Another Shock: Obama's White House Reassigns Acting ATF Director Ken Melson

You might think he was reassigned because of the Gunwalker scandal.

Possibly.

More likely, it's because he was testifying to Congress about the Gunwalker scandal.

Based on the vague title, it sounds like the new job is a demotion.

ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson is being moved out of the top job at the Bureau, ATF Special Agents in Charge announced during a conference call with reporters today. He will transfer to the Justice Department and assume the position of senior advisor, Office of Legal Programs.

Senior "advisor"? Office of Legal Programs?

From a description of the office in a job-vacancy advertisement, I find this:

The Office of Legal Programs and Policy supports the United States Attorneys' Offices by administering programs and providing policy guidance and support for long-term and ongoing issues. As part of the Office of Legal Programs and Policy, the Legal Programs Staff provides support in the areas of affirmative civil enforcement, appellate issues, health care fraud, asset forfeiture, bankruptcy, bankruptcy fraud, civil defensive issues, domestic violence, electronic case filing, and environment.

So it's a back-office support thing, and Melson will be an "advisor" to it.

Melson's move is another in a number of high-level personnel shifts, as the Inspector General continues investigating the so-called gunwalker scandal at the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The "so-called gunwalker scandal." Neither word is a "so-called" thing. It was a gunwalking program, and it is a scandal.

CBSNews isn't sure about one of those so-called "words," though.

posted by Ace at 12:47 PM

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