UPDATE: Congressional 'Gunrunner' investigators in Arizona
April 26th, 2011 5:05 pm PT
Dave Workman
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/update-congressional-
gunrunner-investigators-arizona
Congressional investigators are in Arizona tracking down
information in the on-going "Project Gunrunner" investigation, and
according to CBS News, one of the key figures involved in the Phoenix-
based "Fast and Furious" segment of the gun running sting may provide
a link to Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano.
CBS News is reporting this afternoon that the prosecutor in the
U.S. Attorney's office in Phoenix who advised the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on "Fast and Furious was Emory
Hurley. He answers to U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, who formerly served
as chief of staff for then-Gov. Napolitano. Independent blogger Mike
Vanderboegh, who dug up the Gunrunner story with National Gun Rights
Examiner David Codrea almost five months ago, is also commenting on
this new development here.
Sources and documents indicate the prosecutor who advised the "Fast
and Furious" case in Phoenix was Asst. U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley.
His boss, Arizona's US Attorney Dennis Burke, was a longtime chief of
staff for Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano when she served as
Arizona governor. In brief questioning from Congress in March,
Napolitano said it was "premature" to comment on details of the Fast
and Furious controversies. She also said she was "not aware" that an
agent under Homeland Security was on the ATF Fast and Furious task
force in Phoenix. Speaking of herself in the third person, Napolitano
stated that "no concerns were expressed to the Secretary."—CBS News
The case has taken on all the signs of a cover-up, with Congressman
Darrell Issa and Sen. Charles Grassley both complaining about
stonewalling by the Justice Department and the ATF. Issa subpoenaed
documents from ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson on March 31, and
Melson did not respond by the mid-April deadline. Within 48 hours,
Issa threatened to begin contempt proceedings against Melson and the
ATF, which this column reported here.
Whistleblower agents in the ATF have been cooperating with the
Grassley investigation, and a major breakthrough came about two weeks
ago when the senator disclosed that Phoenix Assistant Special Agent
In Charge George Gillett was cooperating, through his attorney.
Thousands of guns were allegedly allowed to be "walked" into Mexico
by the ATF, even against the protests of field agents and gun dealers
in Arizona, who had voiced concerns that the firearms could fall into
the wrong hands and result in harm to innocent citizens or law
enforcement officers. Those fears were realized with the deaths of
Customs and Border Protection Agent Brian Terry in December and the
slaying of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata in
February. At both crime scenes, guns were recovered that were
subsequently traced back to Project Gunrunner suspects.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: UPDATE: Congressional 'Gunrunner'
investigators in Arizona - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com http://
www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/update-congressional-gunrunner-
investigators-arizona#ixzz1Kg7HLyuL
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