Video: Issa Subpoenas ATF after Missed Deadline on Project Gunwalking Case

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) doesn't appear to be playing around. On March 16th, he sent a letter to ATF Director Kenneth Melson requesting documents and information relative to the Project Gunrunner case in which guns were allowed to 'walk' into Mexico. Two of those guns were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry last December. The deadline was March 30th at 5pm est. It took Issa's office less than 48 hours to issue the ATF a subpoena for the documents. His website has posted a list of the subpoenaed documents as well as a video of Issa explaining it.

Here is the video:



Keep in mind that in an earlier interview with CBS News's Sharyl Attkisson, Issa hinted that this scandal may reach to the highest levels of the Justice Department. Check out this interview between Attkisson and ATF's lead agent in Mexico, Darren Gil. Note that he says he was told by his supervisor that the head of both ATF and DOJ were aware of it - that would be Melson and Eric Holder.



Here is the list of documents Issa's office has subpoenaed:

1. Documents and communications relating to the genesis of Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious, and any memoranda or reports involving any changes to either program at or near the time of the release of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General report about Project Gunrunner in November 2010.
2. Documents and communications relating to individuals responsible for authorizing the decision to "walk" guns to Mexico in order to follow them and capture a "bigger fish."
3. Documents and communications relating to any investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) or any other DOJ component following the fatal shooting of Agent Brian Terry, including information pertaining to two guns found at the crime scene that may have been connected to Project Gunrunner.
4. Documents and communications relating to any weapons recovered at the crime scene or during the investigation into the death of Agent Brian Terry.
5. Documents and communications between ATF and the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) who sold weapons to Jaime Avila, including any Report of Investigation (ROI) or other records relating to a December 17, 2009 meeting "to discuss his role as an FFL during this investigation."
6. A copy of the presentation, approximately 200 pages long, that the Group 7 Supervisor made to officials at ATF headquarters in the spring of 2010.
7. Documents and communications relating to Operation Fast and Furious between and among ATF headquarters and Special Agent in Charge William D. Newell, Assistant Special Agents in Charge Jim Needles and George Gillette, Group Supervisor David Voth, or any Case Agent from November 1, 2009 to the present. The response to this component of the subpoena shall include a memorandum, approximately 30 pages long, from SAC Newell to ATF headquarters following the arrest of Jaime Avila and the death of Agent Brian Terry.
8. Documents and communications relating to complaints or objections by ATF agents about: (1) encouraging, sanctioning, or otherwise allowing FFLs to sell firearms to known or suspected straw buyers, (2) failure to maintain surveillance on known or suspected straw buyers, (3) failure to maintain operational control over weapons purchased by known or suspected straw buyers, or (4) letting known or suspected straw buyers with American guns enter Mexico.

During his interview with Univision's Jorge Ramos, Obama said that neither he nor Holder knew about Operation Fast & Furious. If Holder is found to have known, it will only cause even more suspicion about what Obama knew and when he knew it.

HERE is Obama's interview with Univision.