ATF Manager says he shared Fast and Furious Info with White House

[friendly_iconoclast]

Source: CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20083772-10391695.html

July 26, 2011 5:02 PM
ATF Manager says he shared Fast and Furious Info with White House


By Sharyl Attkisson


At a lengthy hearing on ATF's controversial gunwalking operation today, a key ATF manager told Congress he discussed the case with a White House National Security staffer as early as September 2010. The communications were between ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office, Bill Newell, and White House National Security Director for North America Kevin O'Reilly. Newell said the two are longtime friends. The content of what Newell shared with O'Reilly is unclear and wasn't fully explored at the hearing.

It's the first time anyone has publicly stated that a White House official had any familiarity with ATF's operation Fast and Furious, which allowed thousands of weapons to fall into the hands of suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels in an attempt to gain intelligence. It's unknown as to whether O'Reilly shared information with anybody else at the White House.

Congressional investigators obtained an email from Newell to O'Reilly in September of last year in which Newell began with the words: "you didn't get this from me."

"What does that mean," one member of Congress asked Newell, " 'you didn't get this from me?' "....

[Hoopla Phil]

1. Deeper and Deeper. I read somewhere the other day

that even people at the FBI are looking to cover their a@@ and may be looking to make a deal to stay out of jail.

[AzWorker]

9. Yep, the witness list of future F&F hearings will be interesting...

...to say the least.

[razorman]

16. Well, that's standard procedure for a serious scandal.

[X_Digger]

2. I heard that exchange in the testimony, but I didn't pick up that this guy was WH staff

Newell hemm'd and haww'd, but didn't give a straight answer as to whether or not it was an inappropriate communication, his warning notwithstanding.

[AzWorker]

4. National Security Director for North America Kevin O'Reilly....

Not good.....

NSC was involved with 'arms for hostages' and now it appears to be 'arms for new regulations'....

8^(

[ileus]

8. 100% right....it was a we do this to prove this op.

Once proven yee haw....AWB here we come. We're doing it for the Kiddies...

[AzNick]

17. Ok, but how desperately they try to link Obama to this.

[beevul]

3. Interesting.

[spin]

5. Interesting indeed. (n/t)

[spin]

6. Just imagine who much attention this story would be getting if it were not for the ...

debt crisis or the Casey Anthony trial.

[one-eyed fat man]

7. Threads are unraveling

“From the intel, it appears that a company was set up in Mexico to purchase weapons through the U.S. Direct Commercial Sales Program, and that the company may have had a direct link to the Zetas.”

The U.S. Direct Commercial Sales program is run from the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. It regulates and licenses private U.S. companies’ overseas sales of weapons and other defense materials, defense services, and military training. This does not include the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, which authorized sales to foreign governments.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/communities/ci_18465182

Cartels setting up dummy companies to deal in military grade hardware, reminisncent of the Chicago mob setting up the Gopher Mining Company in Minnesota to obtain Thompson submachine guns.

Look on the bright side: at least Commerce, Interior, and HUD managed to refrain from gun running. Or haven't been caught yet.

[Lurks Often]

10. I'm thinking that SAC Newell's career is about to come

to an abrupt end. The biggest question is does he go under the bus alone or does he take someone senior with him.

I listened/watched the testimony on Thursday and Newell did not come across as honest or forthcoming, spent most of his time trying to weasel out of giving a direct answer.

[AzWorker]

11. Dozens of 'gunrunnin' emails reported between 2009-2011 .....

............between ATF Newell and WH NSC O'Reilly.....

Supposedly already in the hands of the House Oversight Committee.

Uh oh. 8^(

[AzWorker]

12. Issa says AT LEAST two more hearings scheduled this year...

oh my...

[Katya Mullethov]

13. SLiced from a post on CUATF

"I hate to tell you, but all business at ATF that requires counsels involvement has come to a screeching halt. If you email one of them, you get an out of office reply that they are busy working on a special high priority project. The same thing on their telephone voice mails. The "high priority project" involves reviewing all of the reports generated by Fast and Furious and all the emails all employees had to save up to a special server that mentioned Fast and Furious. They are doing this to supposedly respond to the congressional subpoenas. I work for ATf and cannot get a lot of my work completed because I need counsel's review and input. They cannot be bothered by anything according to them. It will probably only get worse as time goes on. Sorry."

[Hoopla Phil]

14. I wonder if this will slow up Trust reviews for Form 1/4 applications.

[Katya Mullethov]

15. If someone would have just cut them a check

None of it would have happened in the first place .

[one-eyed fat man]

18. Form 1 / Form 4 status

They cashed the check on my last application 3 June 2011. If they cashed the check, they got the packet. But if you are itching to ask someone how yours is doing

BATFE in Martinsburg, WV: [phone]

Calling will only tell you one of three things:

1) Not in the system.
2) In process.
3) Approved.

I am sure that some others were also hoping to have their paperwork back in time to arrange delivery at Knob Creek this weekend.

The fastest I have ever heard of an approval was sixteen days. They used to average 3 to 5 months. Lately they have been trending to 10 months.

[burf]

19. I dunno about that.

I thought the appointment of an Independent Prosecutor or the like would shut down a Congressional committee. Am I incorrect in my thinking?

[Katya Mullethov]

20. Holder presser in 30 minutes

Either he personally stopped a major terror plot or is gonna pull a Bud Dwyer .

DOC! A drum roll please .

[Katya Mullethov]

21. No time for that shit now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5I5Z0deBsM

[Iktomiwicasa]

22. Holder sure doesn't...

...want to talk about F&F, does he?

[Katya Mullethov]

23. Focus is important

We jumps in it . Blogospheric prognostications are predicting the next spin will be frog marching some Bankers through the OWS crowd under charges that evaporate at a later date .