You Knew It Had To Happen!

[ellis4538]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration announced on Tuesday a major shake-up of the U.S. agency that botched an attempt to track weapons smuggled to drug cartels in Mexico after guns were allowed to flow freely over the border.
 
Kenneth Melson, who has been acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives since 2009, was reassigned after admitting mistakes in the sting operation meant to try to crack down on weapons reaching violent drug gangs from U.S. gun stores.
 
In further fallout from the operation, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, Dennis Burke, has resigned effective immediately after acknowledging mistakes in the operation. The lead prosecutor on the case, Emory Hurley, has also been reassigned, an Obama administration official said.
 
Another administration official said the shake-up at ATF was a chance for a "fresh start given everything they've gone through lately."
 
The sting operation, dubbed "Fast and Furious," has spawned congressional and internal Justice Department probes and put the Obama administration on the defensive about whether dangerous weapons were knowingly allowed to cross the border.
 
Authorities had hoped they would be able to follow the guns to cartel leaders, but ATF agents did not track the weapons after they were transferred from the initial buyer to others who smuggled them across the border. Some agents have testified that they were not allowed to continue the pursuit.
 
Attorney General Eric Holder and Melson both issued statements but steered clear of any comments about the controversy. Holder has referred the entire matter to the department's inspector general for an investigation.
 
Melson will be reassigned to the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy as an adviser on forensic science, the Justice Department said.
 
The U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Todd Jones, will serve as acting ATF director starting on Wednesday.
 
U.S. ATTORNEY ADMITS MISTAKES
 
Burke was interviewed by congressional investigators on August 18 and said he was unaware of the tactical details of the sting and acknowledged that he and his team made mistakes, including not adequately supervising the case.
 
"It should not have been done the way it was done, and I want to take responsibility for that, and I'm not falling on a sword or trying to cover for anyone else," Burke told them, according to excerpts of his testimony released by Democrats on the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight.
 
Mexican authorities have complained bitterly about the flow of guns from the United States across the border, where gangs have battled with each other and with Mexican authorities, straining ties between the two countries.
 
Some 42,000 have died since 2006 as a result of the turf wars. The congressional investigation has turned up evidence that guns sold in the sting have been found at numerous crime scenes in the United States and Mexico.
 
U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry died in a December 2010 shootout on the American side of the border and two guns found there have been traced to the sting. It is not known if those guns were used to fire the fatal shots.
 
Some of the weapons recovered at crime scenes include powerful AK-47s and .50 caliber rifles.
 
Republicans in the U.S. Congress have been demanding the Obama administration explain who knew what and when about the ATF program, which was conceived of and run out of the agency's Phoenix division.
 
"There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in Operation Fast and Furious and who else bears responsibility," said Republican Representative Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
 
For years the ATF has been without a director confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The position has been the source of tension between advocates and opponents of gun control.
 
President Barack Obama has nominated Andrew Traver of the agency's Chicago office to the job, but the gun industry has opposed him. Melson is a career federal employee.
 
Obama will need to nominate someone to fill the U.S. Attorney's post. Burke previously served as chief of staff to Janet Napolitano when she was Arizona governor.
 
Melson was interviewed on July 4 by congressional investigators. At that time he acknowledged mistakes had been made and other law enforcement agencies had had critical information they did not share about their targets.
 

[Ichiban]

No one goes to prison.  Only one person "resigns" and all the others are reassigned to different jobs (most likely at the same pay).  I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you.   

[Pathfinder]

Hear that? Do you hear that?

That is the sound of a crap-filled scandal being swept under the rug and out of sight well in advance of November 2012.

[twyacht]

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/

Additional "info" from Codrea.

Don't forget, Sen. Reid is "tabling" the confirmation hearings of Chicagoland and BHO compadre, Andrew Travers, who BHO himself nominated to run the ATF(and really big fires),....earlier this year.....

The shredders are still at full throttle,....and throwing a few pansy's under the bus, will not stop the stink that runs all the way to the top.

As Codrea referenced on Sipsey......

"Scratch 1 Flat-top."

[JC5123]

Just a thought. We have discussed that BHO is nothing more than a Soros puppet. That being the case, if he truly is an expendable, empty suit, why does the left protect him so vehemently?

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Just a thought. We have discussed that BHO is nothing more than a Soros puppet. That being the case, if he truly is an expendable, empty suit, why does the left protect him so vehemently?

The left protects him because he may be a Soros puppet now, but he was raised as a communist.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=45862

ATF Acting Director Ken Melson will no longer be acting like a director, according to a report from CBS News:

ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson is being moved out of the top job at the Bureau, ATF Special Agents in Charge announced during a conference call with reporters today. It's not yet publicly known where he would go, but sources inside the Justice Department believe one option is a transfer to a position at Department of Justice headquarters. The Justice Department had no immediate comment, and did not confirm the move.

Melson's move would be another in a number of high-level personnel shifts, as the Inspector General continues investigating the so-called gunwalker scandal at the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

A report at Politico says Melson will become a “senior adviser on forensic science” at the Office of Legal Policy, and was treated cordially in a statement from Attorney General Eric Holder:

“Ken brings decades of experience at the department and extensive knowledge in forensic science to his new role and I know he will be a valuable contributor on these issues,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. “As he moves into this new role, I want to thank Ken for his dedication to the department over the last three decades.”

Melson’s replacement is B. Todd Jones, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. Jones “is a demonstrated leader who brings a wealth of experience to this position,” Holder said. “I have great confidence that he will be a strong and steady influence guiding ATF in fulfilling its mission of combating violent crime by enforcing federal criminal laws and regulations in the firearms and explosives industries.”

Maybe the ATF can even get a permanent director someday.  “Temporary” leadership lasting for years doesn’t seem to have worked out terribly well.

Melson is well-known to students of the massive “Gun Walker” scandal, in which the ATF pushed American guns across the border into the hands of Mexican gangs.  He was long viewed as the designated fall guy for the Administration, and was widely expected to resign and contain the damage when the scandal broke.

Instead, Melson wound up testifying before congressional investigators, in a surprise Fourth of July appearance.  He went on to complain that the Justice Department had misled him about right to testify without DOJ supervision.

Rep. Darrell Issa and Senator Charles Grassley, the lead investigators of the Gun Walker case, were not happy that “Justice Department officials sought to limit and control [Melson’s] communications with Congress.”  They went on to warn Attorney General Eric Holder against attempting to retaliate against Melson, or other Gun Walker witnesses.

It's not clear how enthusiastic Melson might be for his new job.  The Politico report notes that despite his cooperation, the House Oversight investigation into Gun Walker didn't make him look good:

Melson took the top spot at the ATF on an interim basis in 2009 and oversaw the execution of Fast and Furious, an effort that was aimed at rooting out gun smugglers selling weapons to Mexican cartels. Ultimately, the ATF lost track of as many as 2,000 guns that were sold during the operation, including two that were found near the scene of the killing of a Border Patrol agent.

An investigation of the operation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee found emails showing that Melson was regularly informed of the problems with the investigation.

Michelle Malkin has a statement from Rep. Issa about the Melson career move:

While the reckless disregard for safety that took place in Operation Fast and Furious certainly merits changes within the Department of Justice, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will continue its investigation to ensure that blame isn’t offloaded on just a few individuals for a matter that involved much higher levels of the Justice Department.

There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in Operation Fast and Furious and who else bears responsibility, but these changes are warranted and offer an opportunity for the Justice Department to explain the role other officials and offices played in the infamous efforts to allow weapons to flow to Mexican drug cartels.

I also remain very concerned by Acting Director Melson’s statement that the Department of Justice is managing its response in a manner intended to protect its political appointees. Senator Grassley​ and I will continue to press the Department of Justice for answers in order to ensure that a reckless effort like Fast and Furious does not take place again.

It’s important to note that Melson wasn’t really “fired.”  Nobody responsible for Gun Walker has been fired.  Accountability remains something that investigators must impose upon this disaster.  I doubt Issa and Grassley will have much trouble finding Ken Melson’s new office.

Update: Fox News reports on more "Fast and Furious" shake-up action:

Fox News also learned from multiple sources that U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke, one of the officials closely tied to Fast and Furious, is also a casualty in a shakeup tied to the botched gun-running program. Burke was on the hot seat last week with congressional investigators, and according to several sources, got physically sick during questioning and could not finish his session.

The purge of those responsible for the firearms trafficking scandal continued as new documents reveal a deeper involvement of federal agencies beyond ATF.

In Phoenix, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley, who oversaw Fast and Furious on a day-to-day basis, was reassigned from the criminal to civil division. Also in Phoenix, three out of the four whistleblowers involved in the case have been reassigned to new positions outside Arizona. Two are headed to Florida, one to South Carolina.

Hurley's reassignment came after three ATF supervisors responsible for the operation were promoted. William G. McMahon, a former deputy director of operations, took over the Office of Professional Responsibility. Field supervisors William D. Newell and David Voth, also moved up despite heavy criticism.   

[Pathfinder]

Just a thought. We have discussed that BHO is nothing more than a Soros puppet. That being the case, if he truly is an expendable, empty suit, why does the left protect him so vehemently?

Because the masses of leftoids still view him as not a puppet, but as The Won? I mean, they ain't the brightest bulbs in the pack, being so accustomed to being told what to think and say, so they still haven't quite got it about bho yet. If ever . . . .

[jnevis]

Hurley's reassignment came after three ATF supervisors responsible for the operation were promoted. William G. McMahon, a former deputy director of operations, took over the Office of Professional Responsibility. Field supervisors William D. Newell and David Voth, also moved up despite heavy criticism.   

OK isi ti me or do you find it disturbing that a supervisor that oversaw a huge screw-up is now the boss of basically Internal Affairs???

[tombogan03884]

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/

Additional "info" from Codrea.

Don't forget, Sen. Reid is "tabling" the confirmation hearings of Chicagoland and BHO compadre, Andrew Travers, who BHO himself nominated to run the ATF(and really big fires),....earlier this year.....

The shredders are still at full throttle,....and throwing a few pansy's under the bus, will not stop the stink that runs all the way to the top.

As Codrea referenced on Sipsey......

"Scratch 1 Flat-top FLAT FOOT."

FIFY   

OK isi ti me or do you find it disturbing that a supervisor that oversaw a huge screw-up is now the boss of basically Internal Affairs???

He didn't "oversee a huge screw up".
He proved he was politically reliable. Of course he deserves a promotion.
It's all a matter of perspective

[JC5123]

He didn't "oversee a huge screw up".
He proved he was politically reliable. Of course he deserves a promotion.
It's all a matter of perspective

Which fits the SOP of this regime from day one. It's the Chicago way.