atf file photo

WASHINGTON – Fourteen federal law enforcement officials – from field agents in Arizona to top managers in the ATF and Department of Justice in Washington – created a “significant danger to public safety” under Operation Fast and Furious and were referred for possible job discipline for carrying out a gun-walking operation that saturated the Southwest Border with more than 2,000 illegally-purchased firearms.

Less than an hour after those findings were announced Wednesday by the Justice Department’s Inspector General’s office, two of the individuals – Kenneth Melson, the former head of the ATF, and Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. Jacob Weinstein – announced they were stepping down.

The 18-month IG investigation, the only independent review of Fast and Furious, also concluded that Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. had no prior knowledge of Fast and Furious, a position he has long held despite intense criticism from Republican lawmakers who earlier voted him in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over some Justice documents regarding Fast and Furious.

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To read the full IG report click here.

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Responses to IG Report:

Todd Jones

B. Todd Jones, Acting Director of ATF:

”ATF greatly appreciates the work done by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) and believes that the OIG report is rightfully critical of ATF’s handling of the Wide Receiver and Fast and Furious investigations. ATF accepts full responsibility for its failure to exercise proper leadership and oversight of these investigations. Combined with the lack of effective and accurate internal communication up and down the chain of command, our shortcomings led to a series of regrettable events. As such, I have referred the findings of the OIG report to our Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations to determine if any adverse actions are warranted. The Privacy Act prohibits us from discussing any personnel actions related to those named in the report.”

”We are pleased that the DOJ OIG has acknowledged the reforms that my new leadership team has put into place since my appointment as Acting Director. We have taken corrective actions to ensure that something like this never happens again and we will continue to be vigilant in ensuring our investigations are conducted effectively and appropriately. We’ve made significant changes to ATF management and business practices, and we will make sure that this agency puts public safety first in all of our investigations.”

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.)

Sen. Grassley/official photo

“At first glance, the Inspector General’s report reaffirms virtually everything that Congressman Issa and I have already reported. Operation Fast and Furious was the height of irresponsibility on the part of a number of people from the ATF Phoenix field office all the way up to the Justice Department headquarters. And, we still don’t know the full extent of any White House involvement because they refused to be transparent and provide documents requested by the Inspector General.

“It’s clear that both the ATF and the Justice Department failed to provide meaningful oversight of Operation Fast and Furious. They ignored warnings from employees, and frankly, failed to do their jobs. It took the death of our own Border Patrol Agent, action by a courageous whistleblower, and intense scrutiny from Congress before they even took note of what was happening under their own eyes. Even then, they wouldn’t come clean with how bad it really was until after they had sent a false letter and retracted it eight months later.

“It’s particularly discouraging that this all could have been stopped early on if people had just read the wiretap applications. The Inspector General noted that anybody reading those documents should have seen the red flags. The law requires that certain senior officials authorize those applications, and the Inspector General found that they did so without reading them. I’m glad that the OIG is joining me and Chairman Issa in urging the Justice Department to move to unseal the wiretap applications so that the American people can read them and make up their own minds.

“The President also appears to be abusing his authority to exert executive privilege. The White House rightly allowed the Inspector General to make public a small subset of the documents withheld from Congress under his claim of Executive Privilege, but it continues to shut out Congress’ access to the rest of the documents. It proves that this subset of documents could have been released earlier, and the President was merely thumbing his nose at Congress by claiming Executive Privilege on the eve of the contempt vote against Attorney General Holder for withholding the documents.

“It’s time to hold people accountable. Attorney General Holder is out of excuses for action.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif)

Rep. Issa/gov photo

“The Inspector General’s report confirms findings by Congress’ investigation of a near total disregard for public safety in Operation Fast and Furious. Contrary to the denials of the Attorney General and his political defenders in Congress, the investigation found that information in wiretap applications approved by senior Justice Department officials in Washington did contain red flags showing reckless tactics and faults Attorney General Eric Holder’s inner circle for their conduct.

“Former Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer who heads the Criminal Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, and Holder’s own Deputy Chief of Staff Monty Wilkinson are all singled out for criticism in the report. It’s time for President Obama to step in and provide accountability for officials at both the Department of Justice and ATF who failed to do their jobs. Attorney General Holder has clearly known about these unacceptable failures yet has failed to take appropriate action for over a year and a half.”

Atty. General Eric Holder Jr.

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• “I have reviewed the Office of the Inspector General’s report on Operation Fast and Furious and the key conclusions are consistent with what I, and other Justice Department officials, have said for many months now:
• The inappropriate strategy and tactics employed were field-driven and date back to 2006;
•  The leadership of the Department did not know about or authorize the use of the flawed strategy and tactics; and
• The Department’s leadership did not attempt to cover up information or mislead Congress about it.

“Beginning in 2011 – shortly after public concerns were first raised about Operation Fast and Furious – I referred this matter to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Throughout the next several months, I instituted significant policy reforms, stronger internal controls and made key personnel changes to prevent the flaws that plagued this investigation, as well as the earlier investigation, Operation Wide Receiver, from recurring. I’m pleased that the OIG report appropriately recognizes these reforms.

“Based upon the information in the OIG report and other related information, I am also announcing additional personnel changes today.

“First, Kenneth Melson, the former Acting Director at ATF, has retired from the Department, effective immediately. Ken has served the Department in several important roles for over thirty years, including as a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and more recently as an advisor on forensic science issues. I want to thank him for his dedication and service to the Department over the last three decades.

“Second, those individuals within ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, whom the OIG report found to have been responsible for designing, implementing or supervising Operation Fast and Furious have been referred to the appropriate entities for review and consideration of potential personnel actions. Consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act, the Department is prohibited from revealing any additional information about these referrals at this time.

“Finally, I have accepted the resignation of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, a longtime career prosecutor who most recently served in the Criminal Division where he led our violent and organized crime, computer crimes and intellectual property enforcement efforts. Jason has dedicated much of his career to fighting violent crime and has led highly successful efforts around the country in this effort. The American people are safer because of his work. His commitment to the Department has been unwavering, and I deeply appreciate his 15 years of distinguished service here at Main Justice as well as in Baltimore and New York.

“It is unfortunate that some were so quick to make baseless accusations before they possessed the facts about these operations – accusations that turned out to be without foundation and that have caused a great deal of unnecessary harm and confusion. I hope today’s report acts as a reminder of the dangers of adopting as fact unsubstantiated conclusions before an investigation of the circumstances is completed.

 

 

Steve Neavling

The FBI hopes to soon test new technology that would analyze DNA almost instantly, Network World reports.

The so-called Rapid DNA machine is designed to pinpoint someone’s identity with a simple cotton swab of saliva, according to Network World.

While authorities have been using DNA tests to help solve crimes since the 1980s, the analysis has been notoriously slow.

The FBI has received devices to evaluate, according to Network World.

 Steve Neavling

A team of FBI agents is in Libya to investigate the killings of four Americans during an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, the Washington Post reports.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday an undisclosed number of agents arrived in Libya following delays fueled by concerns about continued violence, according to the Post.

“The FBI has joined the investigation on the ground in Libya and we will not rest until the people who orchestrated this attack are found and punished,” Clinton told reporters, the Washington Post reported.

The attack on the consulate, which was spurred by an anti-Muslim video, killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other State Department employees.

Steve Neavling

 The FBI has added a stolen Renoir painting to its global gallery of most wanted art pieces, the bureau announced Tuesday.

Last year an armed man with a ski mask swiped the painting, “Madeleine Leaning Her Elbow with Flowers in Her Hair,” from a private Texas home.

“We hope that adding the Renoir to the FBI’s Top Ten list and publicizing the reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of the painting will prompt someone to come forward,” said Peter Schneider, a sergeant with the Houston Police Department and a member of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force in Houston.

Schneider said the theft is among the most high-profile art heist he’s encountered.

Click here to read the FBI’s press release.

Brian Terry

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down in a 2010 shootout with bandits north of the Mexican border in December 2010, the Associated Press reports.

His memory was honored Tuesday with the grand opening of a new Border Patrol station named after him.

The fatal shooting caused an uproar after authorities noticed that two guns at the scene were acquired by bandits from the government’s botched gun-smuggling probe, Operation Fast and Furious.

The new station in Naco is designed to accommodate more than 450 agents and support workers, according to the AP.

“We are still sad,” said Robert Heyer, a cousin of Terry’s. “There is a huge void in our lives with Brian being gone, but we take an immense amount of pride and we’re even now … able to smile and remember the things that Brian has said and has done.”

A two-year probe by the U.S. Department of Justice has concluded that a North Carolina sheriff and his deputies targeted and arrested Latinos without probable cause, the Associated Press reports.

An 11-page report issued Tuesday says Alamance County Sheriff Terry S. Johnson and his deputies trampled on the constitutional rights of Latinos with the intent on increasing deportation.

But the department found that many of those targeted were U.S. citizens and legal residents, according to the AP.

The Justice Department lists recommendations to end discrimination. If they are ignored, the department may take the county to federal court, the AP reported.

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