Speaker Boehner Bashes NYT's Charlie Savage for False Reporting on Fast and Furious Scandal
Republican House Speaker John Boehner strongly objected to a slanted story on the Fast and Furious scandal by Times legal reporter Charlie Savage posted at the New York Times on Tuesday (it evidently did not make it into print).
The Daily Caller reported: "A spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner told The Daily Caller on Tuesday night that the New York Times published a false story alleging the speaker is trying to cut a deal with Attorney General Eric Holder over congressional subpoenas related to the Operation Fast and Furious scandal."
The Times reported late on Tuesday that Boehner had “opened direct negotiations with the Department of Justice aimed at resolving a dispute over subpoenaed information related to the botched gun-trafficking investigation dubbed Operation Fast and Furious.” The story ran under the headline “Boehner in talks with Justice Dept. on gun-running inquiry.”
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel, however, said the report is not true. He alleged that it illustrated a Holder-friendly bias among some establishment media outlets.
Boehner's office blogged the matter Tuesday:
This story shows how the mainstream media is ignoring this scandal and covering up for the Department of Justice. Staff for the Speaker, other leadership offices, and Chairman Issa have been encouraging Attorney General Holder's staff to comply for weeks or months to no avail, but there have certainly been no direct talks between the Speaker and Attorney General, and the department is still stonewalling."
Savage has previously downplayed the Fast and Furious 'gun-walking' scandal, when the Justice Department signed off on a plan that allowed guns to flow untracked into the U.S. and Mexico, putting thousands of illegally purchased firearms on the street, one of which led to the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
An October 2011 Savage story on Fast and Furious showed him in spin mode for the administration, emphasizing Attorney General Holder's wish 'to move past the political furor' and completely omitting a Holder admission of "inaccuracy" emphasized by the Washington Post. A December 2011 interview of Holder by Savage also downplayed the scandal, even allowing the attorney general to play the race card against his conservative critics.
(H/T Seton Motley)
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Comments
This smelled of horse manure
Submitted by johnsonl on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 11:02am.
from the beginning. Boehner wouldn't dare stab Issa in the back like that. This proves that the F&F scandal is ready to break wide open and the media is in full panic mode, resorting to outright lies. This one will go right to Obama, who directed Holder from the start.
I think that Holder is using the NYT as a weapon
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 11:37am.
Trying to drive a wedge between Issa and Boehner. The old "useful idiots" method.
I bet this was "leaked" to the reporter from Holder's office and he never even bothered to call Bohner's office to confirm.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
The crimes related to Fast & Furious-
Submitted by JIMMY1660 on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 11:53am.
are punishable by death!!!!!!!
Blood on your hands-No way to get around it.
Once exposed-and the death penalty is in play-these rats will spill their guts.
and those who do not-off to GITMO for waterboarding
you must pay for killing these folks-no way around it.
we want the truth-we can handle the truth.
You, Mr Holder and Mr Obama, are worse than slave traders
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:30pm.
Fast and Furious is more shameful than any other act carried out by the US government.
Worse than slavery, Mr Holder and Mr Obama.
Worse because when we had slavery, it was a legal and accepted practice worldwide, Fast and Furious was NEVER legal or accepted.
Simple Guy's View of This
Submitted by LSBeene on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:44pm.
I’m a simple guy. I mean, I can listen, absorb, and relate complex things, but often the “smart” amongst us try to use complexity as camouflage.
Fast and Furious (as I understand it) in a nutshell:
1) Have ATF agents convince gun shop owners to go against their better judgment (it was THEY who called the ATF in concern) and sell large amounts of weapons to questionable individuals.
2) Make no meaningful attempt to track or interdict those weapons. Only 2 trackers (our of over 2,000 weapons) were ever installed, and both, apparently, so badly that immediately they were damaged and their range was cut to dozens of yards. Also – make no test of said tracker once installed to ensure it WORKED. Huh?
3) Wait for said weapons to show up at crime scenes, and then, notionally, use that to “roll up” the cartels by arresting the shooter and flipping him.
*************
Wait ….. WHAT!? That’s insane. The Cartels’ M.O. is to use a weapon to murder someone, and then wipe the weapon of prints and drop it at the scene. Meaning, for Operation Fast and Furious to WORK AS INTENDED, hundreds of people had to die. Some guilty, some innocent, but they had to DIE.
Then ….. what? The Gunman was going to wait around to be arrested?! And once arrested was going to flip on the cartels!? Seriously!?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Even a layman/woman civilian overview of the plan would never be credible. To a LEO or a Soldier (people who deal with unpleasant but often necessary scenarios all the time) it’s just, well, dumb. And not in a “gee, the elite don’t get operation plans” kind of dumb – no, dumb like “are you freaking kidding me?!” dumb.
************
Or, is it more likely that once HUNDREDS of death were reported in Mexico and along the Southern Border that an anti-gun agenda, specifically targeting “mom and pop” shops could have pre-prepared “waiting in the wings” legislation ready to go.
Further – think about it. If the gov’t truly wanted those guns sold, and tracked, why not go to major arms manufacturers and set this whole thing up?
1) Because they want gun shops, where CIVILIANS buy guns to be the ones targeted for onerous laws and regulation. Gun shops = soft target.
2) Because they want gun manufacturers to continue to crank out product for gov’t and foreign sales consumption – and, obviously, gun manufacturers aren’t as naïve, have powerful lobbying groups, and well heeled lawyers. That’s what we call a hard target.
What a vile crew of sociopaths. I mean, I’m a simple guy and that’s what I’d call a group of people who got together to artificially create scenario like this. Not war gaming (the military), nor false-flag sabotage (CIA), or a Sting (police), or anything somewhat shady that all nations engage in on the world stage.
No, this was planned out pre-meditated accessory to murder specifically designed to horrify and outrage the U.S. (and Mexican) public, in order to further a political goal of restricting gun ownership.
It’s analogous to starting a fire in someone’s house using a their own gas lines, and then writing legislation outlawing and restricting gas usage – all the while you have a supply of oil for heating running to your own home.
I doubt it will happen, but several someones seriously need to put into a MEXICAN prison for these crimes.
Simple Guy's View of This
Submitted by LSBeene on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:45pm.
Oops - sorry double post.
Lol, told you I was simple.
After today's testimony or
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 2:31pm.
After today's testimony or lack thereof of Holder it is appearent to me he is lying. They need to meet tomorrow and charge him with contempt. Instead they are saying it maybe July now. Why wait? He is hiding something to keep this whole thing from going to the Oval Office. If Issa could get his hands on the documents he needs Holder is through and Obama's chance of re-election is gone if the lamestream media will report the truth.
I am so sick and tired of Cummings running cover for Holder. He does not want the to get to the truth. None od the Commicrats on that committee want to know the truth.
Funny story (CNS via Drudge)
Submitted by celator on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 5:41pm.
Funny story (CNS via Drudge) describing Holder telling Congress the use of "Fast and Furious) in DOJ emails didn't refer to the "Fast and Furious" gun-running operation he ran. This guy should be in jail. Thanks, CNS ;+}
Maybe Issa's not being frustrated....
Submitted by Redrowan2000 on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 11:25pm.
by the stone walling. September and October would be the perfect time to hold the AG in contempt and forced to turn over the documents. The Repubs need to pressure this guy like Ervin, Rodino and Jaworski and Sirica did to Nixon over Watergate. Sad thing here is this walking talking felon is the AG . What a disgrace.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down."