The details of Obama’s illicit gun running program to arm Mexican narco-terrorists get worse by the day, it seems. Not only have we now discovered that at least three White House national security officials were briefed about Operation Fast and Furious, but it also looks like BATF officials tried to cover up the fact that their illicitly sold guns were being found at U.S. crime scenes after the death of border agent Brian Terry.

The L.A.Times reports that three White House national security officials had received emails about the progress of Operation Fast and Furious. This seems to contradict past claims by the White House that no one in Obama’s administration was aware of the program.

The supervisor of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation in Phoenix specifically mentioned Fast and Furious in at least one email to a White House national security official, and two other White House colleagues were briefed on reports from the supervisor, according to White House emails and a senior administration official.

White House officials, however, claim that these emails and briefings went no farther up the chain of command and are still sticking to the claim that no one else knew about Operation Fast and Furious. Of course, only weeks ago the White House was claiming no one knew about the gun running operation. Now we know that is false, so why should we believe that no one else knew?

Senator Charles Grassley (R, Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Isa (R, Calif.) are not letting this revised claim stop them from widening their investigation, though. Thus far there is little reason to believe this White House.

As the Times notes, this disastrous operation showed signs very early that it was spinning out of control, yet the White House, the BATF, CIA and the other alphabet soup agencies allowed it to continue regardless.

In other news, it seems that there is also evidence that the BATF tried to cover up its failures and tried to hide the fact that its illicit gun running to Mexican narco-terrorists was resulting in said guns returning to the U.S. and being used in crimes here. Infuriatingly, just hours after border patrol agent Brian Terry was killed by criminals using the BATF’s guns the agency tried to cover up the fact that the guns used were theirs.

Messers Grassley and Isa discovered internal emails that shed light on the blatant cover up attempt.

In an internal email the day after the murder, Hurley, and then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, decided not to disclose the connection, saying ” … this way we do not divulge our current case (Fast and Furious) or the Border Patrol shooting case.”
“The level of involvement of the United States Attorney’s Office … in the genesis and implementation of this case is striking,” wrote Issa and Grassley.

I have to say, it amazes me that this has not made more waves in the Old Media. If President Bush were responsible for the death of a border agent and the flooding of the southwestern U.S. with illegally imported guns being used by criminals, well, the end of this scandal would never be heard.

Previous Coverage

Another good source on this story is the blog Of Arms & the Law.