'Fast and Furious' supervisors were not promoted, ATF says

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
8/22/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Supervisors did not receive salary or grade increases, agency says

Three supervisors in the controversial "Fast and Furious" gun-trafficking investigation were transferred to lateral jobs -- and not promoted. That's the official word from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who addressed the issue last week. "They did not receive salary or grade increases, nor did they assume positions with greater responsibility," the agency said in a short statement. Of course, there are many who disagree with the official story as the matter receives increased scrutiny from a concerned public.

The ATF says William G. McMahon, field operations deputy assistant director, was reassigned to a position with the Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations, filling a spot that had been vacant for more than a year.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Los Angeles, Times reported that William G. McMahon, William D. Newell and David Voth, the three key supervisors in the Phoenix-run investigation that went wrong, were promoted to management positions at the ATF's Washington headquarters.

The House committee investigating "Fast and Furious" asked the ATF to explain the new jobs and to confirm whether or not McMahon, Newell and Voth had been promoted. The ATF's acting director Kenneth E. Melson, told the Oversight and Government Reform Committee staff that the jobs were not considered promotions because as no one received a raise in pay.

"Operation Fast and Furious" was an operation that sought to identify Mexican drug cartel leaders and gun-smuggling routes across the border. The ATF allowed straw purchasers to buy weapons in the U.S., planning to track the guns to Mexico and drug cartel leaders.

Many of these weapons vanished and later turned up at crime scenes throughout Mexico and the U.S., including at the slaying of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Arizona last December.

Melson announced cited McMahon's "skills and abilities" he demonstrated throughout his career.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, three ATF agents told The Los Angeles, Times that they were surprised at what they viewed as promotions to headquarters.

"Media reports inaccurately characterized personnel changes . as promotions," the ATF said in a statement.

The ATF said McMahon, field operations deputy assistant director, was reassigned to a position with the Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations, filling a spot that had been vacant for more than a year.

The ATF also said that Newell, who ran the ATF's Arizona and New Mexico field office during Fast and Furious, was reassigned to the Office of Management to assist with congressional and inspector general's investigations into the failed operation.

Voth was reassigned to a headquarters position. "These transfers/reassignments have never been described as promotions in any of the documents announcing them," the ATF's statement said.

Of course, there are many who disagree with the official story as the matter receives increased scrutiny from a concerned public. This unfolding story is far from over.

� 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM

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General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
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Keywords: Fast and Furious, ATF, drug cartels, weapons

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1 - 10 of 11 Comments

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1 year ago
Here we have a major scandal that is being swept under the rug by our Liberal Media. You can be sure that if it was a Republican in the White House, the Liberal News Media would be Headlining this every night. Every Liberal talking head would be calling for impeachment and resignations. These same hypocrites are stone silent.
Fallon
1 year ago
Come.

Let us reason together:

Fast and Furious was an operation in which Mexicans and US BATFE and ICE agents stationed south of the Rio Grand were -by design and practice- kept ignorant of the federally-abetted illegal international gun trafficking to the murderous cartels.

Agents stationed north of the border have given testimonies in a variety of forums, one of which was the Oversight Committee Hearing, in which they recounted, with specific details, the repeated order to disengage surveillance of the illegal arms shipments.

With no agreement to have Mexican authorities maintain surveillance and prosecute the traffickers, and with no arrangement to have legitimate US law-enforcement personnel maintain either direct or remote surveillance, no chain of evidence was established beyond the first link... and the last link when/where the abetted arms were recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and the US.

Furthermore, the record shows a repeated pattern of satisfaction within the management ranks of BATFE and DoJ [US Attorney in Phoenix, and perhaps others] whenever word that an abetted gun had been recovered at a crime scene.

Does it stand to reason, knowing these truths, to consider the offered excuse that Fast and Furious was conceived and implemented in/as an attempt to trace trafficking routes, then to identify/locate/arrest cartel bosses... that that premise for the operation was nothing more than a lie straight from Hell?

If, perchance, one were to answer "No." to that question, then one must explain how non-tracked guns which were used by cartel "soldiers" tasked with street-level extortion, murder, and terrorism... how those bloodied arms were ever going to reach the well-defended ... and already well-known ... cartel heads.

If the US Government wanted to know who was running the cartels, why didn't they just ask the Mexican authorities? Gusman, and the others have long been known to be the leaders.

And the alleged immunity deal with the Sinaloa Cartel raises a whole and separate set of questions which do not comport well with the oft-repeated lie from Hell, that Fast and Furious was a well-intentioned operation gone astray.

It never missed!

Now, what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness? Print?
Phillip Smith
1 year ago
Can you say "Accessory to Murder", or perhaps "International Gun Smuggling"? These are the charges that should be on these men as well as the members of congress that voted for the stimulus bill that funded this "OPERATION".
fred kershaw
1 year ago
This story is total BS please get your facts right
Vince Warde
1 year ago
While these moves were did not result in pay increases, line ATF agents clearly viewed them as such because they are career enhancing moves and these agents gained prestige, authority and nice cushy offices in DC. Readers can make their own minds if this is what should happen to people up to their necks in a scandal as bad or worse than Watergate - after all, no one died in Watergate!

Consider these facts:

1) When gun dealers called ATF in an attempt to have illegal gun buyers arrested, they were ordered to make the very sales they were trying to prevent - sales they would have never made if the agency that issues their licenses, and has the power to put them out of business, has not ordered them to do so,

2) Both line ATF agents and licensed gun dealers protested this policy for over two years - warning that people were going to die. We have proof that one of the "promoted" ATF managers lied to a concerned gun dealer. The dealer was concerned that the guns he was being ordered to sell could end up south of the boarder and might even end up being used against his friends in the US Boarder Patrol. The manager wrote back that ATF was closely following the guns and would not allow their transportation into Mexico. This same manager was in fact, ordering his agents to do just the opposite.

3) After ordering them to make these sales, and allowing the guns to go into the hands of criminals, the ATF then named these same dealers as "primary sources of crime guns".

There is not space here to detail the entire scandal - but the orders have been traced to the Deputy Director of DOJ's Criinal division. His boss is Eric Holder and Holders boss is President Obama. No matter what your position on gun control, as Americans or Mexicans, we all should be outraged by the actions of ATF and DOJ.

I have been following this issue since Feb. 1st and have maintained a timeline, supported with links to mostly mainstream media outlets. If you want the whole story, it can be found at: http://reasonedpolitics.blogspot.com/2011/04/hillary-eric-wikileaks-and-batfe.html
songman727
1 year ago
wait a minute- newell, one of the top players in this fiasco, was re-assigned, " to assist with congressional and inspector general's investigations into the failed operation." isnt that a bit ludichris? allowing the police to police themselves?
sumpins' rotton in this investigation.....
Raina
1 year ago
These three men, who caused the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry should be on leave without pay until they can be brought before a court and tried for the murderous treasoness acts of violence upon America and Mexico! How dare our government give them jobs in different areas where they can cause more damage!

They caused the MURDER of not only our own but of countless Mexicans as well... Where is the accountablility and WHY isn't this being pointed out in this totally programmed artcle??? Shame shame shame Catholic org!!!!!
Jo Farrington
1 year ago
I echo the previous comments made by Kathryn & Edward.....can't believe that you are buying into the gov't rhetoric. The actions of the US Dept of Justice, ATF, Homeland Security, et al in this issue is absolutely appalling.

Yours in Christ, Jo Farrington, US Navy Viet Nam Era Veteran
Edward A. Hensley
1 year ago
I want to thank Catholic Online for posting the critical comments of my facebook
friend, Kathern Werdal and myself, in response to this article. While my opinion
of this article remains unchanged, to be fair, I searched Catholic Online and see
you posted a far more objective article back on March 4, 2011, headlined:

"Gun sting operation in Mexico heavily criticized"
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=40573

Well done on that article and I shall post it to the Facebook Page where Ms.
Werdal, other concerned citizens & I follow breaking news on this subject.

"Operation Gunrunner Information Page"
http://www.facebook.com/groups/210890655623733/?id=232091810170284¬if_t=group_activity#!/groups/210890655623733/

Sincerely,
Ed Hensley
.
Kathryn Werdal
1 year ago
This article is so wrong on so many levels but since this is a religious site presumably visited by Christians I will contain myself. I would like to know why the official Catholic press is buying into the pathetically thinly veiled symantic game proffered by the Regime. Promoted? Lateraled? Really? Aren't we parsing just a little too carefully? McMahon used to be the West Region ATF Director and now he is the head of Internal Affairs. Sounds like a promotion to me, and an extremely inappropriate one considering the fact that this man is a crook. Newell was slated to be the new ATF Attache to Mexico before that plan was aborted and he became the assistant to the assistant of the Sharpie redaction brigade.
Don't embarrass yourselves. You are way to far behind on this story to be pontificating.
Bottom line, 4 people, not 3, individuals that managed the felony stupid man caused disaster known as Fast and Furious have been protected by this Regime. Aren't you the least big curious why? McMahon, Newell, Voth, and George Gillett all moved at taxpayer expense to administrative jobs. Aren't you the least bit curious why? Be ashamed. Be very ashamed. Catholics are good at that.

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