ATF officials admit mistakes in Operation Fast and Furious gun program

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Two federal officials admitted Tuesday they made "mistakes" during the controversial Operation Fast and Furious gunrunner program, but they disputed contentions by a parade of other agents that their bureau knowingly let guns "walk" into Mexico.

"It was not the purpose of the investigation to permit the transportation of firearms into Mexico," said William Newell, former special agent in charge of the Phoenix field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "To the best of my knowledge none of the suspects in this case was ever witnessed by our agents crossing the border with firearms."

Newell's insistence that guns were not allowed to cross the border drew an angry rebuke from Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House committee investigating the program, who called Newell a "paid non-answerer" at Tuesday's hearing.

"Are they (the other agents) lying, or are you lying?" Issa asked Newell.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/26/atf.fast.and.furious/index.html

[russspeakeasy]

1. Please......follow the money...

:wtf:

[buckrogers1965]

2. One or two guns is an accident.

70% of the guns that the criminals are being caught with being sold under this program looks intentional to me.

[X_Digger]

3. I watched it live yesterday.

The harshest rebuke came from fellow agents sitting at the same table.

Paraphrasing, since I haven't seen a transcript yet..

"The ATF has a playbook. This playbook has been used since 1972 to interdict weapons smuggling. It's not rocket science. I can use it. *self deprecating laugh* But what these guys did? It's like taking the playbook, walking up to a shredder, and tossing it in. There's no way they could expect to catch those guns before they left the country. Sickening."

[bemildred]

4. Let me know when they resign. nt

[AngryAmish]

5. People need to go to jail.

I know they thought that they would just kill Mexicans, and really who cares about Mexicans when you have a fancy office in Washington, DC?