Open Letter to ATF Director Melson Regarding Expanding Tampa-Honduras Gunwalking Cover-Up
An Open Letter to Kenneth Melson regarding the Tampa-Honduras gunwalking cover-up. “The shredders are buzzing.” Time to prove you’re the director of ATF, Ken.
USA –-(Ammoland.com)- “Since you are, despite the most sincere wishes of others in the Department of Justice bureaucracy, still the director of your troubled agency, I thought I would give you the chance to prove it,” Mike Vanderboegh of Sipsey Street Irregulars tells Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acting Director Kenneth E. Melson in an open letter sent last night.
Kenneth Melson
Acting Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
99 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20226Dear Ken,
Since you are, despite the most sincere wishes of others in the Department of Justice bureaucracy, still the director of your troubled agency, I thought I would give you the chance to prove it.
As you are no doubt aware, since ATF and DOJ both diligently monitor my blog, Sipsey Street Irregulars — and also because I send copies of all my ATF posts by email to members of the ATF hierarchy including James P. “Little Jimmy” Vann ([email protected]), Stephen Rubenstein ([email protected]), Teresa Ficaretta ([email protected]), Billy Hoover ([email protected]), and Arthur Herbert ([email protected]) — in the past 24 hours David Codrea and I have broken two stories regarding alleged “gunwalking” on the part of Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Tampa Field Division Virginia O’Brien.
It is alleged by our sources that Ms. O’Brien, as we wrote in our first story last night, “ran a gun-running investigation that was walking guns to Honduras using the techniques and tactics identical to Fast and Furious.”
Here is a snippet of that story:
“This is confirmed as accurate,” the correspondence continued. “There are emails in existence where O’Brien has advised those involved that Tampa does not have to report their walked guns because Tampa FD is not a part of Southwest Border or Project Gunrunner.”
“From a first person source she is shitting herself trying to cover it up,” the report stated.
No one from ATF is available at this late hour to approach for comment. This information has also reportedly been disclosed to Chairman Darrell Issa of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Ranking Senate Judiciary Committee Member Charles Grassley for follow-up and investigation.
Tonight we ran a follow-up, and one of our sources reported:
O’Brien is in full meltdown. She ordered supervisors from around the Division to report immediately to division offices and to plan on working through the entire weekend on the coverup.
Her partner in the bungle was ASAC Scott McCampbell. At one point the case was ready to be wrapped up with arrests and remain relatively efficient but O’Brien and McCampbell decided on their own to keep it going to “get more” against the advise of thier field employees and the walked guns numbers got out of control.
OB is terrified that her intentional concealing of her walked guns is going to do her in since she disregarded orders to report to DOJ and Congress.
Nearly the same culprits above her are on the hook for this. Chait knew about it so did Hoover and Melson. The new player is DAD East Julie Torres. She took O’Brien’s old DAD job when OB went to Tampa and has given OB carte blanche to do whatever she wants with little oversight.
Reportedly the shredders are buzzing.
If so, this cover-up is going on right under your nose, and, if you indeed ARE still the Acting Director of ATF, you have the responsibility to stop it immediately.
By news reports of your conversations with Senator Grassley’s and Congressman Issa’s staffers, you and your agency have been played like saps by other agencies, the DOJ and, likely the NSC and White House in the Gunwalker Scandal. You have been reported to have been sick to your stomach at the revelations, and claimed for your agency and yourself some measure of plausible deniability and attenuation of culpability for the tragic and bloody outcome.
Perhaps. But if you let this cover-up take place in the Tampa Field Division after having been apprised of it, what then will be your excuse?
If our sources are right, more violations of federal law are happening in your agency on your watch. You ARE the director, right?
Better hurry up, Ken.
“The shredders are buzzing.”
Sincerely,
Mike Vanderboegh
PO Box 926
Pinson, AL 35126
https://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.comcc: Offices of Senator Charles Grassley and Congressman Darrell Issa.
https://pubrec3.hillsclerk.com/oncore/search.aspx?… Here's a link to Obrien's public records. Given she is on a level of LEO she participates with Robert O'Neill on a regular basis, she is at least cooperative if not a member of the IRA. Robert's business partner Colin Breen lives back (inexplicably rich now from ten years ago being prosecuted for bad checks) in a warren of high profile military people. All of his daughters's friends are military. (WHY?? HMMMM he's not, that can't be explained away by the area) His very close neighbor (three minute walk) on shellpoint is the second highest at macdill at one… Read more »