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| Hank 'Guam may tip over and Capsize' Johnson Blames NRA and radicals for gunrunner |
| 2011-12-09 |
| Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson accused the tea party movement and the National Rifle Association of creating an “manufactured” controversy over Operation Fast and Furious Thursday. Johnson’s comments came during an interview with The Daily Caller outside the House Judiciary Committee hearing room. Attorney General Eric Holder was testifying before the committee about Fast and Furious — a Justice Department program where Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents facilitated the sale of about 2,000 guns to Mexican drug cartels. “I think this is another manufactured controversy by the second amendment, NRA Republican tea party movement,” Johnson said. Johnson sung a different tune during the hearing, though, comparing the scandal to what he considers a surge in illegal gun sales to criminals. After asking Holder for the specific number of guns the Justice Department and ATF helped smuggle into the hands of drug cartels — to which Holder responded there were about 2,000 — Johnson alleged that the “gun show loophole” was far worse. “Now, how many firearms are sold to al-Qaida terrorists, to other convicted felons, to domestic violence perpetrators, to convicted felons, to white supremacists?” Johnson asked Holder. “How many unlicensed gun dealers, or let’s say, how many weapons, how many assault rifles let’s just say in a given year are sold to such individuals by unlicensed gun dealers at these gun shows and how many of those end up walking away to Mexico? Can you give us a number on that?” “I don’t have a number on that,” Holder said, offering to try to figure out later for Johnson what the exact number was. “Would it be more than a couple of hundred?” Johnson followed up, likely meaning to say a couple “thousand” because his reference was in the context of Fast and Furious. Though Holder previously admitted to Johnson he didn’t have those statistics, he played into the argument without the facts. “I’m pretty certain it’d be more than 2,000, but in terms of getting those numbers to you, I can try to do that after the hearing,” he said. Johnson also claimed that the Senate is to blame for operations like Fast and Furious because it’s been almost six years since Congress’ upper chamber confirmed a presidential nominee as the head of the ATF. “Over the past five and a half years, we’ve had five acting directors of the ATF,” Johnson said. “The Senate’s failure and refusal to confirm a nominee for that important agency. What affect does that have on the ability of that agency to be guided in such a way so we can avoid situations like Fast and Furious?” “I think that’s actually a very good point,” Holder said. “When you have a confirmed head, there’s a certain prestige that goes with that demarcation. But, beyond that, it allows a person to have a longer term and a certain consistency to put in place the programs, put in place controls that don’t exist and allowed Fast and Furious to happen.” Johnson finished off his questioning by commenting that he thinks conservatives are systematically trying to prevent the ATF from functioning. “I think the NRA and other Second Amendment rights radicals have confidence that the U.S. will not have a competent ATF head,” he said. House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, was up next in questioning and struck back at Johnson’s inflammatory rhetoric. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t take exception to calling the NRA members, millions of them, radicals,” Issa said. “I think that’s an offensive statement and that it’s beneath this committee.” |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #6 If we had a free press, we would have known about Gunrunner earlier. Thanks to the NRA, the Tea Party, reporter Sharyl Attkisson, all the bloggers who have kept on top of this, and the cops who blew the whistle on this illegal operation. Thanks to Rep. Issa and Sen. Grassley too for leading the inquiry. Screw the tripe that comes out of Rep. Hank Johnson's mouth. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-12-09 17:34 |
| #5 AH your stealin my line. I quote that song often. And even back in 1970 which was the "More taxes will solve everything!" party?? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2011-12-09 16:43 |
| #4 I've got this song running in my head & it won't stop: Air pollution, revolution, gun control, Sound of soul Shootin' rockets to the moon Kids growin' up too soon Politicians say more taxes will Solve everything And the band played on... The Temptations 1970 |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-12-09 13:26 |
| #3 " FTFY, flash. No charge. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-12-09 12:28 |
| #2 Change it up a bit. IF this had been the CIA running guns and getting caught, they would have been neutered. Maybe the ATF isn't being villified in the press because gun control is a darling of the left? |
| Posted by: flash91 2011-12-09 11:27 |
| #1 Johnson also claimed that the Senate is to blame for operations like Fast and Furious because it’s been almost six years since Congress’ upper chamber confirmed a presidential nominee as the head of the ATF That's possible. It also makes one wonder why the Congressman from Georgia didn't cajole his Senate counterparts earlier on this. As an aside, there wasn't a permanent head of the TSA until July 2010, with all the Keystone Cops issues in the interim. Wonder if Congressman Johnson was concerned about it at the time. “I think the NRA and other Second Amendment rights radicals have confidence that the U.S. will not have a competent ATF head,” he said. Press the President to nominate someone acceptable to all sides, and an approval might happen. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2011-12-09 10:41 |