President Obama on Fast and Furious: "I certainly was not" aware of gunwalking

By: Sharyl Attkisson
Topics: Law and Order

President Obama today said he had complete confidence in Attorney General Eric Holder and his efforts to stop gunrunning along the southwest border.

Mr. Obama was responding to a question about the ATF Fast and Furious scandal in which suspected traffickers purchased thousands of weapons, and were allowed to send them to Mexican drug cartels. The idea was to try to take down a major cartel.

Memos contradict Holder on "Fast and Furious"

Mr. Obama said that Holder has indicated he was not aware of the controversial tactic known as "letting guns walk." The president added, "Certainly I was not (aware)."

Gunwalking scandal uncovered at ATF

Agent: I was ordered to let guns "walk" into Mexico

The president also said that both he and Holder would have been "very unhappy" if somebody had suggested that guns were allowed to cross the border, and that could have been prevented.

Earlier this week, CBS News reportedHolder was sent memosmentioning Fast and Furious as early as July, 2010.

Read the documents

Read the July 5, 2010 memo

Read the memo to Holder from Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer

The Inspector General is looking into the controversy, at Holder's request. Congressional Republicans are also investigating.

Sharyl Attkisson
Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News investigative correspondent based in Washington. All of her stories, videos and blogs are available here.
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by chyenna-2009 May 10, 2012 6:58 AM EDT: The Prez knew. So what are WE, the american citizens gonna do about it? Just b-itch? Well let's B-tch at our government and tell em how we feel. There's strenth in numbers. So instead of all this in-fighting, tell em how it is. U don't like Obama, then tell him why. Don't like Romney then tell him like it is. Lets stop siting on our a$$es and let our word be heard. Come on people, take a freaking stand. It doesn't take that long to write to them anymore than it takes to blog about this. Stregth in numbers. Common sense!!!!!!!!!; Reply to this comment


by gorasaab October 14, 2011 3:21 PM EDT: Obama is not telling the truth. This is the most corrupt administration since Nixon's. Criminality is prevasive. See what CNN's John King exposed about Obama's admission of knowledge about "Fast and Furious"to a Mexican TV network:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/10/13/obama_spoke_about_fast__furious_before_holder_claimed_he_knew.html

CNN's John King plays Holder's testimony to Congress on MAY 3, 2011, where he said he had only just recently heard about the Fast & Furious gunrunning program. "I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks," Attorney General Eric Holder said.

Then CNN compares Holder's testimony to what President Obama said in MARCH to CNN Espanol about the operation. "I heard on the news about this story that -- Fast and Furious, where allegedly guns were being run into Mexico, and ATF knew about it, but didn't apprehend those who had sent it." Transcript of the segment that aired on "John King USA" below:

KING: Well, Congressman Cummings, let's get to one of the questions here. Let's first listen to the attorney general. He came before this committee back in May. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISSA: When did you first know about the program officially I believe called Fast and Furious? To the best of your knowledge, what date?

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: He says over the last few weeks.

That is on May 3, 2011. Listen to this interview the president of the United States, not the attorney general, the president of the United States, had with CNN Espanol back in March.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There have been problems, you know. I heard on the news about this story that -- Fast and Furious, where allegedly guns were being run into Mexico, and ATF knew about it, but didn't apprehend those who had sent it.

Eric Holder has -- the attorney general has been very clear that he knew nothing about this. We had assigned an I.G., inspector general, to investigate it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It begs the question, how did the president know about this in March, and how did the president know the attorney general knew nothing about this in march, when the attorney general says in May he just learned about it a couple weeks ago?

Obama/Holder is akin to the Nixon/Mitchell corrupt administration.
Nixon resigned and Mitchell was sent to Club Fed.; Reply to this comment


by porchhound October 14, 2011 2:58 PM EDT: What ELSE can these Chicago mobsters be up to???; Reply to this comment


by JustSkip October 12, 2011 4:10 PM EDT: RE Iran Assignation plot

This country is in SERIOUS Trouble.

Did anyone else notice that this story broke on the same day as Eric Holder was subpoenaed in the "Fast and Furious" debacle?

Also there is some evidence surfacing that Hillary Clinton also was a key player in "Fast and Furious"

This Iran issue may be being used as a Smokescreen for "Fast and Furious"; Reply to this comment


by Mutantone October 12, 2011 12:48 AM EDT: if Rahm Emanuel reports that he knew about the operations while he was at the White House,then the president knew. Not only high caliber weapons but conversion kits to make semiautomatic weapons full auto, and explosives as well as Rocket Launchers
and Holder blamed congress:
""Equally unacceptable, however, is the fact that too many in Congress are opposed to any discussion of fixing loopholes in our laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border to the south. I cannot help but note that at the same time that some members of Congress understandably criticize the Fast and Furious operation, they vehemently refuse to consider whether ATF has the resources and legal tools it needs to do its job - tools that would be entirely consistent with the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens."Attorney General Eric Holder

Operation Gunrunner-in which the government authorized the sale of weapons with the intent of letting these weapons fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, which were used to Kill an American border agent.

Operation Castaway-in which the government authorized the sale of weapons knowing they would fall into the hands of Honduran gangs, such as MS13 and the Mara Salvatrucha and the rival Mara 18, An estimated 20,590 people died violently here in the last five years, according to the Madrid-based nonprofit Observers of Violence in massive shoot outs to control the drug industry.

Project Gangwalker the ATF and the DOF allowed the straw purchases of weapons which eventually ended up in the hands of United States gang members in Indiana" Operation Community Shield," individuals are from El Salvador, three are from Mexico, one is from Honduras and one is from Haiti. ICE said the individuals are members or associates of the following street gangs: MS-13, Sur-13, and Zoe Pound. Charged in connection with the shooting of an Indianapolis police officer last week are gang members, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office Gonzalez-Ramirez is a member of the Puros Vatos Locos street gang, and Taboada-Perez is a member of the SCT-13 gang. Both have tattoos that express allegiance to those gangs, authorities said. and other weapons have been found at crime scenes in that state and surely have spread out from there to other gangs.
And the number of weapons is three times the numbers sent into Mexico
Now picture gang bangers in armed flash mobs, And just where did that army that Obama formed disappear to?

Add to that a state governor that thinks there should be no elections for two years until the congress can fix the problems they are facing. And Obama does not think that Americans understand democracy as well as he does.
It all leads to the UN small arms treaty that Hillary signed off on all to disarm the American populace.
And all these are now excuses to suspend the second amendment rights of the citizens.
It all sounds treasonous to me; Reply to this comment

by borakobama October 11, 2011 3:43 PM EDT

I am unsure of everyone here understanding what they are witnessing. Folks you are witnessing the beginning of the fall of a totally corrupt and criminal administration hell bent on destroying the greatest republic democracy ever known, from within. Without the election of Nov '10 it likely would have been successful. The world stood on the abyss of ultimate destruction by the progressives. The scope of the criminality toward this end is becoming known day by day. It is breath taking.

More troubling are the facts daily surfacing. Those emerging facts show the perpetrators were comfortable to commit felonies of an unknown scale without even a second thought. They felt comfortable knowing they were "safe". I urge each of you to daily chronicle the events and your thoughts to save for posterity so that your descendants can read the real events as they unfolded and know the real history. Without that, 50 years from now they will be saddled with revisionist history of some liberal historian. You are now living and witnessing the unearthing of the greatest government conspiracy in human history.

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by chyenna-2009 May 10, 2012 6:44 AM EDT: Well said.


by SSG_Murphy_J October 7, 2011 5:25 AM EDT: Lies, lies and more lies. Obama certainly knew of Fast and Furious and he loved it. Anything to give him a chance to create more gun laws, even if it means innocent people die.; Reply to this comment


by chaseflamz October 6, 2011 11:12 PM EDT: Sharyl Atkinson has done an excellent job as a journalist. Real investigative reporting! LA Times Richard Serrano wrote story regarding new Acting Director changing the bosses within ATF. Story said ATF former Dep. Director Hoover made numerous efforts to stop the gunwalking after the first 6 months of the program in 2009, but was overruled. OVERRULED BY WHO? Why hasn't this man testified to Congress? Did other ATF managers try to stop gunwalking but get overruled? Eric Holder is much more involved than has already been discovered. Betting Rahm Emanuel created Fast and Furious to forward the anti-gun agenda.; Reply to this comment


by Loyalist59 October 6, 2011 10:12 PM EDT: What I find astounding.......that CBS has this story buried online; but, hey, if I want to read how Ellen and Portia found each other, that is on the front page. Holder should be held as an accessory to murder. Sharyl, keep the heat on!; Reply to this comment


by ammo17 October 6, 2011 5:29 PM EDT: I HAVE NEWS FOR THE PRESIDENT,ERIC HOLDER AND JANET NAPOLITANO ARE GOING TO BE THE DOWNFALL OF YOUR ADMINISTRATION.I WROTE THIS ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO AND NOW IT IS COMING TRUE.WHO EVER RECOMMENDED THESE TWO SLUGS TO THE PRESIDENT MUST REALLY HATE OBAMA.; Reply to this comment