SMRs and AMRs

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Report by House Democrats Absolves Administration in Gun Trafficking Case

By CHARLIE SAVAGE
NYT

WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday are expected to publish a report on the disputed gun trafficking investigation called Operation Fast and Furious, concluding that agents in Arizona — not Obama administration officials — were responsible for the tactics used in the inquiry and for providing misleading information relayed to Congress.

In an 89-page report, titled “Fatally Flawed: Five Years of Gun-walking in Arizona,” the Democratic staff portrays Fast and Furious as the fourth investigation, dating back to 2006, in which Arizona-based agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives employed the tactic “gun-walking” — failing to interdict illegally purchased guns in an attempt to build a bigger case.

“This report debunks many unsubstantiated conspiracy theories,” Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, wrote in a cover letter. “Contrary to repeated claims by some, the committee has obtained no evidence that Operation Fast and Furious was a politically motivated operation conceived and directed by high-level Obama administration political appointees at the Department of Justice.”

Still, because the report was written by Democrats, the political impact of its conclusion exonerating high-level officials of wrongdoing may be limited. Its publication comes two days before Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is to testify before the committee. In previous hearings, Republicans have accused the department of sanctioning the tactics and lying to Congress.

(More here.)

2 Comments:

Blogger Tom Koch said...

Nothing here folks, move along, move along.

7:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So...the Democrats have determined Democrats are not to blame? Well, that certainly ought to be good enough for anyone, eh?

3:08 PM  

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