"Fast and Furious" guns at more crime scenes

By: Sharyl Attkisson
Topics: Law and Order

CBS

There are new details on the scope of violence surrounding thousands of weapons federal agents allegedly allowed to fall into the hands of criminals. The Justice Department reports "Fast and Furious" guns have been recovered at 11 violent crime scenes in the United States. Those crime scenes, in addition to the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Dec. 2010, puts the total number of U.S. crime scenes connected to "Fast and Furious" at 12.

The number is provided for the first time in a written response to Republicans investigating the gunwalker scandal. In the case, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) say they were ordered to allow thousands of weapons into the hands of suspected gun traffickers for Mexican drug cartels. In its letter, the Justice Department indicates it doesn't have enough information to know how many weapons have been used in violent crimes south of the border in Mexico.

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) are leading the Congressional probe. Today, they issued a sharp letter accusing the Department of Justice (DOJ) of playing "word games," and reneging on its agreement. The agreement provided that Congress would allow the nomination of the Justice Department's choice for Deputy Attorney General, James Cole, to move forward in June. In return, the Justice Department would give detailed answers to specific questions about the ATF gunwalker scandal. The Justice Department did provide some answers but, according to the Republicans, fell short of providing the full and complete responses promised. For example, the DOJ allegedly failed to provide all available details of the 11 violent crimes. The Justice Department says it's reviewing the letter.

In their letter, Grassley and Issa also say DOJ violated its agreement not to immediately seek possession of interview transcripts of those cooperating with Congress. That was intended to guard the independence of the investigations, and foster candid communications with witnesses. But DOJ has asked Congress to provide that agency and the Inspector General with a transcript of a Congressional staff interview with Acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson.

"Since the [Inspector General] is supposed to be conducting an independent inquiry, it seems odd the [Justice] Department would make a document request on behalf of that office," said the Republican's letter. Grassley has, in the past, questioned the ability of the Justice Department's Inspector General to be fully independent in investigating the Justice Department. Attorney General Eric Holder requested the IG investigation after CBS News first broke news on the gunwalker case last February.

President Obama has said that neither he nor Holder knew about or approved of the controversial gunwalking operation that spanned 14 months. The idea behind the strategy was apparently to allow guns into the hands of criminals in hopes that seeing where they ended up would help officials take down a major drug cartel.

Sharyl Attkisson
Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News investigative correspondent based in Washington. All of her stories, videos and blogs are available here.
Follow on Twitter »

8 Comments +

Add a Comment


by demiPublius August 30, 2011 3:14 PM EDT: So, Melson goes to another high-paying federal job, when he ought to go to prison. Typical of our ruling class treatment of their own.

This stinks.; Reply to this comment


by dotherightthing4 August 22, 2011 12:47 PM EDT: I decided to check some of the major news sites to see how many stories I could find on Fast and Furious...sadly practically none. This is 100 times bigger than Watergate or Monica Lewinsky. We have dead people here. There were no GPS devices in these guns and no way of tracking them until they ended up in at a crime scene having done their damage. This was a stupid policy that totally disregarded human life. I believe this was an orchestrated attempt to demonize gun owners, dealers in order to advance stricter gun control and begin the registration, confiscation and eventual revocation of our 2nd amendment.; Reply to this comment


by burbanite August 18, 2011 8:55 AM EDT: Hey apologists, educate yourselves on this matter before you tell others how wrong they are. It's easy, just requires actually looking and not spouting your DOJ fed talking points.

Operation Gunrunner is what you are referring to when you say it began earlier, this op actually did involve interdiction and did succeed in prosecuting criminals. Operation Fast and Furious, (the subject of this article and thousands of others), started in 2009 regardless of what your Liar in Chief says. He is just trying to divert your blame by using word games just like the document in the article points out.

I guess you are too lazy to read but quick to accuse others of not doing so.

I see YourRearViewMirror1 played the race card right away, careful folks, this tactic is the major player in the upcoming election battle. It will get worse as they try to play on the "White Guilt" that got the Coward in Chief elected in the first place. Not gonna work this time around, he and Holder are both murderers and should be punished accordingly.; Reply to this comment


by jasonsanyoko August 17, 2011 5:03 PM EDT: I talked to Mr. Issa about this on twitter. Obama should be Impeached! Want more of the same? Let the media determine our candidates once again and you'll get a lot more of this corruption. I'll vote Ron Paul in 2012 like I did in 2008! End the Fed! arrest The Banksters! End the unconstitutional wars, including the drug war, and bring the troops home.

Veterans for Ron Paul 2012!; Reply to this comment

by Lifeson2112 August 17, 2011 3:27 PM EDT

Lets see these Obama lovers defend this. These people deserve to be behind bars and instead they're in office??!! What is going on here?

Reply to this comment


by Lifeson2112 August 17, 2011 4:45 PM EDT: Obama is the president. He's ultimately accountable for this. Ignorance is not only not an excuse it makes it worse, it shows he's really not in charge. And did it ever occur to you that Obama might lie about it? Open your eyes.


by Anotheryahoo August 17, 2011 3:17 PM EDT: This whole story smells to high heaven, latest news is the ones implementing this were given promotions and moved to washington. Still no one seems to be talking, A govt accountable to no one means we got some real big problems.; Reply to this comment


by Theantisoros August 17, 2011 1:51 PM EDT: And let's never forget the worst part in all this is still how Obama, Holder, Napolitano and Clinton each stood in front of America and proclaimed the gun violence and proliferation of guns in Mexico the fault of honest gun store owners and law abiding citizens.

What they did here goes way beyond mere liberal progressive hypocrisy, their actions have and continue to cause real deaths of real human beings here and in Mexico. People who don't deserve to die merely because Obama and his cronies want an excuse to reinstate useless gun controls.

And now of course they remain in full blown cover up and distraction mode and so far they're getting away with it but surely every one of them should be held accountable and prosecuted.; Reply to this comment