By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — President Obama is pleading ignorance about a controversial ATF operation that let gun traffickers pass on the goods so agents could track them to the higher levels of the Mexican cartels. The President, in an interview with Univision that he and Attorney Gen. Eric Holder Jr. ever authorized the…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The controversy over ATF programs designed to stop the flow of guns into Mexico isn’t going away. Some guns have been used in serious crimes. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has fired off a letter to Ken Melson, head of ATF, accusing…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — America seems to be falling short when it comes to committing resources to battle the burgeoning problem of guns being smuggled into Mexico. The Los Angeles Times reports: “U.S. authorities in Mexico charged with stemming the flow of U.S. weapons to drug cartels have been hampered by shortfalls in…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com A variety of federal agent voiced “anguished objections” over an ATF operation that allowed guns to be smuggled in Mexico so they could be traced to the top levels of the drug cartels, the Los Angeles Times reports. The paper reported that the operation known as “Operation Fast and Furious” lost…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com ATF said Tuesday it had arrested a suspected gun trafficker in Texas who allegedly bought one of the weapons that wound up in Mexico and was used to kill ICE agent Jaime Zapata on Feb. 15. Authorities said Mexican authorities recovered three guns used in the ICE agent’s slaying — one…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The White House just can’t seem to pull the trigger. James V. Grimaldi of the Washington Post reports that White House budget officials once against delayed a decision for at least two months on an emergency request that would require gun dealers along the Mexican border to report people…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Apparently Facebook isn’t just for chatting it up with old pals or initiating a discussion about the latest Monet art exhibit. ATF is investigating allegations that a Virginia inmate used Facebook to threaten government witnesses in his upcoming arson case, station WSLS reported. The station, citing a federal search warrant for…
By The Washington Post Editorial WASHINGTON — MANY PRESIDENTS, fearful of alienating the powerful gun lobby, have neglected the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Funding requests are often skimpy, making it that much more difficult for the emaciated agency to crack down on illegal sales and trafficking of firearms. The Obama administration…
