Project Gunrunner: Did Asst Attorney General Commit Perjury?

As mentioned in a previous post, the most compelling exchange in Day 2's Oversight Committee hearing into the scandal that is Project Gunrunner / Operation Fast and Furious was between Darrell Issa and Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich. At the end of Issa's initial statement / questioning of Weich, Chairman Issa demanded to know from Weich who authorized the operation that led to a countless number of deaths, including that of Border Agent Brian Terry. Weich repeatedly said he was not in a position to answer that question.

Issa then altered the question by asking Weich if he knew who DID authorize the operation. The AAG attempted to do the same thing but ultimately found himself faced with necessarily having to answer 'yes' or 'no.' He decided to say he did NOT know who authorized it. This part is key because Weich was under oath when he testified that he did not know.

The series of ATF emails released by Issa's committee certainly calls that assertion into question because they show that Weich's boss - Active ATF Director Kenneth Melson - was 'in the weeds' when it came to Fast and Furious. If Melson knew about the operation, it's more than just a little likely that Weich did because it's his job to be legal counsel for the agency.

HERE is a link to those emails. Note that a common name on them is that of George Gillett, Jr. He is the highest ranking member within ATF to come forward and is likely the source who released these emails to Issa's committee.

Sipsey Street has much more.

Project Gunrunner: Most Compelling Hearing in Recent History Relegated to C-SPAN 3

If you're like me and wanted to watch round two of the House Oversight Committee's hearings into Project Gunrunner, you were left doing so exclusively on your computer by streaming C-SPAN 3. Day 2 featured ATF whistleblower agents who gave jaw-dropping testimony about what they were ordered to do and responses they received when they objected. One of those agents was John Dodson, the agent who first blew the whistle. Also testifying at the hearing were family members of murdered Border Agent Brian Terry, whose death can be traced back to guns ATF leaders allowed to 'walk' into Mexico.

By far, the most compelling exchange came between Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, with the latter being so thoroughly grilled that ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) actually felt it necessary to apologize to Weich for how he was treated, which led to another interesting, though shorter, exchange between Cummings and Issa. Cummings attempted to apologize to Weich on 'behalf of the committee' for Issa's grilling. Issa then stopped Cummings and told him he could apologize for himself but not for the committee. Cummings conceded the point and then proceeded to cozy up with Weich.

By ingratiating himself to Weich, Cummings, who is a registered member of the Democrat Socialist Caucus came off as more than just a little hypocritical. Earlier in the hearing, he expressed nothing but sheer compassion for the Terry family while saying he would not rest until the parties involved were held accountable. If he were honest (a concept foreign to socialists), he would have realized that evidence is pointing to Weich as having knowledge of what happened. Yet, not only did Cummings side with Weich at the hearing but he's also siding with the DOJ, which says it wants to conduct an internal investigation and is pointing to other investigations as a reason not to comply with subpoenas.

Compounding this was the testimony of Agent Dodson, who said he sees a conflict of interest in the official position taken by DOJ, that it conduct its own investigation.

I've still been unable to locate video of the best parts of the hearing as of yet but here is Issa's opening statement:

Al Gore All but Endorses Romney

We are truly in the bizarro world when a Republican endorsed by Al Gore is the frontrunner in a presidential race but that is the situation we now find ourselves in. While in New Hampshire last week, the former Massachusetts Governor (RINO) openly said he believes in man-made global warming. He must have missed Climategate. This truly should be Mitt Romney's Michael-Dukakis-in-a-tank moment but we must emphasize the word "should."

Here is part of what Al Gore said via the Hill in response to Romney's irresponsible words on global warming:

“The putative Republican presidential front-runner, eager to prove his conservative bona fides, could easily have said what he knew many in his party's base wanted to hear.”

“Instead, the former Massachusetts governor stuck to the position he has held for many years -- that he believes the world is getting warmer and that humans are contributing to it.”

At best, Romney decided he could gain more eco-wacko votes than lose conservative votes. It should be a bad miscalculation. Then again, the longer he stays in the lead, the more disturbing the reality. At worst, he's setting the stage for a third party, which becomes much more likely if the Republican Party nominates an establishment politician who sides with Al Gore on climate change.

Here is the moment that Gore capitalized on.