New GOP Report Points Finger at 5 ATF Officials Over Botched 'Fast and Furious' Operation
In a new report, Republican Congressional investigators are pointing the finger at five key figures from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for the botched gunrunning sting, ‘Operation Fast and Furious.’ The operation was intended to track weapons and was supposed to stop a crime wave, but instead many of the guns were lost and ended up at crime scenes in both the United States and Mexico.
According to William La Jeunesse, the report paints a picture of poor judgment, lack of oversight, sloppy investigative work, and lying.
The report also finds that ATF dropped the ball. It reads, “If ATF had bothered to conduct a thorough review of all the information contained in the DEA wire intercepts, Fast and Furious might have concluded a year earlier than it did.”
The congressional investigative report specifically faults Acting Director Kenneth Melson; Deputy Director William Hoover; William Newell, special agent in charge of the Phoenix Field Division; William McMahon, deputy assistant director for field operations, and Mark Chait, assistant director for field operations.
