ATF and US Attorneys at fault in Fast & Furious scandal

A new Congressional report hoists blame on five ATF agents and, three U.S. attorneys for the “Fast and Furious” gunwalking operation that led to the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, ICE Agent Jamie Zapata and hundreds of Mexican nationals. The report concludes agency supervisors failed to reign in the reckless operation, yet none of the agents named in the congressional report have been fired for their roles in the botched gunwalking program that allowed high-powered weapons, purchased with taxpayer stimulus money, to fall into the hands of ruthless drug cartels. The new report comes 18 months after Agent Terry’s murder and a month after Congress voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for not providing thousands of documents related to the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco and Firearm and Explosives (ATF) agents named in the report include, (then) Acting Director Kenneth Melson, Phoenix field office Agent Bill Newell, Deputy Director William Hoover, Deputy Assistant Director of the Phoenix office, William McMahon and Assistant Director for field operations Mark Chait. The three attorney’s named were Dennis Burke, U.S. Attorney for the Arizona District, Emory Hurley, assistant U.S. Attorney in Arizona and Lanny Breuer, the Assistant Attorney General at Main Justice. Acting ATF Director Melson suggested the Obama Administration tried to pin responsibility for the wrong-headed gunwalking scheme on him after he secretly testified before Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Melson claims that once details of the gunwalking operation were leaked to members of the media, ATF as well as Department of Justice (DOJ) officials went into damage control mode. “I think they (ATF/DOJ) were doing more damage control than anything,” Melson said in the Fast and Furious report. “My view is that the whole matter of the department's response in this case was a disaster.” Part of Justice’s cover-up strategy was to blame ATF’s Phoenix office and label the gunwalking program as nothing more than a “rogue” operation. However, Holder was forced to reveal at a previous hearing that his office’s premier Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDEF) committee approved the flawed program. By admitting that OCDEF played a role in Fast and Furious, Holder essentially turned the spotlight back on his office as the highly coveted program includes a representative from most federal law enforcement agencies, oversees millions of dollars and approves arrests worthy of national headlines. ATF agents have admitted time and time again that supervisors in the Phoenix office were extremely interested in bringing down the “bad guys” and making “headlines.” They did. In fact, the new report confirms that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) played a significant role in Fast and Furious, and ICE agents wanted to catch the drug cartels’ “big fish.” The flawed gunwalking program failed to deliver a high-profile arrest, but ICE has escaped Congressional scrutiny? The scathing report cites many flaws with Fast and Furious and said the program “was marred by missteps, poor judgments and (using) an inherently reckless strategy.” The report also concludes that ATF agents in Phoenix received little guidance from supervisors who seemed content to “rubber stamp” a deeply suspect program that sent more than 2,000 guns directly to drug cartels in Mexico. The Democrats see things differently. Publically, the Democrat leadership has called the GOP investigation a “witch hunt” and politically motivated. Senate leader Harry Reid (D-NV) even says the Republican investigation lacks merit, is only partisan and hopes to win back the White House by disgracing Attorney General Holder. Yet several Democrats crossed party lines and voted to hold the Attorney General in contempt. Moving forward, House members will push for a contempt (civil lawsuit) proceeding, but said the legal issue will take place after the November elections. Nevertheless, law enforcement agencies across the country knew the consequences of a program like Fast and Furious were predictable- someone would die. That’s what happens when guns “walk” into the hands of ruthless cartels- they have the propensity to kill people. Regrettably, Operation Fast and Furious successfully did exactly what it was designed to do- make headlines with multiple murders. And to this day no federal workers have been held accountable and fired for the murders of Agents Terry or Zapata, as well as the November 2010 death of Mario Gonzalez, the brother of Patricia Gonzalez, then Attorney General for the state of Chihuahua. Two of the 16 firearms recovered at the police shootout scene in Mexico were later traced to the ill-fated Fast and Furious program. Previous Fast and Furious story: http://www.examiner.com/article/2-dead-federal-agents-confers-no-privilege-executive-or-otherwise-1 For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/homeland-security-in-national/kimberly-dvorak © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

Press conference reveals DREAMer’s commit crimes & get amnesty

In a press conference today, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said that President Obama’s DREAM Act policy attempt to streamline and legalize those in the country under 30, without any proof, is a form of executive amnesty. Two members that spoke to major concerns ICE agents face in the field told cameras the program was nothing more than a free pass. (See press conference here) The press conference revealed that the DREAMer policy, under Department of Homeland Security and ICE was nothing more than a get out of jail free card. Two members that represent thousands of agents, Chris Crane, the president of the National Immigration and Customs Council who represents 7,200 ICE agents and George McCubbin, president of the National Border Patrol Council who represents 17,000 agents described a lawless agency. One example used focused on last week’s El Paso, Texas incident where an illegal alien was arrested after he physically assaulted a family member, tried to keep that person from calling police and was subsequently arrested by an ICE agent who was then assaulted by the illegal alien himself before trying to flee arresting officers. Under the new DREAM Act, this man was released without charge because he was under 30 and said he went to high school in the U.S. McCubbin and Crane further illustrate that agents do not need any proof that illegal aliens went to high school or received a GED- their word is good enough under President Obama’s new DREAMer policy. Agents are said to be furious at the prosecutorial discretion policy. However, the Latino community couldn’t be happier with the President’s new amnesty program and some said it would get him votes in the upcoming 2012 election. “My first thought is, how wonderful for the people whose lives this affects,” says Justin Gross, an assistant professor of political science at UNC-Chapel Hill and chief statistician for the polling firm Latino Decisions in a Daily Beast story. “My second thought is Arizona is definitely in play.” For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/guns-fuel-drug-cartels-mexico © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

DEA nabs 5 million packets of synthetic drugs with ties to cannibalism

A recent spat of cannibalism cases tied to the increased use of synthetic drugs led the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on a nationwide sting to remove the “designer” chemicals from the marketplace. The new “designer” drugs are marketed for America’s youth as an alternative to traditional illegal drugs like cocaine or crystal meth. Operation Log Jam nabbed more than 90 individuals related to the synthetic drug business, collected five million packets of the “designer” drugs and seized $36 million in cash nationwide. DEA agents said five million packets of synthetic cannabinoids (K2, Spice, incense or plant food) and the products required to produce nearly 14 million more, as well as 167,000 packets of synthetic cathinones (bath salts), and the products to produce an additional 392,000 were seized throughout the 100 city coordinated DEA sting. “Although tremendous progress has been made in legislating and scheduling these dangerous substances, this enforcement action has disrupted the entire illegal industry, from manufacturers to retailers,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. The recent cannibalistic attack in Florida, where a man literally ate the face off a homeless person, garnered nationwide attention and prompted legislative action as well as the nationwide DEA sting. “Today, we struck a huge blow to the synthetic drug industry. The criminal organizations behind the importation, distribution and selling of these synthetic drugs have scant regard for human life in their reckless pursuit of illicit profits,” said James Chaparro, Acting Director of ICE’s Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “ICE is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring this industry to its knees.” The DEA also depended on the U.S. Post Office to report and curtail suspicious packages passing through the mail system. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service aggressively investigates the use of the U.S. mail system for the distribution of illegal controlled substances and its proceeds. Our agency uses a multi-tiered approach to these crimes: protection against the use of the mail for illegal purposes and enforcement of laws against drug trafficking and money laundering. This includes collaboration with other agencies,” said Chief Postal Inspector Guy J. Cottrell. Law enforcement agencies across the country have detected an increase in the sales of synthetic drugs. Many of the designer drugs use, synthetic cathinones (stimulants/hallucinogens) and are marketed as “Ivory Wave,” “Purple Wave,” “Vanilla Sky” or “Bliss.” Agents explain that these drugs attempt to mimic cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and methamphetamine. However, the side effects of synthetic drugs can be significantly worse and include, impaired perception, reduced motor control, disorientation, extreme paranoia, and violent episodes. Researchers have not concluded the long-term physical and psychological effects of prolonged use because the drugs are new to the marketplace. Experts say the new drugs have become increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young adults, because they mistakenly believe the chemicals can bypass drug-testing protocols that have been set up by employers and government agencies to protect public safety. Smokable herbal blends marketed as being “legal” and providing a marijuana-like high have also grown in popularity because they are easily obtained, however it’s the DEA’s contention that these particular products are more potent and dangerous than “street” marijuana. “These products consist of plant material that has been coated with dangerous psychoactive compounds that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana,” they said. “Just as with the synthetic cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops and over the Internet. Brands such as “Spice,” “K2,” “Blaze,” and “Red X Dawn” are labeled as incense to mask their intended purpose.” Agents want users to know that these dangerous chemicals do not have approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The DEA used its emergency scheduling authority to combat both synthetic cathinones (the so-called bath salts like Ivory Wave, etc.) and synthetic cannabinoids (the so-called incense products like K2, Spice, etc.), by temporarily placing several of these dangerous chemicals into Schedule I of the CSA. In a rare bipartisan effort, Congress acted to permanently place the 26 substances on the Schedule I of the CSA list. In 2010, poison centers nationwide responded to about 3,200 calls related to synthetic “Spice” and “bath salts.” In 2011, that number jumped to more than 13,000 calls. Sixty percent of the cases involved patients 25 and younger. Operation Log Jam was conducted jointly by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, as well as countless state and local law enforcement members in more than 109 U.S. cities and targeted every level of the synthetic designer drug industry, including retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/guns-fuel-drug-cartels-mexico © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

Green on blue murder in Afghanistan War claims two US CBP agents lives

A relatively new Afghan War phenomenon “green on blue” attacks claimed two more American lives. The “green on blue” violence involves U.S. trained Afghan Security Forces who turn their weapons onto NATO allies responsible for training the Afghan forces and killing western allies without warning. This time the “green on blue” violence claimed the lives of two Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, one British worker as well as injuring another Border Patrol agent working with NATO-led forces to train the Afghanis. "It is with great sadness that I learned this weekend of the fatal shooting of three contractors stationed at the Herat Training Center in Herat, Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of former U.S. Border Patrol Agent and retired ICE Agent Benjamin Monsivais, retired CBP Port Director Joseph Perez, and retired Her Majesty’s United Kingdom Revenue and Customs Officer David Chamberlain,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement. Napolitano said all three individuals were supporting Afghan Border Police training efforts when they came under attack. “Their tragic deaths remind us of the dangers facing our men and women overseas, and the many sacrifices they make on our behalf every day,” she said. DHS also released the name of the individual that was shot three times by an Afghani. “We pray for the swift recovery and continued safety of former Border Patrol Agent Dana Hampton and language assistant Aimal Formully. We also applaud the tremendous bravery and heroism of the CBP Border Patrol Agent who responded to the attack and prevented the gunman from causing further harm and injury to others,” according to Napolitano’s statement. Officials said Border Patrol Agent Hampton made it through surgery and is expected to survive. Unconfirmed reports describe the situation as a surprise attack. “Hampton and the others were in a break area on some down time at a Border Police training site in Herat when an Afghani in police uniform walked in and started shooting... A PA named Eric Goff (YUM-Borstar) walked in when the shooting started and killed the shooter. Goff is being credited for saving the lives of 20 men.” For more stories: http://www.examiner.com/article/we-ve-been-droned-are-kill-lists-lawful-and-prudent-1 © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

United States Sued For Droning American Citizens in Yemen

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights have filed a lawsuit against senior U.S. government officials for the targeted killing of three Americans using armed drones outside a declared warzone. The complaint contends President Obama’s top military team, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director General David Petraeus, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Admiral William McRaven and current Commander of JSOC, Lieutenant General Joseph Votel carried out drone strikes that deprived three U.S. citizens of due process rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Two American citizens, Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, were killed in September 2011 by a drone strikes in Yemen. And in an October 2011 drone strike, Abdulrahman al- Awlaki, the 16-year-old son of al-Awlaki, was killed in Yemen while eating dinner at a café along with a large group of patrons including his teenage cousin. According to several published reports and U.S. government intelligence agencies, al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico and was considered a radical Islamist cleric and alleged leader of the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The ACLU’s legal complaint states, “the killings violated the right to due process under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, the prohibition on unreasonable seizures under the Fourth Amendment, and, with respect to Anwar Al-Awlaki, the ban on extrajudicial death warrants imposed by the Constitution’s Bill of Attainder Clause. The killings also violated international law, which is incorporated through the Constitution.” The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions said the targeted drone strike constituted “a clear case of extrajudicial killing” that sets an “alarming precedent.” The now commonplace drone strike slayings were part of the “war on terror” agenda that called for “targeted killings” by the U.S. officials outside a declared warzone. The basis of using vague legal standards to kill American citizens via a closed Presidential executive process outside the legal confines of a courtroom highlights inherent flaws with the Patriot Act passed after 9-11 under former President Bush. Constitutional and international law both prohibit killing outside a declared conflict zone without providing due process; “except as a last resort to avert a concrete, specific, and imminent threat of death or serious physical injury,” according to the ACLU. “Even in the context of an armed conflict against an armed group (which did not exist in Yemen at the time of these killings), the government may use lethal force only against individuals who are directly participating in hostilities against the United States. Regardless of the context, whenever the government uses lethal force, it must take all possible steps to avoid harming civilian bystanders.” The ACLU argues that the senior CIA and military officials who “authorized and directed” the drone strikes violated U.S. standards. The plaintiffs seek undetermined compensatory damages for the violations of their civil rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments as well as the Constitution’s Bill of Attainder Clause. Perhaps America’s foreign adventurism and lawlessness have infiltrated all branches of government. Consider the following statement from Judge Andrew Napolitano; “We live in perilous times. The president acts above the Rule of Law and fights his own wars. Congress acts below the Rule of Law by letting the president do whatever he can get away with.” The president’s continued gravitas towards foreign adventurism only highlights the fact that he has effectively neutered Congress, so that even the targeted killings of Americans without charges and trials has become as mundane as playing "Call Of Duty®." Link to previous drone story: http://www.examiner.com/article/we-ve-been-droned-are-kill-lists-lawful-and-prudent-1 For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/guns-fuel-drug-cartels-mexico © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

Iranian and Chinese nationals indicted for exporting nuclear materials

After a lengthy investigation by ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a federal grand jury handed down an indictment accusing Chinese and Iranian nationals of trying to illegally purchase and export materials used to enrich uranium. The superseding indictment charges Parviz Khaki, an Iranian, and Zongcheng Yi, a Chinese national, for trying to export U.S.-origin materials used to construct, operate and maintain gas centrifuges for the enrichment of uranium for Iranian officials. In addition, Khaki is accused of conspiring to purchase radioactive source materials from the U.S. Court papers charge Khaki, age 43, aka Martin, and Yi, aka Yi Cheng, aka Kohler, with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by conspiring with others to illegally export U.S. goods to Iran. Both defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States; two counts of smuggling; two counts of illegally exporting U.S. goods to Iran in violation of IEEPA; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Khaki was arrested May 24, 2012, by authorities in the Philippines, however Yi Cheng remains at large. Authorities believe the fugitive may be hiding in Guangzhou City, China. “By dismantling this complex conspiracy to deliver nuclear-related materials from the United States to Iran, we have disrupted a significant threat to national security,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton. “Homeland Security Investigations will continue to pursue those who exploit U.S. businesses to illegally supply foreign governments with sensitive materials and technology that pose a serious risk to America and its allies.” With tension’s running high in the Middle East the superseding indictment represents the constant threat foreign nationals can pose to U.S. companies who manufacture products used for enriching uranium and other atomic sensitive products. “The indictment sheds light on the reach of Iran's illegal procurement networks and the importance of keeping U.S. nuclear-related materials from being exploited by Iran,” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco. “Iranian procurement networks continue to target U.S. and Western companies for technology acquisition by using fraud, front companies and middlemen in nations around the globe.” According to the indictment, from 2008 through 2011, Khaki, Yi and others conspired to export goods from the United States to Iran in violation of the embargo. Materials used for gas centrifuges to enrich uranium The government’s case asserts that Khaki began communicating with an undercover U.S. federal agent who was posing as an U.S. exporter in March of 2009. The agent explained to Khaki that under U.S. law his company could not legally sell maraging steel, but the undercover officer explained he could be convinced to bend the rules if the price was right. The government also said Khaki asked about the price and payment options. Federal agents explained that the intricate negotiations unfolded over several months and Khaki never wavered throughout their investigation. Khaki even told federal agents that “you know and I know this material are [sic] limited material and danger goods…” Not only did Khaki try to dupe American companies, but the indictment alleges in late 2008, he tried to involve a Chinese individual by getting 20 tons of 7075-O aluminum alloy 80mm rods and 20 tons of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy 150 mm rods smuggled through the United States or Europe. According to the court documents, Khaki also sought to obtain mass spectrometers from the United States. One 2009 email request specified Khaki was after a magnetic mass spectrometer to be used for isotopic analysis of gaseous uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is the key chemical compound used for the enrichment of uranium. For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/guns-fuel-drug-cartels-mexico © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

Arizona Sheriff charges DHS with delivering roadside amnesty

Within days of the Supreme Court's Arizona SB1070 ruling the Department of Homeland Security began to unravel the Grand Canyon State’s strong illegal immigration enforcement measures and unleashed a new brouhaha with Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu. “Within hours of United States Supreme Court justices upholding the main portion of Arizona’s SB1070 law, President Obama and Janet Napolitano (DHS) with a wave of their hands have made what was illegal one day, legal the next. They can't pass their dream act, so they change enforcement policies, which undermines the rule of law,” the Sheriff said today. He specifically referred to Justice Antonin Scalia’s written decision. “Arizona bears the brunt of the country’s illegal immigration problem. Federal officials have been unable to remedy the problem, and indeed have recently shown that they are unwilling to do so.” The Sheriff charges that on June 27 the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office witnessed the first of many examples of lawlessness that leaves deputies without assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “President Obama and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano revoked the 287g agreements with Arizona law enforcement on the very day of the SB1070 decision. Additionally, President Obama decided to stop deporting illegals 30 years of age or younger if they can prove they have been continuously living in the U.S. for five years,” said Tim Gaffney, director of Communications for Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. “At 4:45 p.m. one of our deputies stopped a vehicle on a traffic stop after he observed it speeding 85 mph in a 35 mph zone near Merrill Ranch Parkway. The vehicle also unsafely passed another vehicle while using the two-way left turn lane. The driver of the vehicle was a 17-year-old Hispanic male who verbally identified himself and told the deputy he was driving in such a reckless manner because he was ‘late for work.’ The driver told the deputy he did not have a driver’s license and could not obtain any identification since he lacked proper documentation required to qualify. He also said that his parents are also in the United States illegally. He told the deputy he was born in Mexico. When asked where he lived he stated, ‘Little Mexico.’ The driver said that he could not remember his exact home address,” Gaffney reported. After hearing the story, the deputy notified his supervisor as well as ICE, he explained the situation to both and was told by an ICE representative new policy meant they were no longer interested in the 17-year old Mexican national or his illegal parents. The driver was cited by the Pinal Sheriff deputy and released to his mother at the scene. Officials said the vehicle was impounded for 30 days because the driver was unlicensed. “The President fails to understand the follow on impact created by his decision to not enforce immigration laws. Some people will argue that individual states must now issue driver’s licenses to illegals, since the President made it perfectly legal for them to remain and work here and therefore, it would be discriminatory to deny them a driver’s license,” Sheriff Babeu said. “(Equally) as troubling, President Obama established a toll free hot line to report law enforcement for suspected racial profiling. How have we arrived at this point in America, where our own President decides what laws don’t apply to illegals and then establishes a hot line for them to report our heroes in law enforcement for suspected racial profiling? Where is the hot line for me to call to demand that all the laws are enforced and for the President to stop portraying law enforcement as the bad guys? President Obama and Secretary Napolitano obviously feel it’s more important to try and get votes this election year rather than to follow the rule of law,” Babeu concluded. Nevertheless a defiant Arizona continues to argue their case with voters while the Department of Justice (DOJ) continues their onslaught of lawsuits against the Grand Canyon State. (Sheriff Babeu is also running for Congress in his home state of Arizona.) For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/guns-fuel-drug-cartels-mexico © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.