In Honor of Brain Terry ~ The Courageous Hero We Lost as a Result of This Corrupt and Negligent Administration's despicable scheme to run guns into Mexico and into the hands of dangerous drug cartels. We Must Demand Justice for This Brave Man so His Death was not in vain.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
CORRUPTION ERUPTION
CORRUPTION ERUPTION
Feds unveil indictments in Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's slaying - CNN.com
Feds unveil indictments in Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's slaying
updated 5:31 PM EDT, Mon July 9, 2012
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- An indictment is unsealed charging five men with murder
- Feds also offer up to $1 million to find four fugitives
- The men are believed to be in Mexico
(CNN) -- Federal authorities unsealed Monday an indictment charging five men in the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and offering up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest of the four men still at large.
The investigation into the December 2010 killing revealed the existence of a botched federal operation that had sought to investigate U.S.-Mexican arms trafficking and led to the historic vote by the House of Representatives that found U.S. Attorney GeneralEric Holder in contempt of Congress.
The indictment charges Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga, Ivan Soto-Barraza, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes and Lionel Portillo-Meza with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, attempted interference with commerce by robbery, carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence, assault on a federal officer and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
A sixth defendant, Rito Osorio-Arellanes, is charged solely with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.
A federal grand jury in the District of Arizona handed up the 11-count indictment November 7. It alleges that, on December 14, 2010, five of the defendants (Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga, Ivan Soto-Barraza, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes and Lionel Portillo-Meza) were involved in a firefight with Border Patrol agents during which Terry was fatally shot.
The indictment says the defendants had entered the United States illegally from Mexico in order to rob drug traffickers of marijuana. Terry was fatally shot when he and other members of a Border Patrol tactical unit tried to apprehend the men, officials said.
Laura E. Duffy, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, noted to reporters in Tucson, Arizona, that covert efforts had not resulted in any arrests, and said officials decided it was in the best interests of the investigation to unseal the case and enlist the assistance of the public in the United States and Mexico.
Toward that end, James L. Turgal Jr., FBI special agent in charge, Phoenix Division, said the FBI was offering up to $250,000 per fugitive for information leading to their arrest.
The incident occurred in Rio Rico, Arizona, a remote area commonly used by people smuggling drugs into the country on foot, she said. It is about 10 miles north of the border.
That night, four members of the Border Patrol team were on a steep hill above a wash; two other team members were in a nearby observation post from which they could monitor foot traffic and relay radio communications, Duffy said.
Soon after 11 p.m., a ground sensor alerted the team to the presence of people on foot in the area; within a few minutes agents saw five armed men walking toward the agents, she said.
"As the armed group passed through the wash below, the agents announced their presence; several of the armed individuals turned with weapons raised," she said. The agents fired nonlethal bean-bag rounds at the subjects, who responded with gunfire, she said. A single bullet struck Terry, who died at the scene.
Four of the five suspects fled; the fifth, Manuel Osorio-Arellans, was wounded and taken into custody.
Two days before, on December 12, Border Patrol agents had arrested a sixth man, Rito Osorio-Arellanes, who was to have been part of the group, Duffy said. He was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
He is Manuel Osorio-Arellanes' brother; both men are in custody in Arizona, Duffy said. "The other four are believed to be at large in Mexico." If they are arrested, U.S. officials will seek their extradition, she said.
The case has attracted attention because of its link to Operation Fast and Furious. Launched by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the operation was intended to track weapons purchases by Mexican drug cartels.
However, the operation lost track of more than 1,000 firearms that the agency had allowed straw buyers to carry across the border, and two of the lost weapons turned up at the scene of Terry's killing.
Duffy alluded to the controversy that has swirled around the case, which has provided ample fodder for AM-radio talk-show hosts, noting that "there are almost unprecedented atmospherics that have surrounded this case."
She would not say whether the bullet that killed Terry came from one of the guns involved in the botched program.
But, she added, "I want the Terry family and members of the U.S. Border Patrol to know that those atmospherics have not distracted the efforts of this prosecution team."
Congress voted June 28 to hold Holder in contempt for refusing to hand over documents related to the program.
Republicans said that was because he was not fully compliant with a House subpoena requesting the documents; Democrats and the Justice Department countered that the documents withheld were internal deliberations that have, by tradition, been kept private during past administrations of both parties.
"Agent Terry served his country honorably and made the ultimate sacrifice in trying to protect it from harm, and we will stop at nothing to bring those responsible for his murder to justice," Holder said.
In a statement, Terry's family members thanked Duffy and the Mexican government for their efforts in the investigation and reiterated their call for Holder to comply with the request for documents related to the case.
"Agent Terry died as a hero protecting this country; he and his family rightly deserve a full and thorough explanation of how Operation Fast and Furious came to be," said Terry family attorney Patrick McGroder in the statement from the family.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz said the indictments should have been unsealed long ago. "It's too bad that it didn't happen 14 months ago," said the Republican from Utah, who is on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in a telephone interview.
He accused the Justice Department of having "not taken this seriously."
Obama Spends a Record 12 Billion to Keep Documents Secret
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/07/07/Obama-Spends-Record-12-Billion-To-Keep-Documents-Secret
OBAMA SPENDS RECORD $12 BILLION TO KEEP DOCUMENTS SECRET
President Barack Obama has said his administration is the most most transparent administration in the modern era.
But a new report by the Information Security Oversight Committee found that in 2011, the Obama Administration spent a record $12 billion to keep documents secret, a 12 percent increase over last year's classification costs.
As Asawin Suebsaeng of the liberal Mother Jones publication puts it, "It's safe to say that it is long past due to officially declare the Obama era a transparency #fail."
Terry's family praises FBI for progress in finding his killers | KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona
UNDATED: In this handout from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Fugitive James Bulger is seen. The FBI announced June 23, 2011 that Bulger was captured in his home in Santa Monica, California by the FBI after a 26-year manhunt when a tip lead law enforcement to the reputed mobster. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)Terry's family praises FBI for progress in finding his killers | KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizonahttp://www.kvoa.com/news/terry-s-family-praises-fbi-for-progress-in-finding-his-killers/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Terry's family praises FBI for progress in finding his killers
Posted: Jul 9, 2012 4:03 PM
PHOENIX - In a statement released today, the family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry praised the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI for the progress made in fiding his suspected killers.
The complete press release is below.
Phoenix, AZ - The family of slain U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was pleased with today's announcement by the U.S. Attorney of San Diego and the FBI in Tucson that progress has been made in the murder investigation of agent Terry. The family has established the Brian Terry Foundation (www.honorbrianterry.com) to honor the memory of Brian Terry and to create a living legacy in his name.
"It has been a difficult 18 months for the family since Brian Terry was murdered in December of 2010 and today's announcement provides hope that justice will eventually be served," said Robert Heyer, Chairman of the Brian Terry Foundation and cousin to Brian Terry. "The Terry family would like to thank U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy and her team of prosecutors along with the special agents of the FBI's Tucson Office and the Mexico City Legal Attaché who have continued to pursue leads in the murder case that ultimately led to the additional indictments of the four fugitive defendants. The Terry family would also like to thank the government of Mexico for their assistance in the investigation. It is the family's hope that the unsealing of details in the case, the identification of the four fugitives and the issuance of reward monies will lead to the eventual capture of all individuals responsible for the murder of Agent Terry."
"Today's developments certainly mean that the criminal prosecution of Brian Terry's killers is moving forward," said Terry family attorney Patrick McGroder. "However, the accountability aspect of Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed ATF/DOJ gun trafficking investigation that put weapons into the hands of the men that killed Brian Terry, remains stalled. The Terry family once again asks that the Attorney General and the Department of Justice comply with the request for documents made by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee so that all Americans can know who approved of the operation in order that those individuals can be held accountable for their decisions. Agent Terry died as a hero protecting this country; he and his family rightly deserve a full and thorough explanation of how Operation Fast and Furious came to be."
The Foundation's goals are to provide immediate and ongoing emotional support and financial assistance to U.S. Border Patrol Agents and the families of those who have been injured or killed in the line of duty, provide educational scholarships, recognize outstanding Border Patrol agents, and to raise public awareness of the problems on the border.
The Brian Terry Foundation website www.honorbrianterry.com is collecting donations to raise funds for the families of slain U.S. Border Patrol agents, to raise public awareness of the flawed Fast and Furious investigation, and to establish educational scholarships. The Terry family wants to make certain that any mistakes made by the Justice Department during the investigation are never repeated.
"It has been a difficult 18 months for the family since Brian Terry was murdered in December of 2010 and today's announcement provides hope that justice will eventually be served," said Robert Heyer, Chairman of the Brian Terry Foundation and cousin to Brian Terry. "The Terry family would like to thank U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy and her team of prosecutors along with the special agents of the FBI's Tucson Office and the Mexico City Legal Attaché who have continued to pursue leads in the murder case that ultimately led to the additional indictments of the four fugitive defendants. The Terry family would also like to thank the government of Mexico for their assistance in the investigation. It is the family's hope that the unsealing of details in the case, the identification of the four fugitives and the issuance of reward monies will lead to the eventual capture of all individuals responsible for the murder of Agent Terry."
"Today's developments certainly mean that the criminal prosecution of Brian Terry's killers is moving forward," said Terry family attorney Patrick McGroder. "However, the accountability aspect of Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed ATF/DOJ gun trafficking investigation that put weapons into the hands of the men that killed Brian Terry, remains stalled. The Terry family once again asks that the Attorney General and the Department of Justice comply with the request for documents made by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee so that all Americans can know who approved of the operation in order that those individuals can be held accountable for their decisions. Agent Terry died as a hero protecting this country; he and his family rightly deserve a full and thorough explanation of how Operation Fast and Furious came to be."
The Foundation's goals are to provide immediate and ongoing emotional support and financial assistance to U.S. Border Patrol Agents and the families of those who have been injured or killed in the line of duty, provide educational scholarships, recognize outstanding Border Patrol agents, and to raise public awareness of the problems on the border.
The Brian Terry Foundation website www.honorbrianterry.com is collecting donations to raise funds for the families of slain U.S. Border Patrol agents, to raise public awareness of the flawed Fast and Furious investigation, and to establish educational scholarships. The Terry family wants to make certain that any mistakes made by the Justice Department during the investigation are never repeated.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/doj_foia_response_1-2.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentBody
www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/doj_foia_response_1-2.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentBody
Blank docs.
Surely this means they're innocent... Rather Guilty as sin and can NOT turn in any documents in full
without incriminating themselves beyond SO FAR GONE.
The fact there is no remedy for such an unprecedented collusion between an Attorney General, (Eric Holder) and the Executive Office (Barack Obama) is beyond unacceptable. The old saying applies like no other time it's been used.. THE FOXES ARE GUARDING THE HEN HOUSE. Time to turn them into pelts. Call the Taxidermist, stop them frozen in their tracks, and stuff them in those positions of glaring GUILT.
Blank docs.
Surely this means they're innocent... Rather Guilty as sin and can NOT turn in any documents in full
without incriminating themselves beyond SO FAR GONE.
The fact there is no remedy for such an unprecedented collusion between an Attorney General, (Eric Holder) and the Executive Office (Barack Obama) is beyond unacceptable. The old saying applies like no other time it's been used.. THE FOXES ARE GUARDING THE HEN HOUSE. Time to turn them into pelts. Call the Taxidermist, stop them frozen in their tracks, and stuff them in those positions of glaring GUILT.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Third Gun..........
Report: Third Gun Linked To “Fast And Furious” Identified At Border Agent’s Murder Scene…
Holder needs to resign.
http://weaselzippers.us/2011/09/09/report-third-gun-linked-to-fast-and-furious-identified-at-border-agents-murder-scene/
(Fox News) — A third gun linked to “Operation Fast and Furious” was found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, new documents obtained exclusively by Fox News suggest, contradicting earlier assertions by federal agencies that police found only two weapons tied to the federal government’s now infamous gun interdiction scandal.
Sources say emails support their contention that the FBI concealed evidence to protect a confidential informant. Sources close to the Terry case say the FBI informant works inside a major Mexican cartel and provided the money to obtain the weapons used to kill Terry.
Unlike the two AK-style assault weapons found at the scene, the third weapon could more easily be linked to the informant. To prevent that from happening, sources say, the third gun “disappeared.”
In addition to the emails obtained by Fox News, an audio recording from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent investigating the Terry case seems to confirm the existence of a third weapon. In that conversation, the agent refers to an “SKS assault rifle out of Texas” found at the Terry murder scene south of Tucson.
The FBI refused to answer a detailed set of questions submitted to officials by Fox News. Instead, agency spokesman Paul Bresson said, “The Brian Terry investigation is still ongoing so I cannot comment.” Bresson referred Fox News to court records that only identify the two possible murder weapons.
However, in the hours after Terry was killed on Dec. 14, 2010, several emails written to top ATF officials suggest otherwise.
In one, an intelligence analyst writes that by 7:45 p.m. — about 21 hours after the shooting — she had successfully traced two weapons at the scene, and is now “researching the trace status of firearms recovered earlier today by the FBI.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/09/exclusive-third-gun-linked-to-fast-and-furious-identified-at-border-agents/#ixzz1XTOWpyUG
Holder needs to resign.
http://weaselzippers.us/2011/09/09/report-third-gun-linked-to-fast-and-furious-identified-at-border-agents-murder-scene/
(Fox News) — A third gun linked to “Operation Fast and Furious” was found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, new documents obtained exclusively by Fox News suggest, contradicting earlier assertions by federal agencies that police found only two weapons tied to the federal government’s now infamous gun interdiction scandal.
Sources say emails support their contention that the FBI concealed evidence to protect a confidential informant. Sources close to the Terry case say the FBI informant works inside a major Mexican cartel and provided the money to obtain the weapons used to kill Terry.
Unlike the two AK-style assault weapons found at the scene, the third weapon could more easily be linked to the informant. To prevent that from happening, sources say, the third gun “disappeared.”
In addition to the emails obtained by Fox News, an audio recording from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent investigating the Terry case seems to confirm the existence of a third weapon. In that conversation, the agent refers to an “SKS assault rifle out of Texas” found at the Terry murder scene south of Tucson.
The FBI refused to answer a detailed set of questions submitted to officials by Fox News. Instead, agency spokesman Paul Bresson said, “The Brian Terry investigation is still ongoing so I cannot comment.” Bresson referred Fox News to court records that only identify the two possible murder weapons.
However, in the hours after Terry was killed on Dec. 14, 2010, several emails written to top ATF officials suggest otherwise.
In one, an intelligence analyst writes that by 7:45 p.m. — about 21 hours after the shooting — she had successfully traced two weapons at the scene, and is now “researching the trace status of firearms recovered earlier today by the FBI.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/09/exclusive-third-gun-linked-to-fast-and-furious-identified-at-border-agents/#ixzz1XTOWpyUG
Friday, February 3, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
(3) Fire Eric Holder
(3) Fire Eric Holder
Fire Eric Holder
by Sarah Palin on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 2:14pm
It’s tempting to get distracted with the horse race aspect of electoral politics during a primary season. But as pundits talk about “who’s up and who’s down” in the 24 hour news cycle, we must keep our eye on the ball with the Obama administration. They rely on distraction to skirt responsibility, but we’re going to hold them accountable for their corruption and incompetence.
When the stories about Operation Fast and Furious first broke, it sounded too crazy even for this administration.
Why would any government official with an ounce of common sense think it’s a good idea to facilitate the smuggling of thousands of guns into the hands of violent Mexican drug cartels? That’s what Operation Fast and Furious did.
You might think Eric Holder’s Department of Justice was setting up a sting operation in which our federal agents would swoop down and arrest the bad guys the minute the guns traded hands. But that’s not what happened. Eric Holder’s DOJ had American gun dealers sell weapons to “straw purchasers” tied to drug cartels without actually following the movement of the guns as they were then sold to Mexican drug lords. They apparently thought this so-called “gun-walking” operation would help them chart the path of gun smuggling, but they didn’t have a plan to actually control the weapons’ movements as the guns were allowed to “walk” into Mexico. All Holder’s DOJ did was arm violent criminals. What manner of fools do we have working in this administration? What’s next? Supplying nuclear weapons components to the Iranians so we can track their activities?
Fast and Furious isn’t just your typical government incompetence. This is a deadly tragedy. U.S. border agent Brian Terry was gunned down with weapons connected to Holder’s debacle. At least 200 Mexican citizens were also killed by criminals using Fast and Furious weapons. We can only imagine how many more people will be murdered by criminals our government armed.
When an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives blew the whistle on this operation, the DOJ leaked sensitive information about him to the press. This week, the former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, who was ousted in the wake of the scandal, admitted to being the leaker.
And where is President Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder in all of this? When did he first know about the operation? In his testimony to the House Oversight Committee on May 3, 2011, Holder stated, “I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.” But the DOJ’s own documents prove that Holder had been receiving briefings on Fast and Furious for nearly a year before that date. In other words, our government’s top law enforcement official, Eric Holder, lied to the American public. He finally admitted this week to the Senate Judiciary Committee, “In my testimony before the House committee [on May 3], I did say a few weeks. I probably could have said a couple of months. What I said about a few weeks was inaccurate based on what happened.”
When the nation’s highest law enforcement official lies to the American people, he must go.
And if he claims that he didn’t lie, then how else do we explain this situation? He’s either lying or he’s so grossly incompetent and lazy that he didn’t read important life and death briefings from his deputy attorney general and didn’t know about this deadly operation run by people under him. So, which is it? Incompetent, lazy, or lying? No matter which explanation fits, he needs to go.
Holder conceded this week, “I have ultimate responsibility for what happens in the department.” He can prove it by resigning. And if he refuses to resign, then President Obama – with whom the bucks ultimately stop – can prove that he respects honesty, transparency, and accountability in his administration by firing Holder.
I stand with the members of Congress who are calling for Holder’s resignation. I stand with the family members of Brian Terry who are demanding transparency and accountability. Mr. President, where do you stand?
- Sarah Palin
P.S. It can be argued that some elements of this scandal give the appearance of perhaps being intended to be used to infringe on our Second Amendment rights. I invite our President to correct concerned Americans if they’re wrong on this.
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THANK YOU SARAH PALIN!!
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