By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com William Newell, who headed ATF’s Phoenix Division during the controversial operation dubbed Fast and Furious, won’t be going to Mexico as ATF’s attache after all. The agency has decided to to nix that assignment before he even heads south. Instead, he’s been named special assistant to the ATF Assistant Director for…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Robert S. Mueller III takes on two new records as the FBI director. For one, he’s the first director to serve a full 10-year term since J. Edgar Hoover died in 1972. And Wednesday, he became the first to get a two-year extension. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. swore Mueller in…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com If Vice President Joe Biden was looking to break new ground as the VP, by gosh, he’s done it. The Delaware News Journal reports that he is the first U.S. Secret Service protectee to receive rental income as a landlord for the agents who protect him. Biden rents out a cottage…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Ken Melson, the acting director of ATF, who seemed like a goner last month, is now acting as if he might be around for a while. In fact, Melson is making an effort to show more leadership by communicating more with the troops. Last week, he conducted a town hall meeting…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Mexico may not be thrilled about the latest allegations coming out of the U.S. The news service All Headline News (AHN) reports that court filings in an upcoming Chicago case against accused Mexican drug lord Jesus Vicente Zambada Niebla claim the Justice Department agreed to protect Niebla from prosecution in exchange…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com ATF is upping its game in the technology world. The agency announced Wednesday the release of Apps for Android and Windows Phone 7 devices, and an updated application for Apple iPhone and iPod touch devices. “With the latest release of the iOS ATF app, developed in cooperation with NIC Inc., users…
By Allan Lengel ticklthewire.com The National Rifle Association, which is feared and revered by many on Capitol Hill — and loathed by others — is flexing its muscle in its never ending battle with ATF. The latest: The New York Times reports that the NRA on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging a federal regulation that…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com What better way to show gratitude to the folks who protect your life than to charge them so they can protect your life? Makes sense? No! I don’t want to make a big deal out of this. After all, when you take into account the real costs of providing executive protection,…
