« More on Guliani and guns | Main | GA House passes bill allowing arms in cars in parking lots »
Shakeup at ATF
Two top ATFE officials have been effectively demoted. The Washington Post treats it as a retaliatory demotion: they had "opposed many questionable management and spending decisions by the agency's former director."
I've blogged about the spending scandal before, here and here and here. Agency politics can get quite byzantine. The one that is clear is that these are demotions, and serious ones. Just why is another question. Perhaps because they opposed the spending, or more likely because they are suspected as whistleblowers, or maybe because they are seen as whistleblowers who acted out of a grudge (there were some reports that the whistleblowers were due for reassignment by the director and their actions were meant as payback). Who knows?
· BATFE
4 Comments | Leave a comment
The BATFE Spin Doctor blames the demotions on the quo of the old Director. Don't let them fool you. The demotees were at the heart of destroying the agent that went undercover and then got hung out to dry.
There are 5 people I personally know who the ATF and FBI have attempted to frame over the years. Only 1 of the 5 were successful. I have proof that the successful frame up by the ATF was achieved by special Agent John Rotunno of the ATF, Chicago.
The ATF is making a laughing stock of the Chicagoland court system! I trust ATF agent Bob Hauffmans words on the T.V program "60 minutes" that all of the criminals he has arrested have more honor than the leaders of the ATF!
One of my friends who the FBI tried to set up, who by the way is one of the most honest people I have ever known!
My friend had a business that a few counterfeit bills passed through. He was accused by the FEDS of being involved in counterfeiting! For 2 years he had this lie the FEDS had created hanging over his head.(Another nightmare created by my dear FEDS)
One day my friend was talking with one of the FEDS and mentioned how can you be so cruel to create this lie about me. The FEDS response was " We are the good guys. Who do you think they will believe?"
Oh my friends I have awakened to an evilness much greater than I thought existed in the Chicago land area!
Chicago is so corrupt I am now sad to say this is my home town! The ATF & FBI have made a joke of our court system. Hand picking jury members, paying juiors, lawyers, and judges. No wonder the ATF & FBI have such a high conviction rate!
I love my country and do not want to see it destroyed by politicians, news media, lawyers, judges, ATF & FBI who only care about power & money! A good start to stop this corruption would be to terminate the ATF and take the best of this EVIL AGENCY and put those people in the FBI and Home Land Security.
I am sure that most of you have enough problems in your own lives and I know you do not want to take a stand to stop these EVIL,egotistical and power hungry BATF agents from being Above The Law ( like their MENTOR J. Edgar Hoover.) But if you look in the future about 5-10 years and see that with modern technology the BATF & FBI will have your house completely monitured. They can watch you and your family in the bedroom or washroom. With the stories of child molestation by the FEDS and all the other Evil acts. Will you feel that your family is safe?
I hope many of you will fight for your Civil Liberties which the Politicians are giving away to the FEDS! Come on! Like the FEDS did not have too much power before 9-11. If the FEDS were not spending so much time and money on framing people maybe 9-11 would not have happened! HELLLLOOOOO!!!
God Bless America!!
From trailer for "The Gang"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Articles
Even ATF employees fed up with corruption and incompetence
Demand hearings into ATF corruption allegationsLast Wednesday we looked at a group of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives employees who are fed up with corruption and incompetence. On Thursday, we saw a convenient way we could demand hearings into ATF corruption allegations.
But here's the thing: the "authorized journalists" in traditional media outlets don't even appear to have this story on their radar, and very little is likley to happen without the exposure they can provide. Before I jump to the conclusion that this is yet another in a long line of what economist and columnist Walter Williams calls "sins of omission," I thought it best to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Here's what I sent several of the nation's largest and most influential newspapers on Friday:
Disgruntled ATF employees have launched a website called CleanUpATF.org "to promote restoration of integrity, accountability and responsibility to ATF's leadership, and regain the trust of the American taxpayer."
Why? According to them it's because "Managers, Counsel, Internal Affairs and staff of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (BATFE or 'ATF') have repeatedly given false testimony, concealed substantial waste, fraud and abuse, abused their lawful authority, and waged systematic campaigns of reprisal against their own employees that dare to speak out."
I have not seen any coverage from you on this. Or from any other major media outlet.
Why is that? Are these not serious allegations about a powerful government agency? Don't you think it at least warrants being investigated?
Also see:
Even ATF employees fed up with corruption and incompetence
Demand hearings into ATF corruption allegations
I hope you see the importance of turning a spotlight on ATF so that the people responsible for the current state of affairs can be identified and held accountable. I also think identifying and holding media outlets who know about this but choose not to report on it is something we ought to make known.
As of Friday, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times can no longer claim ignorance. If we don't see anything from them over the next few weeks we can probably assume they're not interested in informing their readers.
Time was, a fundamental purpose of a free press was to be a watchdog over government abuse. I encourage regular Gun Rights Examiner readers to help spread the word by contacting other newspapers and networks and challenging them to cover this important story.
See my post at Uncles.
Why do you think these were "demotions, and serious ones"? Admittidly, I'm not fully up to speed on ATF politics, but for two careers guys they seem more like lateral moves than anything. As I state over at Uncles, its highly unusual in my experience for a career guys who is placed in a temporary "acting" position to actually move up to that once the search is conducted.
And, if they were really demotions - their GS (or SES) ratings would have also been demoted and it doesn't look like thats the case.
Your right that its tough as an outsider to judge internal agency politics, I just don't see something as glaring here as others. Wondering what I am missing.