Post by Fed Up Jen on Feb 1, 2013 1:20:57 GMT -10
Congress asks for more info on bungled ATF operation in Milwaukee
By The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel January 31, 2013 1:29 pm
Members of Congress from both parties Wednesday called for an investigation into the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' storefront sting in Milwaukee, an operation plagued by problems such as an agent's machine gun being stolen and burglars ripping off $35,000 in merchandise.
Among those delivering sharp rebukes were lawmakers who led the congressional probe into ATF's flawed Fast and Furious operation in Arizona, where agents encouraged the sale of more than 2,000 firearms by gun stores to traffickers but lost track of the weapons. Many ended up at crime scenes in Mexico.
"The Journal Sentinel story reads more like an accounting of the Keystone Cops instead of a federal law enforcement agency," U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. "I'll be asking the ATF questions because if the operation was handled as badly as it was reported, it puts yet another major stain on the agency."
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, said he would be investigating the matter.
"News of the botched ATF Milwaukee operation is extremely concerning," he said. "The Obama Administration wants to pass new gun laws and give new responsibilities to the ATF, but the agency has been inept at enforcing the laws that we already have.
"I will be investigating the ATF's actions and mistakes because this type of mismanagement is not acceptable. Wisconsinites deserve answers, and I am not going to wait until we have another Fast and Furious-like situation to find them," Sensenbrenner said.
A Journal Sentinel investigation published Wednesday found that during the 10-month operation last year a host of things involving the ATF's storefront, called Fearless Distributing, went awry. In addition to three guns being stolen from an agent's SUV and the burglary, agents left a sensitive document behind when they shut down the storefront and in at least three cases the wrong person was charged. In one instance, the ATF sought charges against a man who was in prison -- on an earlier ATF case -- at the time of the incident.
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), who represents the Riverwest neighborhood where the sting was run, called it a "failed operation."
She said it showed that Congress needs to confirm President Barack Obama's nominee to head the ATF. The agency has been without a permanent head since before Obama was elected in 2008.
"While I believe the ATF's program to reduce violent crime in Milwaukee and other cities was well-intentioned, it is clear that it was not properly implemented or executed -- resulting in a failed operation," Moore said. "With the recent gun violence that has plagued our country's communities -- from Newtown to Chicago to Milwaukee -- it is apparent that programs like these are necessary to curb violence. But in our efforts to combat this violence, we must be careful not to make an already volatile situation worse."
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform "plans to look into this operation," said Becca Glover Watkins, panel spokeswoman. The committee and its chairman, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), investigated the Fast and Furious operation.
Answers sought
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he has contacted the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of David Salkin, who unknowingly rented his building to the agency for its undercover operation. Salkin said the ATF owes him about $15,000 because of damage to his building, unpaid utility bills and lost rent. The agency contends the amount is much smaller.
Johnson said Salkin appears to have been victimized by the agency.
"The ATF leased his property under false pretenses, and did thousands of dollars of damage. The agency now refuses to pay -- and instead is threatening him," Johnson said. "The ATF has placed dangerous weapons into the hands of criminals in Milwaukee -- including a fully automatic military rifle.
"And all this happened while the agency is being managed by President Obama's nominee to run the agency going forward. This is hardly the first time the ATF has botched an operation like this. At best this is reckless -- and it cannot be allowed to continue," Johnson said.
ATF spokesman Special Agent Robert Schmidt declined to comment on the calls for an investigation. Asked if there was an investigation under way, he said: "No comment on this. . . . I have nothing really more to say about it at this time."
U.S. Attorney James Santelle, whose Milwaukee office was briefed on the undercover operation before it began, did not return a call seeking comment. On Tuesday, Santelle declined to comment on the problems in the operation, instead focusing on the charges that grew out of it.
About 30 people are charged in federal and state court, most with low-level drug and gun counts, the Journal Sentinel found. Santelle said the operation seized 145 guns and noted four defendants are facing long sentences in federal court.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was unavailable for comment Wednesday, according to his spokeswoman.
Ald. Nik Kovac, who represents the area where the sting store was located, said he will work with federal representatives, the mayor and police to get to the bottom of what happened.
"I certainly think the issues you raise deserve a public response from the ATF," Kovac said. "If your story is true and they were really that careless, there needs to be some accountability."
Kovac said he's received phone calls and emails from residents calling for a meeting. He said he's holding off until he gets answers from the ATF and police.
Several residents who learned about the operation from the Journal Sentinel were angry that the agency brought drug dealers and gun-carrying felons to their neighborhood.
"If the federal government wants to help get illegal guns off the streets of our cities, that's a good thing," Kovac said, "but if they are going to do an operation like this, they shouldn't screw it up."
By The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel January 31, 2013 1:29 pm
Members of Congress from both parties Wednesday called for an investigation into the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' storefront sting in Milwaukee, an operation plagued by problems such as an agent's machine gun being stolen and burglars ripping off $35,000 in merchandise.
Among those delivering sharp rebukes were lawmakers who led the congressional probe into ATF's flawed Fast and Furious operation in Arizona, where agents encouraged the sale of more than 2,000 firearms by gun stores to traffickers but lost track of the weapons. Many ended up at crime scenes in Mexico.
"The Journal Sentinel story reads more like an accounting of the Keystone Cops instead of a federal law enforcement agency," U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. "I'll be asking the ATF questions because if the operation was handled as badly as it was reported, it puts yet another major stain on the agency."
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, said he would be investigating the matter.
"News of the botched ATF Milwaukee operation is extremely concerning," he said. "The Obama Administration wants to pass new gun laws and give new responsibilities to the ATF, but the agency has been inept at enforcing the laws that we already have.
"I will be investigating the ATF's actions and mistakes because this type of mismanagement is not acceptable. Wisconsinites deserve answers, and I am not going to wait until we have another Fast and Furious-like situation to find them," Sensenbrenner said.
A Journal Sentinel investigation published Wednesday found that during the 10-month operation last year a host of things involving the ATF's storefront, called Fearless Distributing, went awry. In addition to three guns being stolen from an agent's SUV and the burglary, agents left a sensitive document behind when they shut down the storefront and in at least three cases the wrong person was charged. In one instance, the ATF sought charges against a man who was in prison -- on an earlier ATF case -- at the time of the incident.
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), who represents the Riverwest neighborhood where the sting was run, called it a "failed operation."
She said it showed that Congress needs to confirm President Barack Obama's nominee to head the ATF. The agency has been without a permanent head since before Obama was elected in 2008.
"While I believe the ATF's program to reduce violent crime in Milwaukee and other cities was well-intentioned, it is clear that it was not properly implemented or executed -- resulting in a failed operation," Moore said. "With the recent gun violence that has plagued our country's communities -- from Newtown to Chicago to Milwaukee -- it is apparent that programs like these are necessary to curb violence. But in our efforts to combat this violence, we must be careful not to make an already volatile situation worse."
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform "plans to look into this operation," said Becca Glover Watkins, panel spokeswoman. The committee and its chairman, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), investigated the Fast and Furious operation.
Answers sought
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he has contacted the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of David Salkin, who unknowingly rented his building to the agency for its undercover operation. Salkin said the ATF owes him about $15,000 because of damage to his building, unpaid utility bills and lost rent. The agency contends the amount is much smaller.
Johnson said Salkin appears to have been victimized by the agency.
"The ATF leased his property under false pretenses, and did thousands of dollars of damage. The agency now refuses to pay -- and instead is threatening him," Johnson said. "The ATF has placed dangerous weapons into the hands of criminals in Milwaukee -- including a fully automatic military rifle.
"And all this happened while the agency is being managed by President Obama's nominee to run the agency going forward. This is hardly the first time the ATF has botched an operation like this. At best this is reckless -- and it cannot be allowed to continue," Johnson said.
ATF spokesman Special Agent Robert Schmidt declined to comment on the calls for an investigation. Asked if there was an investigation under way, he said: "No comment on this. . . . I have nothing really more to say about it at this time."
U.S. Attorney James Santelle, whose Milwaukee office was briefed on the undercover operation before it began, did not return a call seeking comment. On Tuesday, Santelle declined to comment on the problems in the operation, instead focusing on the charges that grew out of it.
About 30 people are charged in federal and state court, most with low-level drug and gun counts, the Journal Sentinel found. Santelle said the operation seized 145 guns and noted four defendants are facing long sentences in federal court.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was unavailable for comment Wednesday, according to his spokeswoman.
Ald. Nik Kovac, who represents the area where the sting store was located, said he will work with federal representatives, the mayor and police to get to the bottom of what happened.
"I certainly think the issues you raise deserve a public response from the ATF," Kovac said. "If your story is true and they were really that careless, there needs to be some accountability."
Kovac said he's received phone calls and emails from residents calling for a meeting. He said he's holding off until he gets answers from the ATF and police.
Several residents who learned about the operation from the Journal Sentinel were angry that the agency brought drug dealers and gun-carrying felons to their neighborhood.
"If the federal government wants to help get illegal guns off the streets of our cities, that's a good thing," Kovac said, "but if they are going to do an operation like this, they shouldn't screw it up."
