Breaking: Border Patrol agent shot and killed at Brian Terry Station

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents were shot early on October 2nd at a place that was dedicated to slain Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. One of the two shot today has died from his wounds.

Via Fox News:

Fast and Furious Circus: ATF released suspect to gather information on two FBI Informants

This is an extremely significant development in the Fast and Furious scandal. Earlier this week, we learned that the lead suspect in the investigation - Manuel Celis-Acosta - was apprehended near the Mexican border back in May 2010 with loaded "AK type" magazines and was already under investigation for firearms trafficking. He should have been arrested then and there but lead ATF case agent Hope MacAllister let him go after getting his predictably empty promise that he would help her track down a couple of drug lords.

That was bad enough but now, thanks to the Los Angeles Times, we learn that those two drug lords were FBI informants:

When the ATF made alleged gun trafficker Manuel Fabian Celis-Acosta its primary target in the ill-fated Fast and Furious investigation, it hoped he would lead the agency to two associates who were Mexican drug cartel members. The ATF even questioned and released him knowing that he was wanted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

But those two drug lords were secretly serving as informants for the FBI along the Southwest border, newly obtained internal emails show. Had Celis-Acosta simply been held when he was arrested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in May 2010, the investigation that led to the loss of hundreds of illegal guns and may have contributed to the death of a Border Patrol agent could have been closed early.

Yes, the man who may ultimately be responsible for so many guns going into Mexico AFTER being stopped in May of 2010, was released so he could track down two men who were already working for the FBI!!

Oh, what's that part about the DEA? Yeah, apparently ATF and DEA were both tracking Acosta unbeknownst to each other.

Documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times/Tribune Washington Bureau show that as far back as December 2009 — five months before Celis-Acosta was detained and released at the border in a car carrying 74 live rounds of ammunition — ATF and DEA agents learned by chance that they were separately investigating the same man in the Arizona and Mexico border region.

ATF agents had placed a secret pole camera outside his Phoenix home to track his movements, and separately the DEA was operating a "wire room" to monitor live wiretap intercepts to follow him.

That's not all. When Acosta was finally arrested less than two months after Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's death - a death Acosta may have been directly responsible for - the ATF learned that the two drug lords were FBI informants. This information was known more than one year ago, when Acosta was arrested on February 2, 2011.

The ATF had hoped he would lead them to two Mexican cartel members. But records show that after Celis-Acosta finally was arrested in February 2011, the ATF learned to its surprise that the two cartel members were secret FBI informants.

This is relevant for at least two reasons. First, the Justice Department stonewall, which Rep. Darrell Issa and Senator Charles Grassley have been dealing with for about as long, was hiding this very damaging fact. This revelation points directly at a coverup. Second, in testimony before the House Oversight Committee one year later, on February 2, 2012 Attorney General Eric Holder emphatically asserted and reiterated more than once that his Department would not release any correspondence after the February 4, 2011 letter from Asst Attorney General Ronald Weich to Grassley. That letter was proven to have been false and ultimately withdrawn by the DOJ about one year later.

Ronald Kolb posted one of these exchanges between Holder and Issa on February 2, 2012:

Congressman Darrell Issa from California later asked Holder if he would provide e-mails and communications past February.

Holder: As I have indicated, we are not going to be turning over after February...

Issa: Are you aware of the fact that by doing so, that the fact that we have already issued a subpoena, you are standing in contempt of Congress unless you give a valid reason[?] ... [O]therwise you will leave the committee no choice but to seek contempt for your failure to deliver or to cite a constitutional exemption.

These developments seem to indicate that with Acosta's arrest in February of last year came a realization at the highest levels of these departments that there would be serious implications if the truth came out. That coverup quite possibly began with the demonstrably false February 4, 2011 letter. Issa has been almost patient to a fault when it comes to issuing that contempt order he has threatened but this could do it. As Issa explained in an interview on Fox News recently, the contempt order he issues would go directly to the US Attorney for Washington, D.C. That person's boss is Holder. This obviously complicates things for the Committee chairman but these revelations about Acosta being a big fish released to gather intelligence on two informants from another agency could seriously ratchet up the political pressure on Holder to comply.

As for the deadly multiple agency circus, this video definitely seems to fit:



h/t Sipsey Street

Eric Holder's Apology Letter reaches POLITICO Before Terry Family

During the November 8th Senate Judiciary committee hearing, Attorney General Eric Holder was asked by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) if he's apologized to the family of slain Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Holder said he had not and declined to do so when Cornyn gave him the opportunity to do so during the hearing. The subsequent fallout apparently caused Holder to issue an apology.

However, in a gaffe that should cause EVERYONE to forget about Rick Perry, Holder's letter appears to have reached the press before showing up in the Terry family's mailbox.

Via Daily Caller:

Politico reported Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder sent a “private letter” to the family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, apologizing for his death. But friends of the Terry family have told The Daily Caller that no such letter has made it to the Terry home.

“Eric Holder has told the grieving family of slain U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry that he is ‘sorry for the loss of your son’ and offered to meet with them,” reporter Tim Mak wrote.

Holder’s letter, Mak wrote, praised the fallen Border Patrol Agent: “Brian was a hero who served his nation bravely and made the ultimate sacrifice. I agree with you that the tactic of allowing guns to ‘walk,’ as was permitted in Operation Fast and Furious, is completely unacceptable.”

The Holder letter may exist, but Politico hasn’t published it. And friends of the Terry family told The Daily Caller on Thursday that they haven’t received it.

Either Holder never sent his “private letter,” or the Justice Department leaked it to Politico before the Terry family received it.

“He never sent a letter,” Lana Domino, a Terry family friend, told TheDC on Thursday.

“I talk to them daily,” Domino added. “They never received an apology. They never received a letter.”

If it wasn't obvious that any apology from Holder after declining to issue one at the Senate hearing would be politically motivated, not heartfelt, it should be obvious now.

Read it all.

Two Islamic Terrorists Apprehended, Released after Crossing into US from Mexico

Any rational person who knows anything about homeland security has to admit that our open border to the south is a perfect opportunity for Islamic terrorists to blend in with Mexican nationals. There is now proof in the form of two men who were apprehended by US Border agents. It's important to point out that because far more people get through than get caught, these two terrorists are not isolated cases. They represent a sample so there are likely many more where they came from. Meanwhile, our Federal Government is doing all it can to not only ignore its responsibility when it comes to securing the border but preventing states like Arizona from doing it.

Via PJM:

Two Bangladeshis who were caught by Customs and Border Protection illegally crossing the border in June 2010 admitted under questioning that they were members of a designated terrorist organization that signed on to a fatwa by Osama bin Laden pledging to wage war against Americans.

But amazingly, after one of the men requested asylum, he was released on bond. And now one Homeland Security official tells me, concerning the released terror operative, “We don’t have the slightest idea where he is now.”

The two men, Muhammad Nazmul Hasan and Mirza Muhammad Saifuddin, were intercepted near Naco, Arizona, not long after they had crossed the border on June 25, 2010. During their interrogation, one of the men admitted that they were members of Harakat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), which was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in February 2008. Earlier this month the group claimed responsibility for a bombing a courthouse in New Delhi. That attack killed 11 and wounded at least 45 others.

Well, these terrorists were apprehended at about the same time Operation Fast and Furious was kicking into high gear as well.

From the Declaration of Independence:

He (King George) has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

I think our border with Mexico qualifies as one of our 'frontiers' and I think terrorists qualify as 'savages.'

Read more at PJM

Video: Senator John McCain Grills FBI Director Mueller and DHS Secretary Napolitano on Fast and Furious

At a recent Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing, Senator John McCain pressed both DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller on their knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious. In the case of Napolitano, she denied having any knowledge of the Operation that led to the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry until after his death. Considering the fact that this was a joint operation involving DHS, some rogue supervisor should have already been fired or Napolitano herself should be for having been so ignorant.

When McCain's questioning turned to FBI Director Robert Mueller, he got the same responses that these committees have been getting from everyone else, including Napolitano; the DOJ Inspector General is investigating and there is no information available. It was obvious that McCain and others are growing quite frustrated with this response. The one thing McCain should have asked Mueller about but didn't was the breaking story from late last week that news of a third gun found at Terry's murder scene was covered up because it was put there by an FBI informant.

Via The Hill:

McCain asked Napolitano to supply the committee with the specific date when she found out that guns sold under the operation were found at the scene of Terry’s killing.

McCain has long butted heads with Napolitano, who is the former governor of Arizona, but he is a latecomer to criticism of the administration regarding Fast and Furious.

The lead congressional investigators have been Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

As Issa has continued his probe into the operation and who authorized it, he has attracted a bevy of Democratic naysayers who contend that he is jeopardizing the DOJ IG’s investigation as well as the prosecution of nearly two dozen men accused of illegally purchasing and carrying weapons sold under the operation.

If Napolitano knew about Fast and Furious before Terry's death, she committed perjury and if Mueller withheld information from McCain, he could be in the same boat.



Here is a somewhat related video from Rep. Darrell Issa's appearance on Fox News with Bret Baier. Here, Issa makes it clear that Fast and Furious goes all the way to the White House but admits to not know just how far inside the White House it goes. Very interesting.



h/t Sipsey Street

Videos: Hannity Digs into Fast and Furious

On Sean Hannity's August 19th television show, he aired two in-depth reports about the Fast and Furious scandal. The first clip focuses on the operation itself and how it worked / failed. It also seems to reach the conclusion that Holder and Obama were quite possibly involved. With what is known about who DID know about the operation (William Newell, David Voth, Dennis Burke, etc.), Eric Holder's direct subordinate - Lanny Breuer - is either being protected or is protecting Holder. The first video is a must-watch, especially toward the end when the chain of command is revealed. The second video focuses on the life and death of Brian Terry and what happened on the night he was killed. Both are very well done.

Via Fox News:

Part 1


Part 2

Video Honoring Border Patrol Agent and Marine Brian Terry

As the investigation into the Government's role in ATF's Operation Fast and Furious continues, we often hear the name of Brian Terry, the Border Patrol agent whose death was the result of that operation. Terry's death is what caused whistleblower and ATF agent John Dodson to come forward. Others followed and it has become a full blown scandal. This video is not about that. It is a tribute to Brian Terry's life and legacy and it's very well done. The poem you hear recited in this video is from the voice of Terry's cousin, Robert Heyer, who read the poem aloud at the Oversight Committee hearing on June 15th.

Brian Terry was a true American hero and patriot of the highest order.

Are Illegal Aliens setting all these Wildfires?

This is beyond disturbing if true. Fires are popping up along the routes illegal aliens take after they cross over the border and into our country. In an email I received from Gene Cafarelli - an extremely reliable source - he sent these pictures of wildfires along our southwestern border. Apparently, the Obama-speak terminology like 'man-caused disaster' is trickling down to local municipalities. Cafarelli includes a report from Hugh Holub in which citizens demanded to know the cause of the fire in their area. The answer they got back?

'Human caused and under investigation.'

A necessary ingredient for fires not to be cause by arson, is lightning. There has been no lightning that has preceded these fires. Holub asks the question. Why isn't the Forest Service admitting that illegal aliens and drug smugglers are starting these fires? That prompts him to ask two additional questions:

Is it because President Obama's claims everything is just wonderful on the border would look false if drug smugglers were starting fires so their drug mules could sneak thousands of pounds of marijuana into the country?

Is it because Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano would look bad if the truth were that illegal aliens that got across the border where there is no border security were burning the country down as they passed through?

Cafarelli also includes a letter from Zack Taylor of the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO):

Dear Friends,

This photograph was taken today, June 3, 2011. Inside the center of smoke plume is the Atascosa Ranch, residence of David and Edith Lowell, in Rio Rico, Arizona. Ten miles north of the Mexican Border.

The Forest Service determined to allow this fire to jump Peck Canyon South and go up the North face of the Atascosa Mountains rather than attempt to control the fire, they are simply watching the fire now for four days rather than trying to fight it or control it.

The North Lowell allotment grazing pastures went up in smoke the last three days and the Forest Service is going to allow the second allotment to go up today. The Lowell’s will have to sell their cattle because there is no grass for them to graze on.

The drums along the border say that Border Patrol jumped a group of 12 marijuana backpackers who intentionally set the mountains on fire to effect their escape. Allegedly, between two and three of the illegal alien marijuana backpackers were apprehended and admitted setting the fire. Also, one of these arsonists is reported to be on life support at a local American hospital.

The beating drums also say that the Forest Service will not admit that the fire was caused by illegal aliens, only that it is human caused.

The border is not secure, America is in jeopardy as are all residents along the Arizona Border. Do not believe otherwise.

Zack Taylor, NAFBPO.org

There is zero doubt left that our leaders are failing us at best and betraying us at worst.



h/t GC

Asst Attorney General Tied To Project Gunrunner Scandal

As the world focuses on why the White House won't release the Bin Laden photos, bombshell after bombshell appears to be going off in the Project Gunrunner scandal. It's now been learned that Asst Attorney General Lanny Breuer authorized a wiretap in March of 2010 that was tied to Operation 'Fast and Furious,' which was part of the larger Project Gunrunner. 'Fast and Furious' was run out of Phoenix and ordered agents to let guns be bought by straw purchasers who would then sell them illegally to people who would 'walk' them into Mexico.

HERE is the memo signed by Breuer.

Via CBS News:

Congressional investigators have just released documents in the so-called gunwalking scandal at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). This in advance of a Senate hearing in which Attorney General Eric Holder will testify.

One document indicates a Holder Asst. Attorney General, Lanny Breuer, authorized a wiretap in the controversial gun trafficking case headquartered in Phoenix. In that case, called "Fast and Furious," multiple sources say ATF allowed thousands of guns to hit the streets, destined for Mexican drug cartels.

Yesterday, at a House hearing, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) asked Holder who authorized Fast and Furious. President Obama has previously said neither he nor Holder authorized the operation.

"What about the Asst. Attorney General of the Criminal Division, Lanny Breuer? Did he authorize it?" Issa asked Holder.

"I'm not sure," answered Holder.

It looks like the decision by Rep. Darrell Issa and Senator Charles Grassley to send investigators to Phoenix is bearing fruit. There is likely plenty more. This is an extremely significant development because it potentially shows that whoever authorized the operation that saw an American Border Agent get killed came from someone not only above ATF Director Kenneth Melson but from someone very close to Holder, if not Holder himself.

Another memo presented by Congressional investigators is from January of 2010. It shows that the ATF was indeed aware of what was going on with straw purchasers transferring guns to third parties who were then ending up in Mexico.

Remember, in response to Grassley, Asst Attorney General Robert Weich said claims that the ATF was allowing guns to be sold to straw purchasers were 'false.' When whistleblowers came forward with evidence to dispute that in the form of emails, Weich said that claims the ATF was allowing guns to 'walk' into Mexico were 'false.' Weich has been caught twice now.

Watergate with Murder?

h/t Sipsey Street Irregulars

ATF Shaking up Offices to Prepare for Project Gunrunner Scandal?

It looks like one of the top ATF officials in Phoenix who had a significant level of involvement with Operation Fast & Furious is being replaced - at least temporarily - by a Detroit office counterpart. William D. Newell, Phoenix's special agent in charge (SAC) is on his way to Washington, D.C. ostensibly to help the Feds explain what went on with the program that allowed guns to 'walk' into Mexico. It doesn't appear that Newell is the only one to be summoned.

From Tickle the Wire via Sipsey Street Irregulars:

WASHINGTON – There’s been a shakeup at the Phoenix office of ATF, which has come under heat for the controversial gun walking program dubbed Operation Fast and Furious, ticklethewire.com has learned.

Thomas E. Brandon, special agent in charge of the Detroit office, has been temporarily assigned to head up the Phoenix office, according to knowledgeable sources.

Brandon will fill in for the Phoenix special agent in charge, William D. Newell, who has been sent to Washington to help prepare and answer questions about Operation Fast and Furious for Congress and the Office of Inspector General, the sources said.

Newell joins Jim Needles, an assistant special agent in charge of the Phoenix Division, who has been temporarily assigned to Washington to also help prepare answers for the various inquiries, sources said. Another assistant special agent in charge of the Phoenix office has taken a sick leave. It is unclear where all the agents involved in the moves will wind up, and whether they’ll return to their old posts.

This is an interesting development in light of Phoenix Assistant special agent in charge, George Gillett Jr. coming forward recently. More on that story HERE.

Sipsey Street has some very intriguing posts in response to the Tickle the Wire report. They appear to be from anonymous ATF agents and give some good behind-the-scenes information on what could be going on. Gillett is apparently on 30-day administrative leave. The notion that Newell is being flown into DC to help with the investigation - if true - is curious at best. Operation Fast and Furious was run out of Phoenix and Newell clearly has a conflict of interest. There also seems to be serious chatter about a lot of Feds flying into Phoenix. It's likely too early to say the dam is breaking but there's definitely a run on sandbags.

Check out the comments at Sipsey Street.

h/t to GOA

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano insists Mexican Border is Safer than Ever

Janet 'Baghdad Bob' Napolitano is insisting that the United States border with Mexico is safer than 'it has ever been' and that there is no significant violence spilling into the United States. In light of the fact that her Department has been implicated in the Project Gunrunner scandal in which the ATF 'allowed guns to walk' into Mexico, does she really think anyone will believe her? Since two of the guns the ATF let 'walk' showed up at the murder scene of a Border Agent, shouldn't Napolitano be more focused on getting to the bottom of that situation?

Via the AP:

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said Thursday that security on the southern U.S. border "is better now than it ever has been" and that violence from neighboring Mexico hasn't spilled over in a serious way.

......

Napolitano said the Department of Homeland Security will deploy 250 more border agents and expects to have 300 more under their next budget if it's approved. She stated that Homeland Security is investing "millions of dollars in the side of commerce and trade" to improve infrastructure and technology along the border.

However, she added that there is a need to correct wrong impressions about the border region. Napolitano said border towns are safe for travel, trade and commerce. She noted that the total value of imports crossing the Southwest border was up 22 percent in fiscal year 2010, she said.

"There is a perception that the border is worse now than it ever has been. That is wrong. The border is better now than it ever has been," she said.

In this case, it depends upon what your meaning of the word 'is' is, I guess. In light of the high powered weapons that have been allowed to 'walk' into Mexico (50 caliber and AK-47), the whole 'commerce and trade' comment rings hollow at best and macabre at worst. Estimates of the number of guns ATF has let walk climb as high as 'thousands.'

Watch this short news report to see how DHS appears to be involved.



h/t Weasel Zippers

Ruh Roh: Fast and Furious Operation Prompts Mexican Government to Ask Questions

The revelation last week - courtesy of an ATF agent so disgusted with a policy implemented by his supervisors - that his agency intentionally allowed hundreds, if not thousands, of guns to 'walk' across the border into Mexico has apparently garnered the interest of Mexican leadership. Operation 'Fast and Furious' is a program under the larger strategy, known as 'Project Gunrunner' which is supposed to prevent such a thing.

John Dodson revealed to CBS news that Fast and Furious intentionally allowed straw purchasers go in the interest of landing bigger drug cartel fish. Not only have none of those larger fish been caught but weapons allowed to 'walk' include 50 Calibers.

Now this from CBS News:

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is asking the U.S. government for details about ATF's "Fast and Furious" operations.

As our CBS News Investigation has revealed, "Fast and Furious" was a secret program under which, sources say, ATF purposely allowed thousands of assault rifles and other weapons from the U.S. into the hands of drug cartels in Mexico. Insiders call it letting the guns "walk."

The idea was to supposedly see where the guns ended up and use the information to take down a major cartel.

ATF sources tell CBS News that Mexican officials were intentionally kept in the dark for fear that they would jeopardize the controversial program. The strategy drew fierce criticism from federal agents ordered to employ it, including John Dodson. Dodson told CBS News that that letting guns "walk" endangered too many lives.

Mexican president Felipe Calderon was in Washington, D.C. just last week. It would have been nice for them to confront the Obama administration at that point. Dodson also claims that this operation reaches all the way to Eric Holder's Justice Department. Heads should roll over this but so far, not much seems to be happening. Read more about the operation at the Center for Public Integrity website.

Full report here.

Operation Fast and Furious: CBS News Deserving of Credit

A senior ATF Agent named John Dodson became so disgusted with what his agency was doing that he came forward. CBS Reporter Sharyl Attkisson has been one of Dodson's primary news contacts and she has done a phenomenal job of reporting the facts of the case. To sum up, Project Gunrunner is an ATF program that is supposed to prevent weapons from crossing the border into Mexico and ending up in the hands of drug cartels. An apparent offshoot of that larger project is Operation Fast and Furious. According to Dodson, ATF leadership mandated that they 'let guns walk' into Mexico.

This news report is a must-watch:



As if it wasn't enough that two of the guns the ATF allowed to 'walk' were found at the scene of Border Agent Terry's death, just prior to the fatal shooting, Border Agents there were firing bean bags at the assailants.

Via Arizona Daily Star:

Border Patrol agents shot beanbags at a group of suspected bandits before the men returned fire during a confrontation in a remote canyon, killing agent Brian Terry with a single gunshot, records show.

And an illegal immigrant wounded in the gunbattle who is now the only person in custody linked to the slaying contends he never fired a shot, according to FBI search warrant requests filed in the U.S. District Court in Tucson.

The documents provide the most detailed version yet of what happened in the deadly gunbattle Dec. 14 in Peck Canyon, northwest of Nogales.

The documents say the group of illegal border entrants refused commands to drop their weapons after agents confronted them at about 11:15 p.m. Two agents fired beanbags at the migrants, who responded with gunfire. Two agents returned fire, one with a long gun and one with a pistol, but Terry was mortally wounded in the gunfight.

Border Patrol officials declined to answer questions about protocol for use of force, citing the ongoing investigation.

Though hinted at in the video report, American Thinker takes it a step further and points the finger directly at Attorney General Eric Holder.

Speaking of Holder, how about this from March of 2009, via the Tucson Citizen:

With related kidnappings and killings occurring in the U.S., the Obama administration is likely to shift dozens of enforcement agents and millions of dollars to the fight against Mexican drug cartels.

Yet when Attorney General Eric Holder suggested reinstituting a U.S. ban on the sale of certain semiautomatic weapons, many lawmakers balked. The 1994 ban expired after 10 years.

If Holder wanted to ban the sale of certain guns because they made their way into Mexico and in the hands of drug cartels, why was his Department encouraging the behavior?

Was this a matter of creating a crisis in order to not let it go to waste?

American Thinker piece.