By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
With acting ATF Director B. Todd Jones in place, and the new fiscal year beginning, rumors are swirling about that ATF is soon expected to make a lot of changes in top management, which will result in a serious round of musical chairs.
One rumor circulating within ATF is that Thomas E. Brandon, who had just recently moved from Detroit to Phoenix to help clean up the mess in wake of the disastrous Operation Fast and Furious, will be headed to Washington to take on a senior leadership role.
Agents around the country have told tickethewire.com that Brandon has the respect of fellow agents.
The changes come in wake of the controversy over Operation Fast and Furious, which encouraged Arizona firearms dealers to sell to questionable straw purchasers, all with the hopes of tracing the weapons to the Mexican cartels. ATF lost track of some weapons, and some surfaced at crimes scenes on both sides of the border.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.) have been investigating the fall out from Operation Fast and Furious and have been raising questions about ATF’s leadership.
In the midst of their probe, ATF acting director Ken Melson stepped down to head over to a post at the Justice Department. In stepped Jones, who has kept his post as U.S. Attorney in Minnesota.
The White House had nominated Andrew Traver, head of the ATF’s Chicago office, to become the new director. But his confirmation process got stalled, and the NRA put up a strong fight against him.
At this point, it appears Traver’s nomination will simply die out for lack of momentum. And it’s not likely that the Obama administration will spend its political capital trying to get any director confirmed before the election in November 2012.
Rumors have been circulating that the Justice Department wants to fold ATF into the FBI, but a federal source said that won’t happen.
The Examiner.com reported last week that there were rumors of “a possible big shake up” at ATF, but gave no specifics.
