Issa Puts Wiretaps Detailing Official Knowledge of Gunwalking Tactics Into Congressional Record

This is that red-banner headline Drudge has -- but the site is overloaded and can't be reached.

But JohnE. reached it earlier, and sent it by email.

This is from Roll Call. Update: Link now appears to be working.

Darrell Issa Puts Details of Secret Wiretap Applications in Congressional Record

By Jonathan Strong
Roll Call Staff
June 29, 2012, 12:06 p.m.

...

The wiretap applications are under court seal, and releasing such information to the public would ordinarily be illegal. But Issa appears to be protected by the Speech or Debate Clause in the Constitution, which offers immunity for Congressional speech, especially on a chamber’s floor.

According to the letter, the wiretap applications contained a startling amount of detail about the operation, which would have tipped off anyone who read them closely about what tactics were being used.

Holder and Cummings have both maintained that the wiretap applications did not contain such details and that the applications were reviewed narrowly for probable cause, not for whether any investigatory tactics contained followed Justice Department policy.

The wiretap applications were signed by senior DOJ officials in the department’s criminal division, including Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco and another official who is now deceased.

...

The tactic, which was intended to allow agents to track criminal networks by finding the guns at crime scenes [???], was condemned after two guns that were part of the operation were found at U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry’s murder scene.

What? That's the first I've seen it reported, as a fact, that the intent was actually murder -- that they'd track the guns via their appearance at murders (and other crime scenes).

Is that now established?

How do you track guns without tracking them? A: Apparently you just wait until they're used to kill people, then you know where they ended up.

I can't quote it all; even though their site is currently unreachable, I'm still constrained by Fair Use. But check the link at Drudge periodically.

posted by Ace at 02:08 PM

| Access Comments