Does Fast and Furious Put Impeachment on The Table?

· Wednesday, September 28, 2011

"The story is one of not covert activity alone," intoned Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, "but of covert foreign policy .... It is a tale of working outside the system and of utilizing irregular channels and private parties accountable to no one, on matters of national security, while ignoring the Congress and even the traditional agencies of executive foreign policy making. The story is both sad and sordid."

Sen. Inouye was speaking not of the biggest scandal of the Obama administration, but of the biggest scandal of the Reagan administration -- the Iran-Contra scandal. In that scandal, the United States sold weapons to parties in Iran in an attempt to free Lebanese-held hostages, then funneled the weapons cash to the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua. The outcome of that scandal: indictments against the secretary of defense, the national security advisor, the assistant secretary of state, the chief of covert ops at the CIA and several others.

That scandal pales by comparison to the so-called Fast and Furious scandal now bubbling in Washington, D.C. In fall 2009, Eric Holder and the Department of Justice decided on a strategy supposedly designed to combat gun trafficking on the Mexican border. They didn't want the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to seize illegal firearms anymore; instead, they wanted them to give firearms to members of the Mexican cartels.

According to the Congressional report, "ATFs Phoenix Field Division began allowing suspects to walk away with illegally purchased guns .... This shift in strategy was known and authorized at the highest levels of the Justice Department." One goal was to identify "straw purchasers" -- legal gun purchasers who hand off those guns to illegal owners. Instead of arresting the straw purchasers and their contacts, however, ATF was to allow the guns to continue to flow to the Mexican drug cartels. "ATF and DOJ leadership were interested in seeing where these guns would ultimately end up," the report states. "ATF would only see these guns again after they turned up at a crime scene."

That's exactly what happened. The entire operation ended with only 20 indictments of straw purchasers -- indictments that could have happened immediately upon transfer of the weapons, stopping the flow. In fact, the straw purchasers, at issue, were known to be straw purchasers from the get-go. The indictments only took place at all because U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered using the weapons authorized for free flow by ATF and DOJ. Terry wasn't the only person killed because of Fast and Furious -- the weapons OK'd by the DOJ and ATF were used in three murders, four kidnappings and an attempted murder in Mexico. They've been identified at 11 other crime scenes in the United States.

So what was the real goal of the DOJ and ATF? It certainly wasn't to shut down access to arms for the cartels -- the ATF was agreeing to such access. It wasn't to stop straw purchasers -- the ATF was signing off on the straw purchasers. It wasn't to track the movements of the cartel -- there was no way to do that. It was, very simply, to establish for political reasons that American guns were being used in crimes by foreign cartels.

This was the Reichstag fire of the Second Amendment. By authorizing the passage of weapons to America's enemies, President Obama and his administration clearly wanted to set up a narrative that America's lax gun laws were killing American troops and law enforcement officers. They wanted their misuse of law enforcement authority to create the impetus for a crackdown on gun sales in the United States.

How high does this go? Apparently, all the way to the top. The attorney general of the state of Arizona, a Democrat operative, has already resigned in an attempt to avoid the consequences of participating in this fiasco. Middle management at DOJ and ATF has already been thrown under the bus. The acting director of the ATF, Kenneth Melson, has already been defenestrated.

For his part, Obama has denied that Attorney General Eric Holder green-lit the operation, stating, "My attorney general has made clear he certainly would not have ordered gun running to be able to pass through into Mexico." This is less than credible -- how could the head of the DOJ not know about an operation of this magnitude handled by the DOJ? And how could President Obama not know? And why, if the DOJ is uninvolved, do they want a copy of Melson's confidential interview with Congressional staff?

If this scandal runs all the way up the chain of command -- and by all indicators, it could -- it is certainly an impeachable offense. This is a high crime, not a misdemeanor. Pushing an operation designed to undercut American freedoms that ends with the death of Americans is not only illegal, it is unconscionable. And unlike Iran-Contra, it wasn't done for the right reasons.

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Comments

wjmccrindle

Add this to the list of impeachable offenses. Coersion of to alter the testimony of a US General Officer. Contempt of court in halting gulf drilling. Supporting half a billion wasted on Solyndra. Warfighting with the UN in violation of the war powers act. The illegal extra-constitutional plethora of czars. Lies Lies and more lies! Impeach NOW!!!!

Posted September 28, 2011 at 8:41:37 AM


Brian

This fiasco, the refusal to defend DOMA in court, the refusal to prosecute voter intimidation by the Black Panthers, the bailout of GM, Goldman Sachs, etc, are ALL impeachable offenses. Yet, no peep from anyone in Congress. They are all cowards!

Posted September 28, 2011 at 10:16:13 AM


Pamela Heckel

Elections have consequences. There may be votes in the House to impeach President Obama, but the Senate will support him just as they did President Clinton.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 10:57:44 AM


Mark S

If this be true, it makes me wonder more and more about how that BP oil spill occured, resulting in near shutdown of the Gulf oil industry.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 11:58:45 AM


Tex Horn

"President Obama and his administration... wanted their misuse of law enforcement authority to create the impetus for a crackdown on gun sales in the United States."

Ben, you fired the shot and you've hit the target. For whatever misguided reasons the DOJ and ATF had for the gun sales to Mexican cartels, the real reason was to discredit law-abiding American gun owners and to weaken our Second Amendment rights. This DOJ and the ATF are criminals at best, treasonous at worst. Good people, if you are not writing your Congresspeople to put a stop to these criminal acts, aren't you aiding and abetting them? Please, continue to make a stand for our Second Amendment rights!

"”A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.”

~George Washington

Posted September 28, 2011 at 12:19:57 PM


Abu Nudnik

1) Fast and furious

2) DOJ's prosecution of duly signed law: DOMA

3) EPA's legislation of defeated legislation re: cap 'n trade.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 1:08:34 PM


azgrunt

It was the U.S. Attorney for Arizona who resigned, not our current AZ Attorney General. But, other than that, you do raise both the stenches of cover-up and of Democratic hypocrisy.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 1:45:13 PM


Dave the Canuck

It's no coincidence that Fast and Furious was authorized around the time that Obama was talking up the "More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States" fallacy. Clearly he intended for the ATF to manufacture evidence to support this assertion. The blood trail leads right back to the Oval Office.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 3:05:40 PM


Rich

Is there no depth that this rouge administration will go to undermine the Constitution and destroy the USA. The list is long and one can start with the enormous debt that will bring us all down. Every day my opinion of this group of radicals gets lower.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 4:27:11 PM


Howard Reed

Hello American,

Fast and Furious is firing up the consciences of Americans paying attention to this ever unfolding story. Bama is dirty, not because I thing he is a worthless president, but because he is on record in the early days of this Bama disaster. Holder is about as dirty as a person in charge can get. He had to know, probably set up the operation with Bama and other higher ups. What has happened is by definition criminal, not just unconstitutional, but criminal.

The House Republicans are asking for special counsel to investigate illegal gun running to Mexican cartels with a hands off policy being given agents involved. It has resulted in the loss of human life, much of it in Mexico, some in our country. Impeachment certainly is not out of the question, skip the misdemeanor, this is a high crime committed by public officials sworn in to serve and defend. Not themselves, as is happening, but the American people . . . people are dying in this country due to this operation.

Impeachment with criminal indictments from the top down. Time to get rid of other worthless pieces of progressive flotsam and jetsom. This can't happen to soon. It would implode the Bam's second term dreams, which is so much castle building in the sky anyway. Nail the criminals.

The Turban Torpedo

Posted September 28, 2011 at 4:35:59 PM


Jonathan Sipe

This was high treason by Obama and Holder. They are both accessories to murder as well. This never was about bring down any drug cartells or straw buyers. This was strictly a propaganda operation to enforce strict gun control measures and I think that their end game to this was complete gun confiscation across America. They were in bed with the cartells in this. Think about it. For years the cartells were getting their guns and weapons from Middle Eastern and Russian illegal arms dealers. They foreign gun runners sell the cartells fully automatic AK-47's for pennies on the dollar. So tell me there was any reason for the cartells to purchase semi automatic AK-47's for $500.00+ or AR-15 semi automatic rifles for $800.00+. There wasn't, so Barack Obama and Eric Holder used United States tax dollars to arm the drug cartells in order to spread propaganda and strip law abiding American gun owners of their 2nd Amendment Rights. Here is the million dollar question. How much did Obama recieve in campaign contributions from the cartells in Mexico? I whole mess is investigated thouroughly then we will be able to add drug trafficing and sells to Obama and Holders rap sheets. Not only should Obama be impeached and Holder fired but they should be tried and convicted of all of their crimes and then they should recieve the maximum sentences.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 4:51:09 PM


DaneChile

Quote by Obama: "My attorney general has made clear he certainly would not have ordered gun running to be able to pass through into Mexico."

You may as well restate that as "My attorney general SAID he certainly would not have ordered gun running to be able to pass through into Mexico."

Well, that certainly clears up that question. or does it? Would he have ordered that the straw purchasers be able to complete the purchases as long as the weapons did not make it into MX?Would he have ordered that gun running be able to occur as long as we stopped it at the border?

With a weasel like Hussein, one must parse every word.

Posted September 28, 2011 at 7:11:08 PM


David Powell

Hey I am sure Sarah Brady, Sen. Chuck Schumer and the mainstream media will be all over this in.... oh who's kidding, they're trying to stop the word from getting out.

This is to the Anti Gunners what covering for Bill Clinton was to the NOW type Feminists. After keeping their mouth shut and even backing their favored party in this over the actualy people they claim to care about they had better never complain about their issue again because they have sold out so bad.

P.S. Sending guns ot kill Mexicans was a racist and anti-Mexican foreign policy, think you're going to hear from anyone on the left about that? What about people who said President George W. Bush interfered with other nations' affairs?

Posted September 28, 2011 at 7:23:52 PM


Akgum

Mr Obama staes he never oredered

"his" attorney general to make this deal. I have news for him. Mrholder is not his attorney general he is our attorney general "we the people of the united states" not the president's own attorney general but ours. He is supposed to serve us not the other way around and yes these offenses should be impeachable, but our do nothing congress has not the cohones to do it.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 1:30:44 AM


ron

Obama is doing a great job. He came into office with the intention of destroying the USA and converting it to Marxism and hes doing a great job.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 9:42:26 AM


karl anglin

Chalk up one more impeachable offense!

Posted September 29, 2011 at 11:53:06 AM


Case Ace

What? No mention of Darryl Issa who has been at the forefront of this investigation and had to wade through countless lies, misdirection and outright cover-up to give this story the legs it now has. Thank you Congressman Issa, we need more men of integrity in our once hallowed halls.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 1:36:10 PM


Jonathan Sipe

Case Ace,

You are right, Congressman Issa is a true Patriot and deserves our support and gratitude for standing up to this rouge administration and exposing their crimes. I did forget to add theft to the list of crimes Obama has committed. Thank You Mr. Issa.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 1:41:34 PM


Leonard Grummell

All disgustingly true. Obama,Holder,top four at BATF and several US Attorney's should be indicted,tried and given the stiffest sentence's possible. In addition,Obama and Holder should be impeached,pay for these crimes and never receive any pension.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 2:50:27 PM


BHirsh

Rich and Jonathan -

The word you're looking for is "rogue". "Rouge" is a cosmetic product.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 4:10:52 PM


Susan Will

Millions of Americans are staying on top of this despite not hearing the liberal media give a peep over it. Shame on them all! Obama and Holder have no morals, no scruples and most certainly do not have the Americans best interest at heart. This last debacle of fast and furious puts the icing on the cake. Many, many have called and emailed for Obamas impeachment but I believe the reason the house does not draw up the papers is because the senate is still democratic controlled. However, Obama in 2012 is going to take down a multitude of democrats in their reelection bids along with himself. The democrats have been exposed for what they represent and the electorate do not like what they see. Coercision to a general to alter his testimony, Solyndra, billions of stimulus money given to questionable sources and campaign donors, unauthorized war in Libya, czars, bypassing congress on a regular basis and suing every decent person and state that does not go along with their dictatorial agenda. My hope is that the next president prosecutes the people involved in this. I don't think we will see it now though.

Posted September 29, 2011 at 5:33:24 PM


Elessar

"FIGHT ORGANIZED CRIME! DON'T RE-ELECT ANY OF THE CROOKS THAT GOT US INTO THIS MESS!" RJA

Posted September 30, 2011 at 12:21:25 AM


Douglas Carlton

How can comments be kept brief? A book could be written on this, "Obama's sequel to Bush's 911". Operation "fast and furious" will never be fully investigated, just as the 911 disaster was never fully investigated. The true criminals are still at large. The names have changed, the game stays the same. Just as a stand down was ordered to our military during 911, a stand down was ordered to ATF grunts allowing "Fast and furious" to proceed. There are numerous reasons besides an attack on 2nd amendment rights of gun owners. A 70 billion dollar a year U.S. drug habit, matched to a "military industrial complex" arms selling nation, is a marriage made in heaven, or should I say "Hell". The powers that be from both the Mexican cartels and the U.S. military industrial complex were in agreement on this marriage. The CIA befitted also, as their work to disrupt foreign governments was being done for them. There is more to this than meets the eye, all is not as it seems. Signed, a sad and ashamed American, living in Mexico.

Posted September 30, 2011 at 1:00:41 AM


James J. Bilenki Jr. (USN. RET.)

Every person in the Obongo administration should/must be IMPEACHED A.S.A.P.!!! They ALL knew what they were doing! They want to disarm every Good, Decent, Legal, Law Abiding, (To a point) Tax Paying, White, Middle Class, Gun Owning, Traditional, American Citizen, while the federal government, Obongo's government, sells WEAPONS to this nations enemys! Do you see anything wrong here? And don't tell me Obongo and Holder didn't know anything about it. They ALL singned off on it!

And they Impeached Nixon for just wire tapping! Look at what this Ignorant, Arrogant, Incompetemt and Highly Un-Qualified Shill has done since he sat his boney ass in OUR Oval Office! Get rid of him and his lackies...NOW!!!

J.J.B.Jr.(USN.RET.)

Posted September 30, 2011 at 1:15:45 AM


Mediaman

I know it may seem somewhat trivial, given the severity of criminal activity by Obama, Eric Holder and others in the Fast & Furious scandal, but when adding up impeachment charges against Obama one must include his Constitutionally illegal act of taking the Chairmanship of the UN Security Council.

Posted September 30, 2011 at 1:57:35 AM


Not Surprised Ol' Bastard

Nixon was for the most part forced out of office because of "Watergate". In "Watergate" no one was killed. In Obama & Holder's ATF run "Fast & Furious" Black Ops so far as many as 200 peeps have allegedly been murdered. Yet, they both are still in office. Does that make any sense to anyone?

So, how is the Obama administration, Holder's DOJ and the ATF responding to all the "Fast and Furious" Black Op's Congressional investigatory "heat"?

With denial, misdirection & more gun control efforts, while trampling on States' & Individual's Rights! This time via the back door...most recently targeting not only legitimate "Medical Marijuana" card holders, but anyone who ever has even experimented with cannabis (even if only once).

Ah! How sweet for the tyrants to get "two birds with one stone"...create a "game-changer" in the Nixon instigated "War on Drugs" by an indirect attack on the 16 various State's legitimate "Medical Marijuana" programs AND simultaneously "criminalizing" millions of peeps who have ever smoked cannabis (legitimate or otherwise) to justify confiscation of their "guns & ammo", with the added benefit that they will never ever be able to "buy and/or possess" firearms & ammo ever again...just as though they are convicted felons or Foreign Nationals.

Definitely a page out of Hitler, Stalin & Mao's play-books...What's next, the forearm Tats, Gulags & "purging"?

Impeachable...absolutely!

Let's get all of the drones, political hacks & career politicians out of DC ASAP.

Posted September 30, 2011 at 4:00:46 AM


JC

FROM LACK OF BIRTH CERT.,TO LACK OF ALL RECORDS OF HIS PAST,TO BEING INFLUENCED BY CRIMMINALS AND TERRORIST IN HIS YOUNGER YEARS,TO BEING IN THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THIS COUNTRY,TO NOT BEING PROUD OF THE COUNTRY HE IS PRES OF,TO BOWING TO FOREIGN NON-FRIENDLY'S,TO NOT SALUTIONG OR RESPECTING OUR FLAG OR OUR SOLDIERS,TO NOT FOLLOWING CONSTITUTIONAL LAWS SUCH AS DOMA,BY PASSING THE CONSTITUTION AND HIS OWN PARTY IN GIVING ILLEGAL PERSONS IN THIS COUNTRY CITIZENSHIP,SELLING WEAPONS TO DRUG CARTELS JUST TO REMOVE ANOTHER CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT,TO STARTING UNWARRANTED WARS JUST TO FIND OUT WE ARE ARMING THE SAME TERRORISTS THAT ARE OUT TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY,TO NOT STANDING BEHIND OUR ALLIES SUCH AS ISRAELI, TO ILLEGALLING GIVING MONIES TO GREEN FAILING COMPANIES TO PAY OFF POLITICAL DONATIONS WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS,TO TELLING US WHAT WE CAN EAT,TO PUTTING ALL THE CRIMMINALS AND ANTI-AMERICANS IN HIS ADMINISTRATION AS CZARS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, TO RECESS APPOINTMENTS. WHEN DOES All THIS ILLEGAL MAYHEM STOP? WHEN DO THE CRIMMINALS OCCUPYING THE PEOPLES HOUSE GET KICKED OUT AND PUT IN JAIL WHERE THEY BELONG. MY COUNTRY IS A COUNTRY OF LAWS AND A CONSTITUTION THAT MADE MY COUNTRY GREAT. WHEN WILL THE CONGRESS AND THE SENATE DO THE JOB THEY SWORE AN OATH TO DO AND REMOVE THE DESTROYERS OF AMERICA THE GREAT? I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYES SEEING THE GREAT NATION I SWORE AN OATH TO PROTECT BEING DESTROYED BEFORE MY VERY EYES. "WE THE PEOPLE" DESERVE BETTER AND CONGRESS AND SENMATE FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE SHOULD COME FORTH AND FINALLY DO THE JOB WE THE PEOPLE VOTED THEM DO DO "PROTECT AMERICA" PLEASE END THIS CAOS BEFORE THE CAOS ENDS US ALL. GOD BLESS AMERICA, AND GOD BLESS HER PEOPLE. MAKE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA GREAT ONCE AGAIN, REMOVE THE CRIMMINALS AND START FRESH. IF NOT GOD SAVE US ALL!!!

Posted September 30, 2011 at 9:13:04 PM


pabritt_704

I still say, follow the money! A million dollars is not peanuts so where did it come from. What stimulus package was it taken from, or was that the money they said couldn't be found,,,something like $700 million has been lost,,,give me a break. The crooks in the White House think they are untouchable and can do whatever they want. Talk about corruption, we have a full blown bunch of criminals running our country. And don't forget, they work for us taxpayers, therefore we need to arrest and impeach, whatever it takes to clean up the mess.

Posted October 1, 2011 at 2:49:44 AM


Richard

There is a very old saying, if you try to depose the King make sure you succeed. There aren't the votes in the Senate to remove Obama from office, because of this all impeaching him would do is give him a victory when he wasn't removed. Use you mind and think, don't just emote, yes Obama needs to be impeached by if he won't be removed from office it will be a victory for him and he can use it in the 2012 election.

Posted October 2, 2011 at 1:21:41 PM


Holly Marcyoniak

NICE WORK TRACKING THE REAL CULPRITS DOWN !!! THAT GROUP BELONGS TO A FIRING SQUAD & DISGRACED FOREVER!!

Posted October 2, 2011 at 1:52:24 PM


DrSique

"We The People" may be witnessing the saddest part of American history. If facts prove that this President and his Attorney General did, in fact, commit the crimes that seem all to obviously clear, they should both spend lengthy sentences in federal prisons. I have never cared for Barack Obamas policies but to know that our nations highest office has been tainted by misdeeds that have cost the lives of courageous federal agents has caused me to weep for my country. There have always been scandals in Washington but none have risen to the level of supplying high powered weapons to criminal organizations. I can only pray that someone in power has the heart neede to get to the very bottom of this travesty and to hold everyone involved fully responsible.

Posted October 2, 2011 at 2:59:37 PM


Lisa C

Before we get too excited about impeachment, we've got to think of who would take his place!!! Do we really want Biden as Pres???

Posted October 3, 2011 at 12:49:02 AM


RyDaddy

"Do we really want Biden as Pres???"

At least he is completely incompetent at HIDING his incompetence.

Posted October 3, 2011 at 4:05:11 PM


Kent Perry

@Lisa C who said:""Do we really want Biden as Pres???"

At least he is eligible and not an Illegal Alien using a stolen Social Security Number that can't pass E-Verify. Also, Biden's wife, is not NEARLY as High Maintenance as that Tranny looking thing with the Clydesdale shaped ass, Obama is Married to

Posted October 4, 2011 at 3:42:07 AM


Countryman

I think all the comments so far are missing the real point - it's not so much a matter of unconstitutional misdoings (though that's applicable), but a real criminal offense. Everyone who signed off on this operation is liable for prosecution for accomplice to the murder of a federal officer - Brian Terry. This offense under federal statute carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty.

No wonder Justice Dept. official Eric Schultz was screaming at CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson - he had visions of being strapped into the electric chair.

Posted October 7, 2011 at 6:52:44 PM


Ed. Connors

Fast and furious was initiated during the Bush watch.It's too late to impeach him for this stupitidy. Maby the international community can try him for his war crimes.

Posted October 16, 2011 at 11:54:59 AM


markrite

Does not this "fast & furious" operation, since it involved the murders of several U.S. agents, and is trackable, I believe, all he way up the presidential food chain to the Oval Office and Obummer himself,involve the possibility of NOT ONLY impeachment, but a CRIMINAL TRIAL for felony murder against Obama & Holder? A sobering thought, I agree, but are these not just men, and not royalty? Or are they, Obama and Holder, ABOVE THE LAW? Just asking.---GOD BLESS, MARKRITE

Posted October 16, 2011 at 7:39:14 PM


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