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Open letter to Darrell Issa and Chuck Grassley on the anticipated OIG Fast and Furious report
Sipsey Street Irregulars
A joint release by David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh
1/6/2012
Excerpt:
Dear Rep. Issa and Sen. Grassley,
"Congratulations on the exceptional leadership you both have shown in advancing congressional investigations on the Fast and Furious “gunwalking” criminal enterprise. The two of you have taken things a long way since we first felt compelled to write an open letter requesting attention and action nearly a year ago.
We once more feel a need to correspond openly because we realize our voices are small compared to the many larger ones demanding your attention, and because it is in the public’s interest to be aware of the points we wish to call your attention to.
As you know, there have been some reassignments of ATF officials tied to your investigation, as first reported on January 4 by Gun Rights Examiner and Sipsey Street Irregulars. Speculation backed by informed opinion regards this as a tactical preparatory maneuver prior to the release of the long-awaited Office of Inspector General report on Fast and Furious, as well as the upcoming return of Attorney General Holder to testify before your committee. We believe that the personnel moves were made as a result of a draft of the OIG report.
We understand government audit procedures REQUIRE the auditor to present a draft report to the agency for its comments before finalizing the report. This is why DRAFT reports are sensitive--they can and often do change in response to agency comments/reactions, and DRAFT reports are not OFFICIAL/final reports.
Still, in light of this week’s developments, it seems a fair question to determine, if DOJ and ATF are in possession of a draft copy of the report, and if there have been any leaks.
Next, we would remind you that in Rep. Issa’s September 20, 2011 telephone conference with bloggers, he answered “Yes” to the following question:
Might “making sure this never happens again” include prosecutions?
As the sidelining of ATF officials appears to confirm, but with our full acknowledgment and respect for their presumption of innocence and right of due process, the current acting director appears intent on treating potential criminal violations as mere personnel matters.
But there are other reasons we’re writing you today that have to do with the soon-to-be-released OIG report, itself controversial in terms of true independence and objectivity.
There is this observation from one of the advisers who has helped us navigate the way the federal government works from the beginning of our Gunwalker investigation and reporting, and which Mike Vanderboegh forwarded to your investigators yesterday evening:
"Attorney General Holder has already told us what the OIG report will find: "The gunwalking was a local operation that got out of hand." At most he will say, at the February 2, 2012, hearing: "We have taken appropriate personnel actions against the ATF staff involved in inappropriate aspects of Fast & Furious; now, let’s move on to the gun control legislation you need to enact to keep this from happening again."
View the complete open letter at:
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogsp...and-chuck.html
Sipsey Street Irregulars
A joint release by David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh
1/6/2012
Excerpt:
Dear Rep. Issa and Sen. Grassley,
"Congratulations on the exceptional leadership you both have shown in advancing congressional investigations on the Fast and Furious “gunwalking” criminal enterprise. The two of you have taken things a long way since we first felt compelled to write an open letter requesting attention and action nearly a year ago.
We once more feel a need to correspond openly because we realize our voices are small compared to the many larger ones demanding your attention, and because it is in the public’s interest to be aware of the points we wish to call your attention to.
As you know, there have been some reassignments of ATF officials tied to your investigation, as first reported on January 4 by Gun Rights Examiner and Sipsey Street Irregulars. Speculation backed by informed opinion regards this as a tactical preparatory maneuver prior to the release of the long-awaited Office of Inspector General report on Fast and Furious, as well as the upcoming return of Attorney General Holder to testify before your committee. We believe that the personnel moves were made as a result of a draft of the OIG report.
We understand government audit procedures REQUIRE the auditor to present a draft report to the agency for its comments before finalizing the report. This is why DRAFT reports are sensitive--they can and often do change in response to agency comments/reactions, and DRAFT reports are not OFFICIAL/final reports.
Still, in light of this week’s developments, it seems a fair question to determine, if DOJ and ATF are in possession of a draft copy of the report, and if there have been any leaks.
Next, we would remind you that in Rep. Issa’s September 20, 2011 telephone conference with bloggers, he answered “Yes” to the following question:
Might “making sure this never happens again” include prosecutions?
As the sidelining of ATF officials appears to confirm, but with our full acknowledgment and respect for their presumption of innocence and right of due process, the current acting director appears intent on treating potential criminal violations as mere personnel matters.
But there are other reasons we’re writing you today that have to do with the soon-to-be-released OIG report, itself controversial in terms of true independence and objectivity.
There is this observation from one of the advisers who has helped us navigate the way the federal government works from the beginning of our Gunwalker investigation and reporting, and which Mike Vanderboegh forwarded to your investigators yesterday evening:
"Attorney General Holder has already told us what the OIG report will find: "The gunwalking was a local operation that got out of hand." At most he will say, at the February 2, 2012, hearing: "We have taken appropriate personnel actions against the ATF staff involved in inappropriate aspects of Fast & Furious; now, let’s move on to the gun control legislation you need to enact to keep this from happening again."
View the complete open letter at:
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogsp...and-chuck.html