You might remember that we mentioned the secret testimony of AFT Director Ken Melson last week. Well it seems that Project Fast and Furious (or Gunwalker) has him fearing that a failure of interagency communication contributed to both the illicit gun-selling program to Mexican narco-terrorists as well as the resulting attempt to cover it all up.
ABC’s Jake Tapper got hold of a transcript of that testimony and what Director Melson said is worrisome, indeed. In fact, it’s “eye-popping” how badly the agencies are communicating on Gunwalker and how badly the followup internal handling of the thing is going.
Melson seemed to think that his ATF folks were “unknowingly” trafficking these U.S. guns and this was due to a failure of the obama administration.
The transcript does make one fear about how badly things have gone in this case thus far.
Q: Do you have any concerns that because you raised the interagency communication issue with the DAG and also with the IG that you might be viewed as speaking out of turn.
MELSON: Well, I guess I have — I have got concerns about talking with you about it, as well as pushing it as I have in the Department, because it could be a very sensitive issue. I don’t know. Better communication with them would have helped me understand how sensitive it is, if it is, or what the ramifications of its disclosure is. I mentioned it to the DAG’s office in good faith to try and avoid further damage to the Department or the government if this thing is as you have laid it out and it unravels and the American public sees ATF investigating straw purchasers and another agency working the money angle and the ordering of the weapons. I mean, that would make us look pretty silly, I think. So my mention of it to the DAG’s office was simply to let them know, to give them a head’s up so if this was occurring, they could figure out what to do with it. And we weren’t getting any responses. I’m still concerned about it. I’m still concerned about not just what was done, but what could be ongoing as well.
Q: When I first heard about the information sharing issues, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.
MELSON: Well, so did mine.
Naturally the Obama administration is claiming that there has been no breakdown of communication. Of course, they would say that. They are the ones trying to cover it all up.
A probable explanation is that Obama tried to compartmentalize this whole game because he wanted to use the results to implement more gun-grabbing policies. He needed this program to be doled out in small segments to the different agencies with none speaking to each other and none having the full plan in hand.
Obama’s carefully laid plan, though has failed to stay secret. It is coming to light slowly, and too slowly at that.
