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Grassley Statement On OIG Report

September 20, 2012 by

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) issued a statement today regarding the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General’s report on Operation Fast and Furious. He notes that much of what was contained in the report had already been reported by Sen. Grassley and Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Grassley noted that the wire tap applications still have not been made public nor have much of what was hidden under President Obama’s claim of executive privilege. Grassley called Obama’s actions “merely thumbing his nose” at Congress.

The full statement is below:

Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the
Judiciary, which has jurisdiction over the Justice Department, made the
following comment after the Inspector General for the Justice
Department released its long awaited report on Operation Fast and
Furious.  Grassley first began investigating alleged gunwalking in
January 2011 after whistleblowers came forward to alert Congress about
gunwalking in Arizona.  The Justice Department and Attorney General Eric
Holder initially denied gunwalking occurred.

“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.

“We’ll be reading the report in more detail.  We’ve already noticed that
the report contains a factual error that lets Assistant Attorney
General Lanny Breuer off the hook.  The report accepts Breuer’s version
of events, claiming that he hadn’t “proposed edits, commented on the
drafts or otherwise indicated he had read them.”  In fact, emails show
that he received drafts of the February 4 letter and commented on them
before it was sent, which he later denied to Congress. 


“Last but not least, I hope the report helps answer questions for the
Terry family.  They deserve more answers than they’ve received up to
this point from their government.”

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Sharyl Attkisson On The DOJ OIG Report

September 20, 2012 by

Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News, one of the few journalists to take Project Gunwalker seriously, had a story this evening on the DOJ Inspector General’s report. Her story notes that both former ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Jason Weinstein disagreed with the findings of the report.

In all, the inspector general faults 18 officials from the Justice Department, to the U.S. Attorney’s office on Arizona, on down to the Phoenix ATF agents who oversaw Fast and Furious.

The report says Holder was in essence let down by his deputies. Although he received numerous briefings on Fast and Furious, they didn’t specifically mention gunwalking and Holder said doesn’t recall reading them anyway.

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I’m Sure They’re Consistent, Mr. Attorney General

September 20, 2012 by 1 Comment

Attorney General Eric Holder released a statement today on the Office of Inspector General’s report on Operation Fast and Furious. He said the key conclusions were “consistent” with what he had been saying “for months now”.

Oh, Eric, you live in such a fantasy land if you think a report by your appointed Inspector General which was delayed for months and months is enough to get you off the hook. As Mike Vanderboegh so rightly called it, it is a whitewash. I think Katie Pavlich is probably correct that you are “spiking the football” and doing a victory dance.

Kenneth Melson has “retired”, Phoenix ATF and USAO personnel are likely to be terminated, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein was, as the Instapundit put it, “GoatScaped”.

You can read the full statement below provided you don’t have a weak gag reflex.

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement today on the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General’s report on Operation Fast and Furious:

“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.

“I want to assure the American people that I, and my colleagues at the Department, will continue to focus on our mission of protecting their rights and their security, and doing so in a manner that is consistent with the high standards of the Department of Justice. This includes continuing to seek justice on behalf of Agent Brian Terry and his loved ones.

“The FBI and the United States Attorney from the Southern District of California have been working for many months with Mexican authorities to identify and apprehend the fugitives involved in the murder of Agent Terry, who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving his country. We now have two men in custody and we will continue to aggressively pursue the remaining fugitives to ensure justice for Agent Terry, his family and his fellow law enforcement agents who put their lives on the line each day to keep this country safe.”

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Happy Birthday, USAF

September 19, 2012 by 2 Comments

Today is the 65th birthday of the United States Air Force. They were formed from the Army Air Corps on this day in 1947when the National Security Act of 1947 established them as a separate branch of the military.

In one of those odd coincidences, today is also the Complementary Spouse’s birthday whose father was a serving Air Force officer when she was born and who went on to serve the Air Force as a civilian with the AF Environmental Technical Applications Center. To take the Air Force connection even further, the Complementary Spouse’s brother Larry served as an EF-111 pilot.

So Happy 65th, USAF!

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Crimson Trace Releases Infra-Red Lasers

September 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

Crimson Trace is now offering infra-red lasers to the commercial market. According to their release (see below), they’ll be offering LaserGrips for the 1911 and Glocks, their RailMaster, and their vertical foregrip for rifles with Picatinny rails.

At first I was a little unsure how much use they would get in the commercial marketplace until they mentioned nighttime predator and hog hunting. It most certainly makes sense now.

Affordable InfraRed Laser Sights from Crimson Trace® – Available Now

(Wilsonville, OR) Drawing heavily on technology developed in support of America’s warfighters by its defense division, Crimson Trace is proud to introduce a line of InfraRed (IR) laser sights for the civilian market. Observable only through night vision equipment, these laser sights offer the user the ability to mark a target invisibly, which is a boon for predator control, security personnel or anyone involved in the growing sport of hog hunting. Due to ITAR restrictions, these new IR sights are available through select distributors, online retailers and direct from www.crimsontrace.com and are the most cost-effective solution for anyone who seeks to add a covert night sighting solution to their firearm, listing at MSRPs of between $299 and $599.

In order to assure the widest possible number of gun fitments, the IR lasers available include the award-wining MVF-515 vertical foregrip and the hugely popular Rail Master™ mini laser. The Rail Master fits almost any firearm with a Picatinny rail and adds less than 2oz to the overall weight, while incorporating the most powerful laser available by law. The MVF-515 has an incredibly long run time and offers the additional benefit of a blinding, 200 lumen white light to enable the use of daytime optics as well as night vision devices. Crimson Trace also introduces IR versions of its patented Instinctive Activation Lasergrips® for the 1911 and Glock pistols, assuring the same night vision compatible performance for sidearms.

The company subjected the new IR sights to the same rigorous testing protocols as their standard products, but in this instance went a little further. “Listening to our customers and the marketplace, adding these IR platforms to our commercial line up address consistent requests we receive as the market leader,“ said Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “In preparation for the launch, we field-tested the Rail Master’s performance on two Texas hog hunts this spring. In both cases, they turned in outstanding performances and surpassed our already high expectations on multiple weapon platforms in complete darkness.”

All Crimson Trace products are proudly designed, engineered and built in the USA. For further information contact;

Contact:

Iain Harrison
iainh@crimsontrace.com
1-800-442-2406 x1303

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On Judicial Watch’s Suit Against DOJ For Fast And Furious Documents

September 18, 2012 by

This past Friday, Ginny Simone of NRA News interviewed Chris Farrell of Judicial Watch. They are suing the Department of Justice to try and force them to release more documents related to Operation Fast and Furious.

Farrell said that President Obama has personalized this by bringing it into the White House through his claim of executive privilege. He says the only way to resolve this is to bring it before a judge through a lawsuit. He says that Judicial Watch is using the courts to force the issue.

From Judicial Watch’s press release:

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:12-cv-01510)) against the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking access to Operation Fast and Furious records withheld from Congress by President Obama under executive privilege on June 20, 2012. Judicial Watch seeks the following records pursuant to a June 22, 2012, FOIA request filed with the Office of Information Policy (OIP), a component of the DOJ:

All records subject to the claim of executive privilege invoked by President Barack Obama on or about June 20, 2012, as referenced in the letter of Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole to the Honorable Darrell E. Issa, Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the U.S. House of Representatives, dated June 20, 2012. More specifically, the records requested herein are those records described by Deputy Attorney General Cole in his June 20, 2012 letter as “the relevant post-February, 2011, documents” over which “the President has asserted executive privilege.”

The lawsuit was filed yesterday, on September 12, 2012.

On August 6, 2012, OIP informed Judicial Watch that the Offices of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General had determined that the documents responsive to Judicial Watch’s FOIA request should be withheld in full pursuant to FOIA Exemption 5 which protects “inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency.” Judicial Watch appealed the determination. By law, a response was due September 11, 2012. However, as of the date of Judicial Watch’s lawsuit, the DOJ had failed to respond.

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Be Careful Jogging

September 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

Be careful if you go jogging. That is, at least, if you are a woman in metro Vancouver, British Columbia and you have a ponytail.

In a scene reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, Elena Vinarskaia was swooped down upon repeatedly for half an hour by a pair of owls. Evidently, they confused her ponytail with a squirrel’s tail.

Vinarskaia felt something was flying close to her head but, because owls make little or no noise in flight, she didn’t know they were there until she looked up.

“They were circling high above my head and then would swoop down to about a metre above me,” she said, adding that the owls were all white underneath.

“I just kept running with my head up, screaming, for about half an hour. I was terrified.

“I kept looking at the sky and they kept coming at me.”

Vinarskaia said the attacks only stopped when she finally reached some houses.

“I looked back and the owls had finally settled on a tree,” she said.

“I was so relieved because I know that once these owls get their claws onto something, it’s almost impossible to get free.”

According to a Canadian wildlife rehab specialist this is not unusual. The specialist said that owls fixate on their prey and only realize that its not a squirrel after they’ve hit their target. Her advice was to wear a hat to avoid being mistaken for prey.

Fortunately, Ms. Vinarskaia was not injured by the confused owls. There is no word whether she plans to confine her next jog to a treadmill at the gym.

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Desparate For Money

September 16, 2012 by 7 Comments

The fundraising ideas that come out of the Obama for America camp are “interesting” to say the least.

First, we had the suggestion for June brides that they suggest people donate what they would have spent on a gift for the newlyweds to the Obama campaign.

Then, we had the haute couture fundraiser with Sarah Jessica Parker and Anna Wintour. It was suggested that you donate $3 to get a chance at attending this event of the season with the reminder “Don’t be late”.

Now, we see that next weekend is National Yard Sale for Obama in which people are being urged to hold yard and garage sales to raise money for the Obama campaign.

At the rate this is going the next fundraising idea will be Pimp Your Daughters For Obama. After all, he did give an interview to Pimp with the Limp which just happened to air on the morning of September 11th.

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Wall Street Journal Notices Impact Of Election On Gun Sales

September 15, 2012 by 1 Comment

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article looking at the impact of the upcoming Presidential election on gun sales. The article by Shelly Banjo examines retailers’ stocking plans, the rise in both NICS checks and excise tax collections, and manufacturers’ backlogs.

Cabela’s has two stocking strategies for this fall and winter season – one if Obama is re-elected and one if Mitt is elected.

The Sidney, Neb.-based retailer and other companies in the guns-and-ammo business say if Mr. Obama wins a second term they are preparing for a surge in sales—the same as they saw after he was elected in 2008—from buyers fearful the president would back policies to make buying a gun more difficult. If Republican challenger Mitt Romney wins, though, the chain plans to stock more items such as waterproof boots and camouflage hunting gear.

“If Mitt Romney is elected and there’s no perceived threat on the freedom to own guns, people might decide to spend disposable income on things like outerwear instead,” said Joe Arterburn, a Cabela’s spokesman.

The article notes that Cabela’s is offering to pay suppliers so as to go to the head of the line for the distribution of limited inventory. Their normal payment cycle is as long as 120 days from receipt of the merchandise. To get guns and ammo for their stores, they are moving this up to 15 days. From a business and accounting standpoint, this is very significant.

When the respective presidential campaigns were asked for comment, the Obama campaign responded with the usual platitudes about President Obama respecting the Second Amendment. The Romney campaign declined to comment. In my opinion, this was a lost opportunity on their part. They should have responded that voters obviously don’t trust Obama to protect their Second Amendment rights and are voting with their pocketbooks. Like I said, a lost opportunity.