by Doug Book, staff writer
Wiretap applications obtained by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform prove Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant AG Lanny Breuer lied to Committee members when they claimed DOJ personnel knew nothing of the tactics used by the ATF during Operation Fast And Furious.
Wiretap applications are forms which must be filled out and submitted to a judge, asking permission to perform a wiretap. As these requests may only be made if all other information gathering techniques have been tried and found wanting, the applications are completed in extraordinary detail, listing all prior methods employed by law enforcement to gather existing evidence. In short, the entire history of the efforts put forth by law enforcement during a particular case or investigation are presented in writing to the court.
According to Committee chair Darrell Issa, six wiretap applications are now in Committee possession, all presented to the court between March and June of 2010 and all having been approved by Department of Justice officials. If fact, “each application included a memorandum from Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer to Paul M. O’Brien, Office of Enforcement Operations, authorizing the wiretap applications on behalf of the Attorney General.” “The memoranda from Breuer are marked specifically for the attention of Emory Hurley, the lead prosecutor for Operation Fast and Furious.” (1)
Why is this so significant? As Congressman Issa wrote to Eric Holder on June 5th, “Throughout the course of the congressional investigation … the Department (DOJ) has consistently denied that any senior officials were provided information about the tactics used in Operation Fast and Furious. The wiretap applications obtained by the Committee show such statements made by senior Department officials regarding the wiretaps to be false and misleading.” (1)
That is, DOJ higher-ups including Lanny Breuer obviously had to know of the tactics employed by the ATF during the Operation as they were clearly spelled out in the applications the DOJ-specifically Lanny Breuer-signed off on!
On September 7th, 2011, Holder stated before Issa’s Committee, “The notion that …this thing (Fast and Furious) reaches into the upper levels of the Justice Department is something that…I don’t think is supported by the facts.” One month later, in a letter to the Committees investigating the Operation, Holder wrote, “I now understand some senior officials within the Department were aware at the time that there was an operation called Fast and Furious although they were not advised of the unacceptable operational tactics being used in it.” (1)
Issa continues the assault on Holder with the Attorney General’s testimony of September 8th. Holder said:
I don’t think the wiretap applications—I’ve not seen—I’ve not seen them. But I don’t know—I don’t have any information that indicates that those wiretap applications had anything in them that talked about the tactics that have made this such a bone of contention…I’d be surprised if the tactics themselves about gun walking were actually contained in those—in those applications. I have not seen them, but I would be surprised [if] that were the case.
Then on February 2nd of this year, Holder claimed:
I think, first off, there is no indication that Mr. Breuer or my former deputy were aware of the tactics that were employed in this matter until everybody I think became aware of them, which is like January, February of last year. The information—I’m not at this point aware that any of those tactics were contained in any of the wiretap applications.
Obviously the DOJ had no intention of providing Congress with any of these applications or the information they contained. In fact, the applications had been sealed by the Department for some time. It is likely the Committee was leaked the applications by the same source who has provided the House with other withheld, DOJ documents.
But however he obtained them, Issa has devastating evidence proving outright perjury on the parts of Lanny Breuer and Eric Holder. The question is, as it has been for months, will the Republican leadership have the courage to use it.
Where is the contempt citation Mr. Boehner?
Use this site to contact your Congressional Representative:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
To read more use these links:
(1) http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2012-06-06-DEI-to-Holder-Wiretap-App.pdf
Have you answered this week’s CiR.com poll?
This day in history June 8th
1968: James Earl Ray was arrested in a London airport on charges of conspiracy and murder in the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
In this world you may have knowledge or you may have repose, but you may not have both. What have you done today to deserve to live in America?
Comments on this or any other coachisright.com essay can be sent by following the posting instructions below.
Related posts:
- OOOPS! Trying to COVER up, Obama TRIPPED up Attorney General Holder on Fast and Furious
- Leak at Department of Justice pulls White House deeper into Fast and Furious
- Lanny Breuer presents latest Fast and Furious cover story for Eric Holder and the Regime
- Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano LIES to House Committee about Fast and Furious
- Fast and Furious spin won’t help Holder, Obama next to fall
[...] [...]
The US Justice Dept has been brought to a new low for sleeze and slime with Eric at the helm.
He should of been kicked- out from his appointed postion and stopped, in 2008 over the blocking of, the "New Black Panther voter intimination case." But Bo and his home boys cut a deal. It's pretty clear that Boehner has taken the low road as well.
I personally has great admiration for D. Issa and Grassley for "holding the line" for over one year, to get to the truth. The damage that the US ATT. General Dept has done to AZ, where millions have been spent for lawsuits leveled agaisnt us by Eric the Red, over three years, while we continue to fight a full blown war on our border is treason by our own Govt.
Eric Holder and his home boys continue to put legal homicide targets on our law enforcers backs and Brian Terry is just person who caught the bullet. We call it treason here. But who will bring him to trial on that charge America?
Bravissimo, my friend !!
Excellent article ! Thanks also for taking up your valuable column space to explain the wiretap applications relevance and importance. It helped greatly in understanding the process by which "'lesser" players are connected to the policy makers.
I notice in your assorted, earlier "Holder Quotes" that Holder repeatedly has said "I've not seen them"…How then can he then speculate about what may or may not even BE in those wiretap procedures (tactics…the knowledge and/or participation of others, etc.)?
The disseminating fool would have been wiser to simply keep his mouth shut.
Methinks the Jackass doth protest too much.
My question is, like yours, is "How will Boehner ever be able to AVOID taking on this Mako-shark-of-an-Attorney-General, now…with these revelations?
Issa is calling the bluff of TWO cowards !!
As Teddy Roosevelt said…."Bully !"
Doug, you continue to bring your "A" Game with every article.
Jo,
Thanks very much. But to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure what was in the applications. Didn't know the detail an applicant had to go into before a court would give its OK. That of course spelled the doom for the DOJ.
Doug