Mark Potter/atf photo

Besides the anticipated change at the top at ATF, other changes are coming.

Ronald B.  Turk, special agent in charge of the New York office, has been named Deputy Assistant Director  for Field Operations for the Central Region of  the U.S.

Mark Potter, head of the Philly office, has been named Deputy Assistant Director for Field Operations for the Western Region of the U.S. and International Operations.

And Gregory K.  Gant, special agent in charge of the Atlanta office, has been named Deputy Assistant Director for Public and Governmental Affairs.  Those changes are due to take effect in August.

In Phoenix, in eye of the hurricane, where “Operation Fast Furious” was run, Thomas E. Brandon, who headed the Detroit office, has already been permanently assigned there to try and clean up the mess and raise morale.

He replaces William D. Newell, who was supposed to become the ATF attache for Mexico. But Newell has been temporarily assigned to Washington to supposedly help in the Congressional inquiry into Operation Fast and Furious.

Ken Melson, acting head of ATF, is expected to be replaced by Andrew Traver, who has been nominated for the permanent spot.   Traver met Tuesday afternoon with Attorney Gen. Eric Holder Jr.

On top of that change, some think it’s just a matter of time before the second in command, William J. Hoover, is replaced.

Rep. Issa/gov photo

Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday told Fox News that acting ATF director Ken Melson should resign — something that’s likely to happen anyways.

Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, called Melson “part of the bad judgment” that led to the disastrous and ill thought out program “Operation Fast and Furious.” The program encouraged gun dealers to sell to straw purchasers — all with the hope of tracing the weapons to the Mexican cartels.

Melson is expected to step down this week and be replaced by Andrew Traver. Traver would likely become acting director pending the outcome of his presidential nomination for the post.

His nomination has already run into problems in the Senate after the NRA came after Traver, the head of the Chicago ATF office. The NRA claims he’s anti-gun owner rights.

Issa also told Fox others should take the blame as well.

“It wasn’t just him,” he said. “This was a program so stupid from the start. … Clearly at Justice, at high levels, they knew the details because they were funding and coordinating this project.”

He said Atty. Gen. Eric Holder “should have known. It was his obligation to know.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Ia.) released a letter Tuesday that he wrote to Melson complaining that ATF inaccurately reflected the scope and source of the problem of firearms in Mexico and the drug trafficking organization violence.

The letter is as follows:

Dear Acting Director Melson:

I write today in response to a June 10, 2011, article in The Wall Street Journal titled, “Mexican Guns Tied to U.S.”, which cites a letter you sent to Senator Diane Feinstein, the Chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (“Caucus”).

As the Co-Chairman of the Caucus, and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary (“Committee”), I have been investigating serious allegations raised by whistleblowers within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that agents knowingly allowed weapons to be sold to straw purchasers who then transferred those weapons to Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (“DTOs”).

Allan Lengel

Andrew Traver, the man the White House nominated last November to head up ATF,  is in Washington Tuesday to speak to Attorney General Eric Holder Jr.

His arrival comes in the midst of a major controversy — or screw up as some might say — involving ATF’s “Operation Fast and Furious”, which encouraged gun dealers to sell to “straw purchasers” — all with the hopes of tracing the guns to the Mexican cartels.

What’s expected to happen is that Traver, who heads up the Chicago ATF office,  will be appointed acting director of ATF, replacing the acting head Kenneth Melson, who will likely be pressured to resign.

After that, what’s also likely to happen is that Traver will never be confirmed. I could be wrong. But the NRA has launched an aggressive campaign to block his confirmation, claiming he’s very anti-gun rights. The confirmation has been stalled in the Senate.

The Obama White House doesn’t seem to have the appetite for a fight like that. And it’s  not likely to want to spend it’s political capital on Traver — at least not until the 2012 election is over.

So Traver will remain acting chief, certainly past the election. Should Obama win re-election, then he might go for a recess appointment, or just let Traver remain as acting.  Or maybe he’ll find someone who is more acceptable to the NRA, though I think that’s not likely — not if you’re looking for someone to aggressively enforce gun laws.

Unfortunately, acting directors never have the same clout,the same sway as a permanent director.   And just  in case they still have a shot at confirmation, they have to be extra careful as to what they say or what initiatives they launch or who they appoint to executive spots. They can become overly cautious. That can be very stifling and bad for the agency.

But politically, they never want to give Congress ammunition to sabotage the confirmation.

As for Meslon. Well, he was decent guy and a smart one at that. But agents thought the ex-federal prosecutor didn’t really understand the agency culture and the agents’ mindset.

As one veteran ATF agent told me: “A lot of guys thought he wasn’t the best fit. He was a nice man, but at times he could be arrogant. I don’t think he intended to come across that way. I kind of feel sorry for him.”

The FBI building in Jackson, Miss.,officially has a pretty long name.

The building this week is being named after three civil rights workers killed by Klansmen 47 years ago, as well as the FBI agent who headed the probe, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported.

The paper reported that the James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and Roy K. Moore Federal Building is located at 1220 Echelon Parkway in Jackson. Roy K. Moore is the FBI agent.

“We pushed for the naming because … (of) the history of our state during that time, the fact that these three young men gave their lives and the FBI helped find them and did so much background work for any convictions associated with them,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said, according to the paper. “This is part of the healing process.”

The three civil rights workers were killed June 21, 1964.

atf photo

The feds in L.A. are taking a novel approach to battling the violent Mongols motorcycle gang.

Prosecutors on Monday asked U.S. District Judge Otis Wright to block members of the gang from using its trademarked logo or using its name, the Los Angeles Times reported. A ruling in the government’s favor would make it the owner of the logo and name.

The paper reported that it was the first time the federal government has sought to control a gang’s identity through a court order.

The Times reported that the U.S. attorney’s office said the insignia — a pony-tailed man riding a chopper — is “very, very closely identified with the organization.” It said the office feels the move would further prevent the Mongols from operating.

“This patch is a central element of the identity of the gang. We’re trying to dismantle a criminal organization, and we’re trying to use whatever tools we can to do it,” Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, said, according to the LA Times. “In this case it shows our determination to go after this organization as a whole — top to bottom leadership — and after the proceeds of criminal activity.”

While heading the gang, Ruben “Doc” Cavazos registered and trademarked the Mongols logo, Mrozek said.

An attorney for the Mongols told the Times that the government can’t legally do this.

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• Large Meth Ring Busted in Ozark (KY3)
• Rep. Issa Thinks Atty. Gen. Holder and Others Should Pay for ATF Blunder (Newsmax)
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