ATF Promotes Operation Fast and Furious Supervisors
August 16th, 2011Via: Los Angeles Times:
The ATF has promoted three key supervisors of a controversial sting operation that allowed firearms to be illegally trafficked across the U.S. border into Mexico.
All three have been heavily criticized for pushing the program forward even as it became apparent that it was out of control. At least 2,000 guns were lost and many turned up at crime scenes in Mexico and two at the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Arizona.
The three supervisors have been given new management positions at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. They are William G. McMahon, who was the ATF’s deputy director of operations in the West, where the illegal trafficking program was focused, and William D. Newell and David Voth, both field supervisors who oversaw the program out of the agency’s Phoenix office.
McMahon and Newell have acknowledged making serious mistakes in the program, which was dubbed Operation Fast and Furious.
“I share responsibility for mistakes that were made,” McMahon testified to a House committee three weeks ago. “The advantage of hindsight, the benefit of a thorough review of the case, clearly points me to things that I would have done differently.”
Three Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesmen did not return phone calls Monday asking about the promotions. But several agents said they found the timing of the promotions surprising, given the turmoil at the agency over the failed program.
IMHO,these 3 guys just got DEMOTED BIG Time! Imagine sitting at a desk in Washington, D.C. after the lifestyles the guys have led out in Phoenix, and the “West.”
As I see from the .gov perspective, these guys were “promoted” and moved to D.C. just to keep their pay grade the same as it was in Arizona until the whole gun running scheme is solved.
Yes. Imagine being a road warrior out in the West, doing your own thing, and then being “promoted” to a desk job in D.C. where you can’t fart without being investigated.
I pity these “poor” dudes. They haven’t been promoted. They’ve been sent to jail, and while I’m not sure of it, sounds like they deserve to do the time for their crimes.