[Updated at 2:31 p.m. ET] Fourteen employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Justice Department face disciplinary action for their roles in the botched Fast and Furious weapons-tracking program, according to a report released Wednesday by department investigators. No criminal charges are recommended, according to the report.
The program was doomed by a "series of misguided strategies, tactics, errors in judgment and management failures" on the part of line agents, prosecutors and senior Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Washington, Justice Department investigators concluded in a report released Wednesday.
The report does not recommend any criminal sanctions against individuals in connection with the controversial gun-trafficking operation.
The report finds that Attorney General Holder was not informed of the controversial ATF operation until 2011 after the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in December 2010.
Parents say slain agent's death exposed flaws of gun-running operation
"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," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
Holder said he has accepted the resignations of Kenneth Melson, the former acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein in connection with their roles in the Fast and Furious weapons-tracking program.
"Today’s report affirms the problem of gunwalking was a field-driven tactic that dated back to the previous Administration, and it was this Administration’s Attorney General who ended it," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement. "Nevertheless, The Justice Department has taken strong steps to ensure accountability and make sure this does not happen again, including important administrative, policy, and personnel changes. If Republicans still have any legitimate questions about Fast and Furious, this 450-page report answers them. In light of this thorough report and Congress’s 16 month-long investigation, Republicans have no excuse to keep wasting time and taxpayer resources on politically-motivated, election-year attacks."
The botched investigation was designed to track trafficking kingpins responsible for illegal gunrunning to Mexico. It has been blamed for contributing to crimes - including the high-profile slaying of a U.S. border agent - and has become a partisan bone of contention heading into the November elections.
The report is important because of its scope - it is the result of more than a year of research - and for its conclusions, which could stir even more partisan attacks, depending on its outcome. The report is expected to conclude whether the botched plan was mostly the doing of agents in Arizona, or if the Obama administration played a central role.
In the controversy over its handling, conservative Washington legislators voted down party lines to cite the U.S. attorney general - a Democrat - for contempt. It marked the first time in American history that the head of the Justice Department has been held in contempt by Congress.
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If Holder didnt know what was going on for 2 1/2 years, that would also be a crime.
So doing something criminally stupid, something that gets a man killed, gets a few people a slap on the wrist–and Holder lets himself off the hook with the oldest excuse in the book, "No one ever told me..."
How about an honest investigation rather than a corrupt organisation "investigating" itself (read "covering its own posterior")?
No way Holder did not know. Unreal that he would know nothing. And may go all the way to BO. But they covered themselves nicely it appears. Now they can continue their assault on our rights.
Sure, as soon as the investigation into the missing WMDs is complete!
2006? Smells like Dick Cheney.
And Karl Rove...
As long as this administration is not implemented in any way the administration will go along with hanging someone out to dry.
Yes, and good thing. We need to keep things running smoothly and let Romney and lying ryan keep shooting themselves in the foot. This looks like Dick Cheneys work.
You mean like the repugs did to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Yes!
Eric Holder should be prosecuted.
Sure, as soon as GWB, Dick Cheyney and Donald Rumsfeld are tried and executed for treason and mass murder.
Executive Privilege was needed why? There was something to hide when Obama made this claim. This is not over with nor should it be.
If it is not Holder or Obama, it doesn't matter.
But I guess thats why CNN demands our email addreses, so we can be "educated"
If this report, which comes from the Justice Dept is accurate, then Holder is completely incompetent. If it's not accurate, then he's a criminal.
So because Attorney General Holder didn't know what was going on he's imcompetent? I guess by that same token that makes Ronald Reagan incompetent because he didn't know about the Iran-Contra operation. And while we're on the same subject let's talk about two people who DID know there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and lied about it anyway. Their names are Bush and Cheney, in case you're forgotten.
According to the Democrats, ignorance (in the case of Holder) is an acceptable defense. He claims to have not known what one of his departments was doing therefore he must be innocent. And, from the sound of it, they are getting rid of anyone who could speak to what actually happened and who actually knew about it. No witnesses... no crime! Sounds like the Justice Department is cleaning house Chicago-style! LOL
I'm willing to bet that had an independent council investigated, the outcome would be far different.
Then perhaps we'd discover what ever happened to the WMDs and why GWB and company should be tried for treason and mass murder. .
Next time you say something so ignorant Bill look up the functions of the Inspector General. You might be surprised.
It's hard to believe that people who sold weapons to known criminals didn't commit any crimes in so doing. Perhaps there is an exception written into the statute that says that ATF agents are exempt from gun sale laws? Or is this just an example, of, "We're the government. We don't care whether our employees committed federal criminal offenses. We and all of our employees are above the law, whenever and wherever we feel like it, either before or after the fact."
No one is blaming Bush. The report states that the operation was mostly contrived and run at the field level in AZ. Neither Bush nor Obama nor either of their AGs had advance knowledge of it according to the Inspector General. It's well known that some version of the scheme was running as early as 2006.
Especially if the "independent council" happened to be a Republican...
Or to put it more succinctly...
Obama finds a way out of his own Watergate.
You did a great job burying this news story CNN, as expected.
How much debt do we have Obama? Oh yeah you don't know.
Ignorance is bliss for democrats.