rifle which was later trafficked to Mexico and also used in the murder of Agent Zapata.[7] Additionally, the documents show that ATF had indications in October 2010 that Barba was obliterating serial numbers on weapons, the possession of which would have been a prosecutable offense.[8] At least as of December 13, 2010, ATF also was aware that Barba was still under indictment for a 2006 state case, and thus had been unlawfully receiving firearms while under indictment.[9] However, a warrant was not issued for Barba's arrest in this case until February 14, 2011.[10]

To assist us in better understanding of the circumstances leading up to the murder of Agent Zapata, please answer the following questions:

1. Did ATF have any contact with Barba, such as a "knock and talk," between June 7, 2010, when Barba's case was opened, and August 20, 2010, when he received the weapon that would later be used in the murder of Agent Zapata?

2. When did ATF agents first contact Barba in connection with this case?

3. Records indicate Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) interviews were conducted in this case by early October 2010. When were FFLs first contacted by ATF in this case?

4. What information about Barba or the individuals known to be working with him as straw purchasers was communicated to the FFLs?

5. What cooperation did any FFLs agree to provide ATF in this investigation?

6. Did any FFLs ever provide ATF with advance or contemporaneous (within three days) notice of purchases by the individuals suspected to be working with Barba as straw purchasers?

7. Why was Barba not arrested in October 2010 when ATF obtained audio evidence that Barba was obliterating serial numbers before trafficking weapons to Mexico?

8. Why was Barba not arrested in December 2010 when ATF knew he had been unlawfully receiving firearms from straw purchasers while under indictment?

9. How many weapons were purchased between June 7, 2010, and February 14, 2011, by the straw purchasing ring associated with Barba?

10. How many weapons purchased between June 7, 2010, and February 14, 2011, by the straw purchasing ring associated with Barba were interdicted?

Thank you in advance for ensuring your response arrives no later than March 9, 2012. Should you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Ranking Member Grassley's staff at [phone] begin_of_the_skype_highlighting [phone] end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Chairman Issa's staff at [phone] begin_of_the_skype_highlighting [phone] end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Sincerely,

___________________________ ______________________________

Darrell Issa, Chairman Charles E. Grassley, Ranking Member

Committee on Oversight and Committee on the Judiciary

Government Reform U.S. Senate

U.S. House of Representatives

cc: The Hon. B. Todd Jones, Acting Director

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The Hon. Michele M. Leonhart, Administrator

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

The Hon. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member

U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The Hon. Patrick Leahy, Chairman

U.S. Senate, Committee on the Judiciary

 

 

http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=ar...

[Jerseygal]

Good work, Robin, keeping us all up to date on this issue.  You have been on this it first broke last year.  Heads should be rolling  more than they are, and if not for the White House Occupier, they would be! 

[Robin]

Thanks JG.  I will post all the links for F&F, not the whole article just a list of the links so we have them!

[RNhunter]

Yes, excellent work on this Robin.  Hope you stay with it.  

You are right, there is nothing from Eric Holder that makes sense on this, other than he is the same arrogant above-the-law commie brat that we see another place in Washington.  Eric says he does not have the time. Really?  He had time to slap a charge on Gov. Brewer for her audacity to try and defend her state.  He had time to suggest that Black people can flunk tests and still have jobs.  He has plenty of time if he did his job.  And then secondly, I have no clue why these guys know so little they claim on the people buying the weapons.  In California I had a rifle transferred to me from another.  I needed absolute ID, had to fill out a form, and then  leave the rifle in the place 10 days while they ran a check on me.  And the gun shop by this time knew me.  No matter.  They go by the letter of the law.  Let me guess that all US gun shops go by the letter of the law since they do not want to be shut down.  Now other states might not be that bad, but my guess is that there still is ID, some paperwork filled out, and some check.  If they do not know what is going on, that is because they do not want to know what is going on.  As for us law abiding citizens, they of course get enough info such that if Obama wants to kill the second amendment, they know exactly who we are and where to find us and the serial number of our rifle or pistol.  Shame on us for being law abiding I guess.  The crooks with the ATF always make clean get aways.   I just wonder. .. why that is?  And that is always the usual question with the Obama admin.  Are these guys really that stupid?  Or is this all on purpose to kill the second amendment? 

Some gun enthusiasts I know are even suspicious that even before a law abiding citizen picks up a gun or a rifle, that someone has already shot a ballistics sample of it and stored that sample away - under the serial number of the gun - which ties to the person.  Some have told me that for a pistol but not a rifle, a shell casing ships in the pistol box that was shot.  For testing only?  Or where did the data go?  Now, I do not object to that, but again I say, they sure are careful if a US good citizen buys a gun or rifle.  So this lack of concern over drug cartels doing the buying seems .... amazing to me.

Thanks for staying with this!  I agree, everything on this subject .... looks beyond awful.  :)

[Robin]

Thanks RN,  We have so much facing us that this may seem a small issue! To me, it is all about our 2nd Amendment rights & the murder of Americans, with more to come!  I will be putting the links to all previous articles in one post under this heading! I saved them all! I think so far I found they were running this program under some different names in at least 5 states! Issa just released this information a few days ago about the ICE Agent Zapata's murder!  There was a program under Bush that was similar. The difference under Bush is they interdicted those weapons. Under Holder only 2 out of 2,000 were tracked and Interdicted! Also, the information that came out about Obama's meeting with Jim Brady's wife where he told her they were "working on gun control under the radar" is very disturbing.  It infuriates me, both for the fact it will get more Americans killed, including our Law Enforcemnt Officers and Troops, and for the fact it was all a program so they could do away with the 2nd Amendment!      

[RNhunter]

Thanks for doing this Robin, and I do not think this is a small issue at all.  I think in fact it is the biggest single Obama offense - and the reason is that people died.  No one died in Watergate for example, and that is the huge liberal issue.

I agree with you Robin.  Life and death trumps silliness spying on the other party.  Life and death trumps political hoo hah lying about how safe Mexico and our border are.  And life and death trumps Watergate and makes Obama and Eric Holder look like the dangerous people that they are.  The fact that Eric Holder almost not seems to care that people died because of his group, speaks volumes to what Obama and he are capable of.

So I think this is big time Robin.  I think you are the one helping us with the big time story.

[Robin]

Dangerous Indeed! The ends justify the means for them.  They could care less how many people are murdered on either side of the border! Pfft! Just collateral damage to them in their quest to accomplish the agenda!

[Ronnie Elliott]

Actually Robin, it is a huge issue for us border states.  Holder et.al provided assault weapons to the very people our sheriffs are trying to arrest and keep our borders safe.  Obama and Holder are the terrorists in our country.

[Robin]

Listing the links to Fast & Furious from July 8, 2011

Obama Stimulus Bill! $$$ Set aside for Fast & Furious! ATF Gunrunner! What did he know and when did he know it?

 

It now appears that Barack Obama and Er...ic Holder of the Justice Department not only knew about Project Gunrunner or ( Fast and Furious ), the selling of automatic weapons to the Mexican Drug Cartels that they used in the murders of 2 US agents, but it now seems that they also allocated $10 million of tax payers money to the ATF for Project Gunrunner in the Phoney Stimulus package (H.R. 495) to pay for it, and then The Justice Department blocked senior ATF leaders from cooperating with Congress in its investigation! If this is true, that means Holder lied under oath and tried to cover it up and Obama knew about it and he and Holder have the blood of 2 agents on their hands.
-----> In the Stimulus Bill - H.R.1 states: For an additional amount for ‘State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance’, $40,000,000, for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10,000,000 shall be transferred to ‘Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Salaries and Expenses’ for the ATF Project Gunrunner.
Notice that’s $40,000,000 for Southern border enforcement, $10,000,000 of which specifically for Project Gunrunner. What does $10 million pay for here? It didn’t hire any new agents that I am aware of.
So Obama wants you to believe that he didn't know anything about this, but he signed $10,000,000 in funding for the program.
So where's the big mouths on the left now? Very Silent! These are the same people that would scream Iran Contra, Haliburton and No Blood For Oil! Hypocrites!
Many believe that the whole purpose behind Project Gunrunner was to sell the weapons to the Drug Cartels so they would then use them in crimes here in America and the Obama administration would use that as an excuse to pass stricter gun laws! And low and behold.... look at the story breaking tonight!
"Obama To Unveil Gun Control Reforms In Near Future" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/obama-unveil-gun-control...
Half a year after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), the Obama administration is set to release a series of reforms to the current gun law, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Thursday. The reforms, which are being crafted by the Department of Justice, come after a series of meetings with relevant stakeholders in the Second Amendment debate.
So what we have is, the Obama administration taking tax payers money to fund the selling of automatic weapons to Drug Lords in Mexico that killed 2 agents, The Justice Department and Eric Holder denying under oath that any of this happened and the head of the ATF saying that he was told to deny everything and that there was a cover up, and the Obama administration and the Justice Department now wanting to have stricter gun laws on the rest of us!
If you ask me, it looks like some people are about to lose their jobs! I'll bet Eric Holder is doing overtime right now and deleting a hell of a lot of emails!
ATF chief: Higher-ups at Justice blocked response to Congress http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/6/atf-chief-says-hig...
Uh Oh: Project Gunrunner In The Stimulus http://www.therightscoop.com/uh-oh-project-gunrunner-in-the-stimu...
Oversight Reveals New Details on Deady Gunrunner Investigation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5MtjMCaROU
Someone in Congress knew about Gunrunner, and Obama signed funding for it into law http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/07/07/someone-in-congress-kne...
Obama To Unveil Gun Control Reforms In Near Future http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/obama-unveil-gun-control... 

 

 

http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090402.html

Attorney General Eric Holder at the   Mexico/United States Arms Trafficking Conference CUERNAVACA, MEXICO ~ Thursday, April 2,   2009

 

 

 

Stimulus Funded ‘Project Gunrunner’ Verified On OpenCongress.org Website: HERE

DOJ Wiretap Authorization: HERE

Project Gunrunner Briefing Paper: HERE

Project Gunrunner: DOJ / ATF smuggle guns to Mexican drug cartel: HERE

Project Gunrunner: DOJ authorized wiretap of ATF’s ‘Fast and Furious’: HERE

White House aims to squash negative stories about Obama: HERE

ABC News reporter fired for telling the truth: HERE

Eric Holder’s DOJ forces US Police departments to lower test standards for   blacks: HERE

Eric Holder = Bad Egg: HERE

DOJ Mobile Unit: HERE

Team Napolitano labels   returning veterans as ‘lone wolf extremists’: HERE

WARNING: United Nations gun control scheme: HERE

Our nation cannot survive treason from within: HERE

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Honduras? Why would ATF walk guns to   Honduras? 1. The national scope of the Gunwalker Scandal & 2. Because   that's where some of the action is.

Oh, well, just another garden-variety Obama administration act   of war on another sovereign nation. What's the big deal? Nothing to see here,   citizens. Move along.

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/07/honduras-why-wou...

ERIC HOLDER’S LONG EXPERIENCE WITH GUN   RUNNERS

 

May 11,   2011

In 2007, then   private attorney Eric Holder defended the group that funneled $1.7 million   into the Columbian group AUC (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) – a U.S.   designated terrorist organization. In addition to funding, Chiquita   International Brands (CIB) helped the group illegally import over 3,000 AK-47s   and 5 million rounds of ammunition into a country ripped apart [More]

http://www.patriothub.org/hub/National/ProjectGunrunner/ERICHOLDERS...

 

 

ATF Gun Smuggling Timeline

Continue   reading on Examiner.com ATF   gun smuggling timeline: a clarification of terms - National C... http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/atf-gun-smuggling-...

Holder Lied: DOJ News Release Shows Obama Admin Approved ATF   Mexico Weapons Smuggling

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july092011/holder-atf-death-tk.php

Houston Office now?  How many more offices?

 

Are multiple local offices of ATF involved in gun smuggling   scandal?
Continue reading on Examiner.com Are   multiple local offices of ATF involved in gun smuggling scand... http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/are-multiple-local...

 

1,800 missing guns…1,800 dead bodies? by Hugh Holub - Views from Baja Arizona

At Least 40 Killed in Mexico in 24-Hour Period - NY Times

The Stimulation of Murder - Investor's Business Daily

Salem-News Photojournalist with Army Task Force 7 in Mexico threatened with arrest by U.S. Border Patrol - Tosh Plumlee Salem-News.com

Read the Stimulus - readthestimulus.org/

Feds Call Meeting with Journalist Who Reported Human Remains and Cartel Weapon Build up with U.S. Ties - Tim King Salem-News.com

Border Patrol Agent's Murder Tied to ATF's Covert Shipment of Over 1700 Weapons to Mexico - Tim King Salem-News.com

Is Los Zetas Military Cartel Planning a Bloody Revolution in Mexico? - Tim King Salem-News.com

All Hell is Breaking Loose in Mexico - Tim King Salem-News.com

Bloodthirsty Los Zetas are Striving for Control of Mexico - By Jerry Brewer Special to Salem-News.com

 

Will post more links.

 

[Jerseygal]

This is great Robin!  Thanks for posting this.  It's a lot of work to keep this all together so someone new to the issue can read up and get caught up to speed!

[Robin]

Gowdy on Fox Biz: Update on Fast & Furious Investigation, Grenade Sale "Inherently Illegal"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwAzipYUXZQ&feature=youtu.be

 

http://americaswatchtower.com/2011/09/07/gunrunner-project-gangwalk...

 

Congress expands Fast and Furious probe to include White House

http://www.fastnfuriousinvestigation.com/2011/09/congress-expands-f...

 

Video: Gunwalker Scandal Now Has FBI Cover-Up to Go With Crime

 

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said that Attorney General Eric Holder is so "inept that he is dangerous to have as the Attorney General" and that President Obama should consider removing him from office.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/180867-issa-holder...

 

Internal Docs List Crimes Tied To ATF Gun Operation

http://www.fastnfuriousinvestigation.com/2011/09/internal-docs-list...

 

Attorney General in Mexico: 200 Murders Result of Operation Fast and Furious

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/09/20/attorney_gener...

 

 

 

 

[Jerseygal]

Thanks for adding to this!  This just grows and grows.  We may never know how far this has gone!

[Toddy Littman]

Please send me the link to this article, i mean, if there is an original somewhere regarding the stimulus money, if you're the originator, let me know, and if there is another place this article is located with its own direct link.

I just tweeted Anthony G. Martin from the Conservative examiner regarding this part you mentioned here about the money from stimulus bill. I don't recall him mentioning that in his articles which he has been relentless in making sure the public knows about Fast & Furious.

Oh and I called Sheriff Joe's office today, and spoke to one of his administrators.  I asked them if a comparison of all gun crimes could be done by Sheriffs on the border, using data from the last 5 years to determine how many of the guns were from Fast & Furious and used to kill Americans, not just officers of the law.

My position is that there is absolutely no way to justify giving guns to drug cartels, without any tracking system, and not have anticipated they might be used to kill American Citizens, unless of course that was the point of Holder's actions, http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/03/18/Holder-Outlines-Ho....

And lastly Dems are admitting Holder's office is purely political by claiming that this entire investigation is based on stopping him from enjoining voter ID laws, and therefore they also admit Holder and/or Obama have something to hide.  It may well be they know dozens, and maybe hundreds of Americans were killed by the guns they sold to the cartels and only tracked at the point they were left behind at a crime.  Makes ya wonder who the inside guy is the drug cartels have to know not to keep the weapon after a murder huh?  Just sayin.

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