By Raoul Lowery Contreras
How many Mexicans have died, killed by rifles the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF & E) and the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s office allowed to be taken illegally into Mexico for use by the Mexican drug cartels?
A dozen..? A hundred..? A thousand..?
A 500-page report by the Department of Justice Inspector General cleared the Attorney General who was the head mucky muck in charge but who saw no evil, which heard no evil and spoke no evil because he didn’t know what was going on. Some head mucky-muck Eric Holder is.
One of his top assistants resigned because the report stated clearly that he knew or should have known what a boneheaded program “Fast and Furious” was. The former head of the ATF &E who had been allowed to take another job in Washington after he left the ATF & E officially retired within minutes of the report’s release.
No one has been fired. Thousands of Mexicans have died by those guns these clowns let go to Mexico and no one was fired. The U.S. Attorney in Phoenix resigned; he was not fired. No one has been fired.
The report was based on thousands of documents from the DOJ which the department has refused to turn over to Congressman Darrell Issa’s House Committee. The refusal is so blatantly wrong that the entire House has voted to cite the Attorney general with a contempt citation. Covering up for this worst Attorney General in modern history, the President has been persuaded to invoke “Executive Privilege” — just another Washington cover-up.
For the past one-and-a-half years California Republican Congressman Darrell Issa has chaired the Government Operations Committee and gone after the ATF & E and the DOJ for negligence and maybe criminal activity that resulted in illegally purchased guns to move across the border and have been proven to have been used in murders on both sides of the border. One American Border Agent was killed in Arizona and weapons found at the scene of the gunfight were guns that were part of the “Fast and Furious” Obama Administration program.
Let us be clear the Inspector general’s report did not accuse the President or the Attorney General of any wrongdoing but if the President is going to take credit for the killing of Osama Bin Laden he must accept the blame for the murder of the American Border Patrol Agent and the hundreds of Mexicans that were slaughtered sometimes 50 at a time.
Moreover, the President personally must take responsibility for the cover up that has occurred since February, 2011. That month an assistant Attorney general wrote a letter to Issa’s Committee that denied any negligent or illegal activity by the DOJ and the ATF & E. The letter flatly denied any wrongdoing. Ten months later, the DOJ requested that the letter be returned and that the DOJ had allowed that letter out to Congress when its denials were not true.
So, who in the DOJ lied? Was it the Assistant Attorney General (Senate confirmed) who signed the letter or his assistants who composed the letter or the U. S. Attorney General in Arizona who personally approved “Fast and Furious” or the head of the ATF & E who also personally approved the program, who?
No one has been fired. No presentations have been made to a Federal Grand Jury; Attorney General Eric Holder is running around spiking the football because the IG report stated he knew nothing about the program. It appears that the principals involved will walk away without punishment, with full government pensions and health insurance paid for by us.
We won’t, therefore, see men in coats and ties handcuffed and “perp” walked on television night after night. What we should see is a barrage of 30-second TV ads between now and the election quoting from the IG’s report and we should see pictures or tape of every individual named in the report that is blamed for this stupid program that is responsible for the deaths of many.
The words used in these spots should be: “Mr. President, Border Patrol Agent Terry was killed by guns your administration allowed into Mexico. Mr. President, hundreds of Mexican men, women and children were slaughtered with guns your administration allowed into Mexico. Mr. President, why have you not personally fired each and every one of your appointed officials named in this report? Why haven’t you fired Attorney General Eric Holder who should have known this program existed? Mr. President, why have you not spoken out on this program since the Inspector General released his report? Why, Mr. President why are you silent? Mr. President, Magna cum Laude “graduate” from Harvard Law, Mr. President are you acquainted with this legal concept – SILENCE IS CONSENT.
Editor’s Note: as with all postings appearing with a by-line, this op-ed is the author’s opinion, and not necessarily the official position of Cafe Con Leche Republicans.
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Raoul Lowery Contreras (1941) was born in Mexico, raised in the USA. Former U.S. Marine, athlete, Dean’s List at San Diego State. Professional political consultant and California Republican Party official(1963-65)…Television news commentator, radio talk show host…published Op-Ed writer (1988 to present)…author of 12 books (as of 1-05-12). His books are available on Amazon.com.
Ah, Raoul, baby (as in TV’s Kojak – “Who loves ya, baby”) – I see that you bring up this issue – once again – but this time, you indicate that -start of quote – “A 500-page report by the Department of Justice Inspector General cleared the Attorney General” – end of quote.
BUT, Raoul – YOU FAILED to address this issue in YOUR Blog – Obama Flunks on Foreign Policy and Americans Die – http://cafeconlecherepublicans.com/obama-flunks-on-foreign-policy-and-americans-die.
In THAT Blog, Raoul – I indicate – start of quote – “Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about that – in an article about the “2006–2008: Operation Wide Receiver and other probes” programs – start of quote – “The first known ATF “gunwalking” operation to Mexican drug cartels, named Operation Wide Receiver, began in early 2006 and ran into late 2007. Licensed dealer Mike Detty of Mad Dawg Global informed the ATF of a suspicious gun purchase that took place in February 2006 in Tucson, Arizona. In March he was hired as a confidential informant working with the ATF’s Tucson office, part of their Phoenix, Arizona field division. With the use of surveillance equipment, ATF agents monitored additional sales by Detty to straw purchasers. With assurance from ATF “that Mexican officials would be conducting surveillance or interdictions when guns got to the other side of the border”, Detty would sell a total of about 450 guns during the operation. These included AR-15s, semi-automatic AK-pattern rifles, and Colt .38s. The majority of the guns were eventually lost as they moved into Mexico.
At the time, under the Bush administration Department of Justice (DOJ), no arrests or indictments were made. After President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the DOJ reviewed Wide Receiver and found that guns had been allowed into the hands of suspected gun traffickers. Indictments began in 2010, over three years after Wide Receiver concluded. As of October 4, 2011, nine people had been charged with making false statements in acquisition of firearms and illicit transfer, shipment or delivery of firearms. As of November, charges against one defendant had been dropped; five of them had pled guilty, and one had been sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Two of them remained fugitives.” – end of quote.
Link to Web-article – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal. There are 106 Footnotes to the Wikipedia article – and the page was last updated 9/11/12.
As always, with your articles, Raoul – you FAIL to provide ANY Footnotes!!!
I know, Raoul – that you personally see yourself as GREATLY SUPERIOR to any and all Wikipedia entries – BUT, Raoul, baby – THE PEOPLE – across and around the WORLD – edit the Wikipedia pieces – so the COLLECTIVE Wisdom of the People – stike me – as collectively having more wisdom that just little old you, Raoul !!!!” – end of quote.
Raoul, baby – YOU REFUSED to answer the above – in that that other Blog of yours.
NOW, Raoul – HERE’S YOUR CHANCE – to answer the puppy !!!!!!
Take the chance, Raoul !!!