By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The plot thickens. Acting ATF Director Ken Melson has agreed to talk to Senate investigators about Operation Fast and Furious, the ATF program that encouraged gun dealers to sell to straw purchasers so federal agents could trace them to the Mexican cartels , according to The Daily Beast and Newsweek. The…
Vincent Cefalu is a special agent with ATF. His column is in response to a column authored by ex-ATF official James Cavanaugh, who said appointing an ATF director by presidential appointment isn’t working. Cavanaugh said the appointment should be made by the umbrella agency — the Justice Department. By Vincent A. Cefalu For ticklethewire.com I…
James Cavanaugh was an ATF agent and supervisor for 33 years before retiring in 2010. By James Cavanaugh For ticklethewire.com Since 2006 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives has been without a confirmed director to lead its critical missions for America. I spent more than 33 years in ATF and I have worked…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com ATF had a gathering at headquarters in D.C. the other day that wasn’t typical of the ones you see in federal law enforcement. The agency on Wednesday hosted its first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month program at its headquarters, with Acting Director Kenneth Melson providing remarks along with…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Replacing Ken Melson, acting head of ATF, could get a little messy. The Los Angeles Times reports that Melson is “strongly resisting pressure” to step down over the controversy surrounding ATF’s “Operation Fast and Furious”, a flawed program that encouraged gun dealers to sell to straw purchasers with the hopes of…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The bad publicity for ATF and its “Operation Fast and Furious” program continues to flow. The Los Angeles Times reports that a congressional investigation, headed by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is moving Friday to Mexico to probe further into the problematic operation….
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com 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”,…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The Obama White House had no intention of keeping Ken Melson, acting head of ATF. In fact, last November it nominated Andrew Traver, head of the Chicago ATF office, to become the permanent head of the agency. But the confirmation process seemed to hit a big bump as the pro-gun lobbying…
