The Department of Justice inspector general issued a report today saying that there was no evidence Attorney General Holder knew of the Fast and Furious operation before being informed of it in a letter in early 2011 from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
Holder has long maintained that he knew nothing of the probe.
However, according to The Hill, the report found widespread errors within the agency.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that four high-ranking DOJ officials, including Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, knew enough about the dangers of the operation that they should have raised concerns with their immediate superiors.
The Justice Department announced shortly after the report’s release that former acting director of the ATF Kenneth Melson and Weinstein had both resigned. Melson headed the ATF while “Fast and Furious” was ongoing, stepped down last summer, and was reassigned to a lower level position
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who has led Congress’s investigation of Fast and Furious, along with Grassley, called on President Obama to hold the officials named in the IG’s report accountable for their mistakes in the operation.
“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,” said Issa in a statement following the report’s release.
Holder asserted in a statement that the conclusions “are consistent with what I, and other Justice Department officials, have said for many months now.”
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
DOJ Report Writing Handbook – 1) See “BUS, Throw Under the” chapter; 2) See “BOSS, Cover the backside of” chapter; 3) Publish report; 4) Obtain cushy job in another government agency.
Rick, you beat me to it.
DOJ definition: One lies and the other swears to it.
Yup. The living definition of hypovehiculation…On second thought. Check that.
The fox guarding the henhouse.
That was my thought as well Jeff….
Fox Finds No Security Lapses in Henhouse.
Should have been my headline.
The report is damning no matter how it’s read. Holder either feigns ignorance or is ignorant and inept if he didn’t know what was going on in his department.
I am voting “inept” “incompetent” and “injurous”.
I am voting …..”present”……. :>)
Perfect Rick, it complements Holder voting absent. ; )
Unless and until we can see the original proposal for this operation, we’ll never know who, what, and why it was put into effect.
The basic premise that the US DOJ wanted to track drug cartels in Mexico by giving them weapons bought in Arizona is ludicrous and unbelievable. The suspicion that the DOJ and some prominent Dems wanted to use the resulting mayhem as a platform to outlaw or ban certain weapons in the US makes more sense than what is publically admitted.
All this report gives is another layer of coverup for the DOJ and it’s leaders.
Spot on, srdem.
Is this the last word on the subject? The House still has a civil lawsuit against Holder for contempt. Could a special independent investigation be called by the House?
Department of Justice inspector? HA. Really, a department investigates itself and comes to the conclusion it’s leader has no knowledge of this high priority operation. BULL SHIT.
ERIC “the Rat Snake” HOLDER is responsible for this crap whether he knew or not. He is totally irresponsible to boot.
The Obama Administration makes me sick. I’m on liquid diet to avoid throwing up solids when I think of these pukes running our country into the ground.
P.S. Mr. Obama, since your so good at cleaning up other peoples messes, can you send someone over to clean up my welfare neighbors yard? It looks like a garbage dump. $30 a month for garbage pick-up here, but they still can’t afford to pay it. Just see what you can do.
Thanks for nothing.
Another case of ” I am innocent, it is everyone elses’ fault. This administration is big on that sort of thing.
WOW.They resigned.Now let me see ,I guess that means that they will be “Appointed” wink,wink to a new higher paying job for keeping their mouth shut and not telling the truth about Holder.Quit telling lies.You are a bunch of scum that do not care how many good BP agents are killed,how many loyal service personnel are killed but we must cover this big dumb asses stupidity.Both Holder and Obama are a waste of time and money because they do not care about this country.Send them both to a “nice”Islamic country and let us see how long they would last with their dress and lifestyle.
So why the executive privilege then?
I am so sick of these lying, thieving commie rat bastards.
Issa has a hearing scheduled tomorrow for 9:30AM edt. Let’s hope he grills this ‘inspector’ on why several individuals refused to cooperate; and what the implications are.
If Issa drops the subpoena request for the docs Holder contemptuously refused to provide [for what reason, may I ask, if he / Obama were not involved] then he too should be fired.
How disgustng, if we are to discover, that Issa, carrying the torch for justice, was nothing but a hypocrite.
Am I the only one who remembers Inspector General Gerald Walpin? Obama fired him in ’09 (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124511811033017539.html) when Walpin was investigating an Obama crony/supporter in California.
Any wonder the DOJ IG came down with his findings the way he did?
Yes, I remember. Also, nobody looked very carefully into Eric Holder’s background before he was ok’d for DOJ! His DC law firm represented for millions of $’s GITMO detainees from Yemen and other Islamic radical terrorist nations!
If one examines the backgrounds of UN AMB Rice, BHO’s czars, and Advisers to Cabinet positions, the left-leaning socialists ideology is what connects them all together – Alinsky’s rules for taking control!
Oh how I remember the Kevin Johnson cover-up, Shofar! As I recall it was Michelle Obama who led the witch hunt for IG Walpin. But the story is so fraught with corruption and collusion, it is shocking. Sacramento mayor Johnson, a former NBA star married to Michelle Rhee, is a personal friend of the Obamas. Not only did he embezzle $800K from AmeriCorp, he was involved in 3 sex scandals which his then-fiancee and close friiend of Michelle Obama, Michelle Rhee, helped to cover up. It reads like something out of the National Enquirer:
http://www.maggiesnotebook.com/2010/03/motive-in-ig-walpin-firing-larry-brown-curries-favor-with-obama-michelle-rhee-covers-for-kevin-johnson/
I remember that/him – everything is just swept under the rug and forgotten. Is the government purchasing more ammo and riot gear?
“Mistakes were made…”
Now wait a darn minute. If you are the top person in an organization, you are (or should be) knowledgeable of what goes on. Granted, in an abortion such as DOJ where no one talks to anyone about anything,thats hard. But tha does not relieve you of accountability. Ask any Commanding Officer who was fired for ignorance.
So just because the IG says “holder didn’t know” its not enough, It shouts of ‘management incompetence’ or planned ignorence, either should be cause for removal.
You said it! The brass is tarnished.
“Plausible Deniability”!
Hey, worked for Kennedy!
Of course they would “clear” Holder. Obama’s DOJ is just as corrupt as his Attorney General
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