Senator Charles Grassley has written a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder dated February 9 concerning “serious allegations from ATF whistleblowers.” Per Grassley:
ATF agents told my staff that the agency allowed the sale of assault rifles to known and suspected straw purchasers for an illegal trafficking ring near the southwest border. Authorities allegedly recovered two of those weapons at the scene of a firefight near the southwest border on December 14, 2010. Customs and Border Protection Agent Brian Terry lost his life in that firefight and may have been killed with one of those two rifles.
I have obtained a copy of that letter and supporting documents, including National Tracing Center Suspect Gun Summaries, Suspect Person Information Reports and a Significant Information Report on weapons recovered at the scene of the firefight where Agent Terry was killed (see accompanying slide show or view entire file by clicking here).
“Unfortunately,” Grassley informs Holder, his request that ATF brief his staff has been met with little more than ”delay and denial.“
Citing the Justice Department response to his inquiries denying allegations and requesting that his office not question law enforcement investigators, Grassley reconfirms to Holder “the allegations I received are supported by documentation,” and reminds the Attorney General “there is a difference between inappropriate political influence and appropriately holding officials accountable to the American people.”
Recounting a summary history of indicted suspect Jaime Avila’s alleged straw purchase activities from 2009, Grassley further asserts “The dealer who sold the weapons allegedly recovered at the scene of Agent Terry’s death met with both ATF representatives and Assistant U.S. Attorneys as early as December 17, 2009 to ‘discuss his role as [a Federal Firearms Licensee] FFL during this investigation.’”
The ultimate result?
On December 16, 2010, ATF’s trace results confirmed that serial numbers 1983AH3977 and 1971CZ3755 match two of the three rifles purchased by Avila and tracked by the ATF nearly a year earlier.
And there’s another important bit of information that regulars who have been following this unfolding story at the CleanUpATF website, in this column and at the Sipsey Street Irregulars blog should take note of:
If not for the bravery and patriotism of law enforcement personnel who were willing to put their careers on the line, this Committee would have been forced to rely on nothing more than rumors in the blogosphere and a Justice Department denial to resolve these allegations.
Think about that, and about how this bursting bombshell might not have been a story at all, and how many are still treating it as if it’s not.
Read the complete letter and the supporting attachments. Read the impassioned statement from Agent Terry’s stepmother.
Senator Grassley’s final observation is correct and inarguable:
The best way to honor his memory is to come clean.
As always, stay tuned.
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READ MIKE VANDERBOEGH'S RELATED SIPSEY STREET IRREGULARS POST.
Also see:
Comments
Thank you again for your leadership and diligence
I suggest that any readers who haven't yet let the Honorable Senator Grassley know they support his actions, do so!
Where are all the other Senators? I thought there was a whole committee and they were all notified. Why is Grassley alone in this - at least so far.
I hope Senator Grassley takes Holder and Melson both to the woodshed for a good a**woopin. Conduct like this by our government officials is totally unacceptable. I will be contacting the Senator today to let him know that he is doing the right and honorable thing. Something the Obama administration knows nothing about. Agent Terry deserves better.
More or less what I am asking my senator. Though in fairness she's not on the committee... not that I'm gonna let her off the hook.
Here's the list of the republican members. Don't see any on the D side that are much worth talking to, but there are several names on this list who fancy themselves as RKBA supporters. Time to fish or cut bait.
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Jon Kyl, Arizona
Jeff Sessions, Alabama
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
John Cornyn, Texas
Mike Lee, Utah
Tom Coburn, Oklahoma
ML asked: "Where are all the other Senators?"
One of "my" senators is a lib nutcase who welcomes any infringement of individual rights, and the other, a brand new freshman, made her rep as NH AG by being a police-state cheerleader who covered up many a "questionable" act of blatantly terrible police misconduct. Either of them would happiliy derail Grassley's investigation. And probably vote Medals of Freedom and big bonuses to Melson et al.
Superb, as always, David. I see American Thinker is on it: Sen. Grassley: Time For ATF To Come Clean.
Good stuff David. Thank you. Stay after them.
I could be mistaken, but parts of that letter sound like very polite ways of saying "Don't lie to me again, and don't you DARE try to tell me who I can talk to." Encouraging.
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