Podcasts about operation fast and furious

On today's episode, Vince welcomes back former ATF Deputy Assistant Director and Operation Fast and Furious whistleblower, Pete Forcelli, to discuss Project Thor. Project Thor was a multi-agency initiative led by the ATF from 2018 to 2020, designed to disrupt the illegal flow of firearms from the U.S. to Mexican cartels. It targeted trafficking networks tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), using straw buyers, couriers, and financial investigations to cut off cartel access to weapons. The operation supported 76 cases and identified key trafficking routes—but despite its success, it was quietly defunded in 2022. Forcelli also shares insights on the internal politics of the ATF, the legal hurdles in prosecuting trafficking cases, and what the future holds for federal efforts to combat cartel-related violence. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original SPONSORS: 1stPhorm visit: https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland Free shipping through this link on any orders over $75 Free 30 days in the app for new customers (offer comes via email after the purchase) 110% money-back guarantee on all of our products. We believe fully in our products. If you don't love the product or you aren't getting the results you hoped for, let us know and we'll give you your money back … plus 10%! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textWelcome back to the conclusion of a special Cops and Writers Podcast where myself and my special co-host, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli will attempt to break down the problems with the United States Secret Service and what can be done to fix them. Because, who wants to hear a bunch of bitching and complaining without any answers?   I hope you enjoy this thought-provoking and critically important discussion. In today's episode, we discuss:·      How to fix the broken Secret Service. ·      Having Secret Service Agents go to Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and work with the cops on the street. It's like army trauma surgeons going to ERs in these cities to learn how to work on gunshot wounds. They need to experience police work.·      The Congressional hearings and the grandstanding by the people asking the questions. It was nauseating. ·      Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and her incompetence as a leader, including the things she should have done as the director of the Secret Service.·      Secret Service Agent burnout and what can be done to alleviate this during an election cycle.·      Disbanding the United States Secret Service and having the FBI and U.S. Marshalls absorb those duties.Visit Peter's website to learn more about him and his books.Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website. Support the show

Send us a textWelcome to part one of a special Cops and Writers Podcast. Today, myself and my special co-host, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli will attempt to break down the problems with the United States Secret Service and what can be done to fix them. Because who wants to hear a bunch of bitching and complaining without any answers?   I hope you enjoy this thought-provoking and critically important discussion. In today's episode, we discuss:·      My special co-host, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli. In January, Peter was on the show talking about Government Cover-Up and Corruption Surrounding Operation Fast and Furious. Peter has testified before Congress and was considered a whistle-blower for doing the right thing.·      In a historical event on July 15 in Butler, Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump was shot in an assassination attempt. ·      How the gunman, 20 years old with little to no training, armed with an AR-15 platform rifle with scope, got on the roof of a shed 130 yards away from the former president.·      On September 16 at the Trump International Golf Course, a subject armed with an AK-47 with a scope, two ceramic plates and a GoPro and food lay in wait for about 12 hours, about 400-500 yards away in what the F.B.I. is calling an assassination attempt. The Secret Service fired at the gunman, and missed, who got away, but was captured later by local law enforcement. ·      The biased media's coverage of these events and the dangerous political rhetoric that is plaguing our country.·      The history of presidential attempted and completed assassinations.·      The difference between protection for a former president/candidate and a sitting president/vice president.·      Poor communication between the USSS and local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania.·      The understaffing and inadequacies of some agents on scene in Butler Pennsylvania. Visit Peter's website to learn more about him and his books.Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website. Support the show

What if the very people sworn to protect us ended up fueling the violence they were aiming to stop? In this eye-opening episode of Truth Be Found, Justin Yentes sits down with retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli to expose the shocking truth behind what happened with Operation Fast and Furious, as well as other government oversights in law enforcement. From misguided strategies to devastating consequences, learn how one government agency's missteps put weapons in the hands of cartels. This is the real story no one else is telling—tune in, share, and uncover the truth with us. Want to learn more about Operation Fast and Furious? Check out Peter's book, The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels.

Operation Fast and Furious was a covert program launched by the ATF in 2009 to track the flow of illegal firearms from U.S. gun dealers to Mexican drug cartels, with the aim of dismantling cartel operations. Agents allowed over 2,000 firearms to be sold to suspected cartel middlemen, hoping to trace them to high-level traffickers. However, the plan spiraled out of control as the ATF lost track of hundreds of guns, some of which were used in violent crimes, including the killing of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. The scandal ignited a political firestorm, leading to congressional investigations and the resignation of key officials. To this day, many of the firearms remain unaccounted for, continuing to resurface at crime scenes in both the U.S. and Mexico, marking Operation Fast and Furious as a cautionary tale of law enforcement overreach and unintended consequences.(commercial at 9:48)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Operation Fast and Furious was a covert program launched by the ATF in 2009 to track the flow of illegal firearms from U.S. gun dealers to Mexican drug cartels, with the aim of dismantling cartel operations. Agents allowed over 2,000 firearms to be sold to suspected cartel middlemen, hoping to trace them to high-level traffickers. However, the plan spiraled out of control as the ATF lost track of hundreds of guns, some of which were used in violent crimes, including the killing of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. The scandal ignited a political firestorm, leading to congressional investigations and the resignation of key officials. To this day, many of the firearms remain unaccounted for, continuing to resurface at crime scenes in both the U.S. and Mexico, marking Operation Fast and Furious as a cautionary tale of law enforcement overreach and unintended consequences.(commercial at 9:48)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Ep. 60 In Part Two with Pete Forcelli, we discuss his promotion in 2007 to ATF Deputy Assistant Director of the Phoenix Division and the series of events that led him to turn whistleblower on the scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious. Pete documents it all in his new book “The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels.”It's a page turning account of his shocking discovery that ATF agents were being ordered by federal prosecutors to let illegally purchased guns cross the border into Mexico so they could be tracked. Unfortunately, the ATF lost track of more than 1400 guns that were allowed to walk, two of them used in the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010 and later were feared to have been used in the assassination attempt on Gabby Giffords.When prosecutors responsible for the gun walking attempted to indict special agent turned whistleblower John Dodson, Pete stepped forward to testify before Congress. He did so at great peril to himself and his career. It took four years for him to clear his name. This is not just an ATF story, this is not just a government story. It's the story of a man who stepped forward to do the right thing, the cost of which took its toll. We also cover the Jean Baptiste Kingery grenade walking scandal. Pete and his team were able to get Kingery to confess to transporting inert grenades into Mexico to convert them into explosives. But the very same prosecutor behind Fast and Furious refused to approve Kingery's arrest. Kingery was released and returned to Mexico to continue working with the cartels.After testifying, Pete went on to hold a number of roles with ATF including as special agent in charge of the Miami Field Division during which he oversaw ATF's response to some of our country's worst mass shootings: at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. And he led the investigation into the acquisition of the firearms that were used in the Pulse Nightclub Shooting. If you missed In Part One of my conversation with Pete in Ep. 59, we covered his time with NYPD walking a foot beat in the Bronx and later becoming a homicide detective. He left NYPD after 15 years to join ATF in New York in June 2001. He was one of many who responded to Ground Zero on 9/11 and one of many diagnosed with lung cancer for which Pete has been successfully treated.We pick up in Episode Two with Pete's move to Phoenix.You can find Pete's book "The Deadly Path" on all major book retailers including Amazon. You can find Pete and get a signed copy of the book at his website. And you can find Pete on LinkedIn. Here is info on his co-author Keelin McGregor in case you're looking for someone to help you write that book.I would like to honor the work and sacrifice of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. End of Watch Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Ep. 59 ATF Deputy Assistant Director (Ret) and NYPD Homicide Detective (Ret) Pete Forcelli joins me to talk about testifying before Congress as a whistleblower in the Operation Fast and Furious scandal. Pete documents it all in his new book “The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels.”In this episode, Part One of my conversation with Pete, we begin with his career with NYPD. Pete started out walking a foot beat in the Bronx in 1987. Later, as a Homicide Detective, he conducted federal investigations into violent gangs involved in homicide or racketeering and was the lead NYPD investigator in the Sex, Money, Murder, Bloods RICO investigation and prosecution. As a result of this case, the leader and founder of the organization, Peter Rollack was sentenced to life, plus 105 years in federal prison. In all, Pete investigated more than 600 homicides.After 15 years with NYPD, Pete left in June 2001 to become a Special Agent with ATF and continued investigating New York's most violent street gangs. Shortly after joining ATF, Pete would be called upon to respond to 9/11 working search, rescue, and recovery at Ground Zero. Like many who worked there, Pete was diagnosed with lung cancer for which he has been successfully treated. He often speaks of his experience at the 9/11 Museum in New York.In Part Two, we cover Pete's promotion in 2007 to ATF Deputy Assistant Director of the Phoenix Division, the role that would lead him to testify before Congress on Operation Fast and Furious. Pete's book, “The Deadly Path,” is a page turning account of that time. It covers his shocking discovery that ATF agents were being ordered by federal prosecutors to let illegally purchased guns cross the border into Mexico so they could be tracked. But that is not what happened. The ATF ultimately lost track of more than 1400 guns that were allowed to walk, two of them used in the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010, a tragedy that helped set the wheels in motion to expose these practices.When the very same prosecutors who allowed the guns to walk attempted to indict special agent turned whistleblower John Dodson, Pete also turned whistleblower and stepped forward to testify before Congress. He did so at great peril to himself and his career. It took four years for him to clear his name.He ultimately continued working with ATF including as special agent in charge of the Miami Field Division during which he oversaw ATF's response to some of our country's worst mass shootings: the shootings at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. And he led the investigation into the acquisition of the firearms that were used in the Pulse Nightclub Shooting. In Part Two, we will cover his time with ATF.You can find Pete's book The Deadly Path on all major book retailers. Here is a link to get it on Amazon.You can find Pete and get a signed copy of the book at his website. And you can find Pete on LinkedIn.Thanks for listening to On Being a Police Officer. YOU are what keeps me going.Find me on my social or email me your thoughts:Instagram:

Send us a Text Message.When the weight of the badge meets the human heart, stories of valor and vulnerability emerge. Join me, Jerry Dean Lund, as I sit down with Pete Forcelli, a retired ATF agent with a 35-year tenure in law enforcement, for an honest exchange about the evolution of policing, leadership, and the challenges that come with a career dedicated to justice. Witness the journey from the Bronx's gritty streets to the complex landscape of gun trafficking, and hear Pete's personal insights into the cultural shifts within the force and the pivotal role mentorship played in reigniting his passion for the badge.Pete Friselli, with his wealth of experience, doesn't hold back on what it takes to lead with integrity. We unpack leadership qualities, communication strategies, and the pitfalls of misusing authority, delving into the essence of what creates a respected leader in law enforcement. The conversation takes a sobering turn as we discuss the controversial Operation Fast and Furious, revealing the unintended consequences that shook the nation, including the tragic loss of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, and the excruciating trials faced by whistleblowers like John Dodson.As we wrap up this episode, we don't shy away from confronting the need for reform and acknowledging the nobility of a profession often under fire. Pete's dedication to law enforcement, despite the formidable challenges, paints a picture of unwavering commitment and the importance of recognizing and forgiving human errors. We introduce "The Deadly Path," a book providing an impartial account of Operation Fast and Furious, and extend a heartfelt thanks to our audience whose engagement helps illuminate these critical narratives. Share your thoughts with us; your voice shapes the future of our conversations.As a First Responder, you are critical in keeping our communities safe. However, the stress and trauma of the job can take a toll on your mental health and family life. If you're interested in personal coaching, contact Jerry Lund at 801-376-7124. Let's work together to get you where you want to be and ensure a happy and healthy career.Podcast Website www.enduringthebadgepodcast.com/Podcast Instagram www.instagram.com/enduringthebadgepodcast/Podcast Facebook www.facebook.com/EnduringTheBadgePodcast/Podcast Calendar https://calendly.com/enduringthebadge/enduring-the-badge-podcastPersonal Coaching https://calendly.com/enduringthebadge/15minHost Instagram www.instagram.com/jerryfireandfuel/ Host Facebook www.facebook.com/jerrydeanlund

Cop to Homicide Detective to ATF. His Lung Cancer from the WTC after 9-11, To On Scene at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. He weathered a tumultuous career marked by adversity and trauma. From battling lung cancer stemming from his Ground Zero efforts post 9/11 to confronting the horrors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, Peter Forcelli's journey is a testament to resilience. Despite facing backlash and personal hardships, Forcelli emerged as a voice for accountability and transparency within government agencies. His dedication to justice, showcased through his relentless pursuit of violent criminals and corrupt practices, serves as an inspiration to fellow law enforcement professionals and advocates alike.  Available on Apple Podcasts , our website or most major podcast platforms. Transitioning from a beat cop to a Senior Executive in the ATF, Forcelli's career trajectory mirrors his steadfast determination to uphold the principles of justice and integrity. His unwavering resolve in the face of adversity underscores the importance of speaking truth to power and holding accountable those who betray the public trust. Cop to Homicide Detective to ATF. His Lung Cancer from the WTC after 9-11, To On Scene at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.. As the author of "The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels," Forcelli provides an insider's perspective on one of the most notorious scandals in federal law enforcement. His courage in confronting misconduct within government agencies serves as a powerful reminder of the need for accountability and leadership in upholding the rule of law. "The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels" delves into the depths of one of the most infamous scandals in federal law enforcement history. Authored by Peter Forcelli, a former ATF Agent turned whistleblower, the book provides an insider's account of the systemic failures and misconduct that allowed Mexican drug cartels to be armed with impunity. Forcelli's narrative exposes the devastating consequences of Operation Fast and Furious, where federal agents knowingly allowed firearms to be trafficked to violent criminals, with disastrous results. Amidst this chaos, Forcelli sheds light on the role of negligent prosecutors who turned a blind eye to gun trafficking and enabled criminal enterprises to flourish unchecked. Cop to Homicide Detective to ATF. You can listen to this in Apple Podcasts, our website, Spotify or most major podcast platforms. Through his raw and unflinching storytelling, Forcelli unveils the personal and public costs of standing up against corruption and injustice within government agencies. His account serves as a stark reminder of the importance of integrity and accountability in law enforcement, as well as the dire consequences of leadership failures and moral compromise. "The Deadly Path" is not just a recounting of past events; it is a call to action for reform and transparency within law enforcement. Forcelli's courage in exposing misconduct serves as a beacon of hope for those who seek to uphold the principles of justice and integrity, even in the face of adversity. Listen to this for free in Apple Podcasts or most major podcast platforms. Operational Police Protective Services, provides professional, safe and effective security services in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. And will be expanding to other States soon. Get more details at www.oppsprotection.com. 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When the dust settled after the terrifying collapse of the World Trade Center, NYPD beat cop turned ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter J. Forcelli found himself in a fight for his life, both physically and mentally. Join me as I, Marlene McConnell sit down with Peter to unpack his harrowing experiences from the front lines of law enforcement, including his vivid survival story from September 11th and the unspoken mental health battles that followed. His gripping narrative not only sheds light on the personal costs of service but also opens up a much-needed conversation on the psychological toll that comes with the badge.The scars of trauma often lie hidden beneath the surface, but as Peter shares, conquering the nightmares of PTSD begins with breaking the silence. In a profession where mental fortitude is a given, we unravel the evolution of how admitting to mental struggles in law enforcement is no longer a sign of weakness, but a courageous step towards healing. The episode journeys through Peter's personal coping strategies, offering hope and practical advice for those silently struggling and a call to action for systemic change within the ranks of first responders.Finally, we tread into the depths of government accountability with Peter as he gives us an insider's perspective on his whistleblower experience during Operation Fast and Furious. His story is a powerful reminder of the weight of the oath to serve and protect the Constitution and the American people, challenging leadership to own their mistakes for the betterment of all. Shedding light on the complexities and consequences of bureaucratic mismanagement, Peter's narrative is a testament to the resolve of those who dare to speak truth to power and the resilience of the human spirit when faced with life's unexpected battles.It has been my pleasure to have Peter join me, and I know, my listeners, that you will enjoy the episode. If you wish to connect with Peter, check out his website and social media links below. Website:  https://www.peterjforcelli.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-j-forcelli-26597122/ Please, head to Amazon, Takealot or Audible at the link and get your copy of my E-book, paperback book or audiobook edition, of Ray of Light, and please leave me a rating and review. It would mean the world to me.Amazon.com Link: https://lnkd.in/df_4QV6STakealot.com  Link: https://lnkd.in/dGUQKPKNAudible: Link to Audiobook hereConnect with me by checking out mycenteredlife for daily inspiration, and leave me a comment to let me kSupport the Show.Please support the show on Paypal: PayPal.Me/marlenegmcconnell

During the late hours of December 14th, 2010, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in the line of duty by a rip crew in Arizona. The ensuing investigation into the murder of Agent Terry led to the discovery of a gun-walking scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious. The revelation exposed the dangerous decisions made by the federal government, and that it wasn't just cartels with blood on their hands. Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli reveals how he became a whistleblower in Operation Fast and Furious, and the lengths he was forced to go through to clear his name for telling the truth. After retiring from his career in law enforcement, Peter Forcelli became an author, public speaker, and advocate for government accountability. He details the dangers and backfires of Operation Fast and Furious in his book, The Deadly Path. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@fox.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Vince takes a deep dive into the fast and furious gun-running scandal with guest Pete Forcelli.He is widely known as a whistleblower for the Operation Fast and Furious scandal and wrote the book The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels Pete served for 15 years with the N.Y.P.D prior to joining the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, where he retired as d Deputy Assistant Director.Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original.

The boys are joined by retired ATF agent and whistle blower Peter Forelli, who speaks on the ATF scandal Operation Fast and Furious. Our government sold American guns to the Mexican Cartels. Why? One of these guns was used in the slaying or Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter J. Forcelli is a retired Deputy Assistant Director from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He served for 15 years with the N.Y.P.D., before retiring from the Bronx Homicide Task Force. Mr. Forcelli is a survivor of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center, and the lung cancer that he later developed because of his work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.  Mr. Forcelli is also a WHISTLEBLOWER for Operation Fast and Furious.

On this weeks' episode of the Truth Nation Podcast, retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director, former NYC Homicide Detective and current Author, Pete Forcelli joins the show to discuss his distinguished career in law enforcement, the terrifying realities of ATF Operation Fast and Furious, his role as a Whistleblower and his commitment to always doing what's right, regardless of the personal cost. Pete explains how a flawed plan, unengaged leadership and a lazy prosecutor cost lives on both sides of the border and funneled guns to criminals in way that will continue to haunt us for years to come! Don't miss it.

The CopDoc Podcast - Season 5 - Episode 123From the hard-knock streets of New York to the high-stakes realm of federal law enforcement, Pete Forcelli's journey epitomizes the life of a quintessential lawman. This episode peels back the curtain on an illustrious career marked by courage and integrity, as Pete, a retired ATF executive and former NYPD homicide detective, recounts the days that forged his path. Together, we navigate through his vivid memories of community policing, the intricacies of transitioning from New York's finest to the ATF, and the leadership challenges that tested his mettle.Pete's tale takes a gripping turn as he recounts the emotional upheaval experienced during and after the September 11 attacks, and the profound partnerships between federal agents and prosecutors. His accounts provide a rare lens into the unspoken battles and survival instincts that come with the badge. As we probe deeper, Pete opens up about the perplexing inertia he encountered with the legal system in Phoenix and the unyielding pursuit of justice in the face of bureaucratic resistance—a true testament to the real-life grit over glamor in law enforcement.The episode crescendos with the heart-wrenching narrative of whistleblowers within the ranks, who risk everything in defiance of wrongdoing. Pete details the eye-opening saga of "Operation Fast and Furious" from his book and the chilling effects of whistle-blower retaliation, all while maintaining a resolve that commands respect. This conversation does more than recount a decorated career; it's an education in the sacrifices made behind the badge and the indelible legacy of a man whose convictions never wavered. Join us for an unforgettable glimpse into the life and lessons of Pete Forcelli, whose story is as impactful as it is instructive.Contact us: copdoc.podcast@gmail.com Website: www.copdocpodcast.comIf you'd like to arrange for facilitated training, or consulting, or talk about steps you might take to improve your leadership and help in your quest for promotion, contact Steve at stephen.morreale@gmail.com

Peter Forcelli is a retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director and Former NYPD Homicide Detective who is also a survivor of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center, and the lung cancer that he later developed because of his work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. You will love this fascinating conversation.Forcelli was also a key player and whistleblower in the 2007 “Operation Fast and Furious” scandal, which he describes in detail in his upcoming book The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels.The audio from the interview will be released next week, but this exclusive video is here on Patreon just for you! Check it out and then buy Mr. Forcelli's book!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crimecast--4106013/support.

From NYPD Homicide to the ATF, Peter Forcelli had an amazing career.  His stories from NYPD are just as crazy as you think they would be! While at the ATF he bravely called out the corruption he was seeing during Operation Fast and Furious.  This of course did not go over well with the politicians and bureaucrats at the highest level of government.   For all the gritty details grab Peter's book The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels. Being released March 5, 2024. Pre-order now! https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Path-Operation-Furious-Lawyers/dp/B0CCMMQKCQ Pete Forcelli was a highly respected federal agent in New York City, where he made an impact on violent crime by successfully targeting some of the city's most violent street gangs by using federal racketeering and continuing criminal enterprise statutes in conjunction with federal prosecutors. In early 2007, he was promoted to a supervisory position in Phoenix and quickly discovered that federal prosecutors were not charging criminals for violating federal firearms laws, even in instances where they knew guns were being trafficked to ultra-violent drug cartels and then used in crimes that were shocking to the conscience. Contact Steve - steve@thingspolicesee.com Support the show by joining the Patreon community today! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27353055           -Video of the interviews           -Vinyl TPS logo sticker           -Patron Shoutout            -Exclusive posts and direct messaging to Steve Please rate and review on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/things-police-see-first-hand-accounts/id1384355891?mt=2 Shop Merch / Subscribe / be a guest / Contact  www.thingspolicesee.com Join the FB community!  https://www.facebook.com/thingspolicesee/ Background consultation - Ken@policebackground.net

Welcome back everybody to the conclusion of my interview with my special guest, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director, former NYPD homicide detective, and author of the bestselling book, The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels, Peter Forcelli. If you like heroes, homicide, government corruption at the highest levels, a government whistle blower, and good old fashioned police work, you're going to love this episode. Peter was a "whistleblower," who came forward and testified in the congressional inquiry into the "Operation Fast & Furious" scandal, following the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.Over the span of his career, Peter Forcelli served in leadership positions within ATF in Phoenix, Arizona; Eastern Canada; Miami, Florida and in ATF Headquarters. While serving as the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division, he oversaw ATF's response to several mass shootings, including those at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland Florida. He also oversaw ATF's investigation into Omar Mateen and his acquisition of the firearms that were used in the Pulse Nightclub shooting.Peter Forcelli has also been involved in the exoneration of eight people who were wrongfully arrested and convicted in the Bronx, New York, for murders that they did not commit.Peter is a survivor of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center, and the lung cancer that he later developed because of his work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He is a recurring guest speaker at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.Like any cop, sometimes we need backup. So, my good friend, Retired DEA Special Agent Steve Murphy of the Game of Crimes podcast and DEA Narcos, joined me for this interview. Steve is no stranger to Cartels because he and his partner, Javier Pena's work, bringing down Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel.In today's episode we discuss:·      More government coverups and corruption involving Operation Fast and Furious. The ongoing catastrophe at our southern border and what can be done about it.·      The personal and professional damage caused to Peter, and his family, by him being a whistleblower.·      Red flags that point to dysfunction in law enforcement agencies – resulting in larger issues for leadership – and how to resolve them?·      Mass shootings in the United States and what should have been done to prevent them, and how we can prevent more of them happening.·      How some federal prosecutors continue to not charge criminals for violating federal firearms laws – and other crimes – and what can be done to remedy the problem.·      Are ‘tough gun laws' actually solving any problems?Visit Peter on his website!Check out DEA Narcos with Steve MurphyCheck out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website. Only for Cops and Writers Podcast listeners! Get 50% off the audiobook version of the F.B.I. K-9 thriller, Avenging Adam by Jodi Burnett. Use code, https://jodi-burnett.com/copsandwriters/Support the show

This week we speak with retired ATF deputy assistant director, Peter Forcelli, who shares his background in law enforcement and his experiences with the Operation Fast and Furious scandal. Forcelli emphasizes the importance of self-care for law enforcement officers and encourages them to prioritize their well-being. Forcelli discusses the frustration he felt during the Fast and Furious scandal and his decision to blow the whistle on the misconduct. He also highlights the qualities of good leadership and the need for accountability in the field. Forcelli concludes by discussing his decision to write a book about his experiences. TakeawaysLaw enforcement officers should prioritize self-care and seek help when needed.Leadership in law enforcement should prioritize the well-being of their officers and hold them accountable.Maintaining accountability and standing up for oneself is crucial in any profession.Faith and spirituality can play a significant role in providing a sense of purpose and support in challenging times.If you are interested in Peter's book or connecting with him please see the information below:The Deadly PathPeter Forcelli-LinkedinSupport the showCritical Aspects Website IG: @critical_aspectsIG: @pastorvernin: @Dr. Vernon Phillips

Welcome everybody to part one of this very special show with my guest, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director, former NYPD homicide detective, and author of the bestselling book, The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels, Peter Forcelli. If you like heroes, homicide, government corruption at the highest levels, a government whistle blower, and good old fashioned police work, you're going to love this episode. Peter was a "whistleblower," who came forward and testified in the congressional inquiry into the "Operation Fast & Furious" scandal, following the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.Over the span of his career, Peter Forcelli served in leadership positions within ATF in Phoenix, Arizona; Eastern Canada; Miami, Florida and in ATF Headquarters. While serving as the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division, he oversaw ATF's response to several mass shootings, including those at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland Florida. He also oversaw ATF's investigation into Omar Mateen and his acquisition of the firearms that were used in the Pulse Nightclub shooting.Peter Forcelli has also been involved in the exoneration of eight people who were wrongfully arrested and convicted in the Bronx, New York, for murders that they did not commit.Peter is a survivor of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center, and the lung cancer that he later developed because of his work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He is a recurring guest speaker at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.Like any cop, sometimes we need backup. So, my good friend, Retired DEA Special Agent Steve Murphy of the Game of Crimes podcast and DEA Narcos, joined me for this interview. Steve is no stranger to Cartels because he and his partner, Javier Pena work, bringing down Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel.In today's episode we discuss:·      Peter's early years in the NYPD and the Housing Police. What it was like testifying before Congress.·      His part in the investigations that led to the acquittal of 8 people who were wrongfully convicted of murder.·      Peter being at the Towers on 9/11 and his part in the rescue/recovery and the cancer he endured later that cost him a lung.·      The conspiracies surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attack.·      Why Peter joined the ATF after fifteen years with the NYPD?·      Operation Fast and Furious.·      The coverups and corruption involved with Operation Fast and Furious and Peter doing the right thing, and the fallout he faced due to him being a whistleblower.Visit Peter on his website!Check out DEA Narcos with Steve MurphyCheck out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website. Only for Cops and Writers Podcast listeners! Get 50% off the audiobook version of the F.B.I. K-9 thriller, Avenging Adam by Jodi Burnett. Use code, https://jodi-burnett.com/copsandwriters/Support the show

Former Cop Eric Tansey sits with special Guest, Peter Forcelli, retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director and former NYPD Homicide Detective to breakdown Operation Fast and Furious-- the failed or dubious sting operation that sent firearms through Mexican attorneys into the hands of El Chapo and others-- Forcelli wants to bring light to this scandal and others like it to prevent it from ever happening again. All this and more on this very Christmas Failure to Stop Special. this and more on this very Christmas Failure to Stop Special.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Glenn Beck Podcast, Glenn talks with John Dodson, the whistleblower who revealed the ATF “gunwalking” scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious that led to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. John's decision to speak up was extremely risky and he tells Glenn why he was afraid to start his car every morning after his family left. John also talks about the chilling reality of what's happening at the Southern border. Why hasn't the illegal immigration problem been solved? John jokes that, “The Mexican drug cartels must be huge donors to the Democratic Party." They also talk about the war in Ukraine, and the dubious Nord Stream bombing. John's expertise in Soviet war tactics led him to believe that something just isn't right. Yet nobody seems to be concerned about the obvious corruption. But it's not just overseas. The CIA playbook is alive and at work — on American soil. Having done extensive undercover work in crowds, John saw all the signs in place on January 6th: "If there's a crowd there agents in it," he reveals. And, will the government ever solve the mystery of the pipe bomber? After having served in law enforcement for more than three decades John reveals the truth about the powerful new role of the State: “Your government is not here to serve you anymore.”   SPONSORS: If you're one of the millions of Americans who suffer every day from pain, there is hope, and it comes in the form of Relief Factor. If you want a drug-free and natural way to get your life back, go to https://relieffactor.com or call 1-800-4-RELIEF to get the $19.95 three-week quick start.   Right now, you can save $200 on an EdenPURE Thunderstorm Air Purifier 3-pack for whole-home protection. You'll get three units for under $200. That's a fraction of the cost compared to other air purifiers that can go for over $600. Just go to http://edenpuredeals.com and enter discount code GLENN.   My Patriot Supply is the nation's largest preparedness company. Go to https://mypatriotsupply.com and when you buy their three-month emergency food kit, which lasts up to 25 years in storage, you're going to get a bonus package of crucial survival gear – worth over $200 – for free!   "The Glenn Beck Podcast" has partnered with Pre-born with a goal of saving 70,000 babies in 2023. Every tax-deductible donation, big or small, helps to save the unborn. Get involved today by dialing #250 and saying the keyword “BABY” or donate securely at https://preborn.com/GLENN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of TFB's Behind the Gun Podcast, I have the privilege of speaking with Mike Detty, the author of "Operation Wide Receiver." His book exposes the corruption and deceit behind the infamous ATF gun walking scandal that bears its name, as well as the subsequent "Operation Fast and Furious." I recently had the opportunity to meet Mike in Arizona during a Gunsite event. Although he didn't initially disclose it, upon hearing someone mention his book, I eagerly inquired about it and discovered that he was actually involved in the precursor event to Operation Fast and Furious—Operation Wide Receiver. During our conversation on the podcast, Mike recounts his firsthand experiences as a legitimate Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) who also served as an undercover ATF informant during the operation. He reveals the reasons that compelled him to eventually expose this operation, which ultimately led to the even more notorious Operation Fast and Furious. Join us today as Mike shares detailed explanations from his book, which reads more like a captivating action thriller than a mere retelling of real events. If you're interested in delving into his book, it is available on Amazon for approximately $13. Please welcome Mike Detty to the program!

On today's show, Bob Price discusses migrant smugglers rampant and running the border. Where is Eric Holder's remorse for Operation Fast and Furious gun-running program that led to thousands of deaths? Later, Dr. William Makis discusses Vaccine updates and those that have Died Suddenly and the Business of Vaccines.  GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Bob Price is Breitbart Texas Sr. Editor and Political Commentator for Border Updates and Crimes. GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: Dr. William Makis is a Canadian doctor who provides in-depth intelligence on Covid-19, sudden deaths, mRNA vaccines, vaccine injuries, new pandemics and more. He is an expert in Radiology, Oncology and Immunology, a University of Toronto Scholar, and the author of 100+ peer-reviewed medical publications. https://makismd.substack.com/ https://www.twc.health/ GUEST 3 OVERVIEW: Adam Clark AKA "Ruckus" is a presenter and producer at TNT Radio, podcast host and contributor at Alternate Current Radio, and a self-employed marketing & business consultant. https://www.facebook.com/AC.Ruckus https://alternatecurrentradio.com/the-daily-ruckus/

GUNSITE! Professor Paul & Jarrad are down at the prestigious shooting school this week and while they're there, they've got the attention of some of the OG's in the world of firearms. Dave Biggers, Mike Detty, and Michael Bane all join in on this episode! You may know Mr. Detty from his critically acclaimed book “Operation Wide Receiver: An Informant's Struggle to Expose the Corruption and Deceit That Led to Operation Fast and Furious”. A long title but it's full of fantastic information about just how trustworthy our overseers in the federal government are. Michael Bane and Dave join to talk about Gunsite, personal projects, tell a few stories, and drop a few pieces of wisdom into your brains. Enjoy this episode! Thanks for being a part of SOTG! We hope you find value in the message we share. If you've got any questions, here are some options to contact us: Send an Email Send a Text Call Us Enjoy the show! And remember… You're a Beginner Once, a Student For Life! FEATURING: mike Detty, Michael Bane, Dave Biggers, Madison Rising, Jarrad Markel, Paul Markel, SOTG University PARTNERS: Brownells Inc, CrossBreed Holsters, DuraCoat Firearm Finishes, Hi-Point Firearms FIND US ON: Juxxi, Parler, MeWe.com, Gettr, iTunes, Stitcher, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon, GooglePlay, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, tumblr TOPICS COVERED THIS EPISODE [0:05:30] Gunsite and the History [0:13:40] Talking with Mike Detty [1:12:50] Sitdown with Michael Bane [1:25:55] Dave Biggers joins in!

Letting criminals walk was one thing. But when over 1,200 weapons were allowed to cross the border into Mexico, and one of them killed Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, Pete Forcelli became a whistleblower for one of the most ill-conceived undercover programs ever conceived by the ATF and DOJ. The real story of Operation Fast and Furious.Join us at Patreon.com/gameofcrimes for great content you won't hear anywhere elseDonate at paypal.me/gameofcrimes or go to paypal.com and use our email: gameofcrimespodcast@gmail.comGo to GameOfCrimesPodcast.com for more info and merchFollow us on...TwitterFacebookInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Letting criminals walk was one thing. But when over 1,200 weapons were allowed to cross the border into Mexico, and one of them killed Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, Pete Forcelli became a whistleblower for one of the most ill-conceived undercover programs ever conceived by the ATF and DOJ. The real story of Operation Fast and Furious.Join us at Patreon.com/gameofcrimes for great content you won't hear anywhere elseDonate at paypal.me/gameofcrimes or go to paypal.com and use our email: gameofcrimespodcast@gmail.comGo to GameOfCrimesPodcast.com for more info and merchFollow us on...TwitterFacebookInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 1919- Mexican Cartels are going nuts! Is this related to Operation Fast and Furious? Ted does a 20 minute must hear rant on being Children of The Light! Berlin is a mess due to open immigration. Is alcohol harder on women than men? Group think manipulation is real! Quotes from George Orwell. Has the USA undergone a coup? Plus much much more! This is a must listen succinct green show!

A new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston finds that non-college educated men in their prime have seen their pay shrink by more than 30 percent since the year 1980, while women regardless of education have seen theirs increase by more than that over the same period - what happened to that male privilege? Plus, congressional Republicans are trying to stop the ATF from destroying evidence from Obama's deadly Operation Fast and Furious. Finally, how Turkish strikes into Syria could jeopardize the lives of U.S. officials and historic Christian minority populations.Guests:· Paige Agostin· Brian Babin· Paul Kamenar· Tina Ramirez

ATF Special Agent Ignacio Esteban has stories for days! On top of that he has written over 45 books in the last 2 years. As a Special Agent in the Miami and Tampa Field Divisions, he worked undercover investigating violent street gangs, international firearms traffickers, violent repeat offenders, and other types of federal investigations. Link below for his books. https://www.amazon.com/Ignacio-J.-Esteban/e/B09NCKP6F8 Support the show by joining the Patreon community today! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27353055           -Video of the interviews           -Vinyl TPS logo sticker           -Patron Shoutout            -Exclusive posts and direct messaging to Steve   Shop Merch / Subscribe / be a guest / Contact  www.thingspolicesee.com Join the FB community!  https://www.facebook.com/thingspolicesee/ Background consultation - Ken@policebackground.net

This week we had the whole crew back and special guest David Cline to discuss the gun-running operation called Operation Fast and Furious that was run mostly during the Obama administration. In part two of Operation Fast and Furious, we discuss how the Obama Administration targeted whistle-blowers and journalists. One of the journalists he targeted was Sharyl Attkisson from CBS News. She was continuously harassed and even had a bug in her laptop.----------------Special Thanks to Mr. Charles Elliott for allowing us to use his song for the intro. Check out his music here on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/79LJ4cbLYlMarMq5YydyrO----------Check out Matt Cooper and Joel Benner's podcast Iconoblast.You can find episodes on the Drinkin' Bros History channel on YouTube and the audio wherever you find your podcasts.—————Check out Adam Hesters Podcast: Skeleton Factory Podcast. You can find it here https://anchor.fm/skeletonfactory/—————Follow us:Instagram @Con_Men_Podcast,Twitter- @Conmenpodcast1Facebook- Con Men PodcastDiscord- https://discord.gg/ppyGMej6x3--------------We are also streaming on all podcast platformshttps://linktr.ee/conmenpodcastSubscribe to our Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/conmenpodcast--------------New episodes are released on audio every Tuesday morning. Video episodes are released on Youtube on Friday afternoons at 2 PM CST.Like and Subscribe to the channel! Tell your friends!

Sean and special guest Joel Benner discuss the Obama administration's role in Operation Fast and Furious. Operation Fast and Furious was an ATF operation that involved running guns to Mexico to track weapons going to Mexican cartels. The plan was to entrap illegal weapons runners by using 'straw purchases' but the guns were never tracked officially, resulting in many civilians' deaths in Mexico.----------Special Thanks to Mr. Charles Elliott for allowing us to use his song for the intro. Check out his music here on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/79LJ4cbLYlMarMq5YydyrO----------Check out Matt Cooper and Joel Benner's podcast Iconoblast.You can find episodes on the Drinkin' Bros History channel on YouTube and the audio wherever you find your podcasts.—————Follow us:Instagram @Con_Men_Podcast,Twitter- @Conmenpodcast1Facebook- Con Men PodcastDiscord- https://discord.gg/ppyGMej6x3--------------We are also streaming on all podcast platformshttps://linktr.ee/conmenpodcastSubscribe to our Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/conmenpodcast--------------New episodes are released on audio every Tuesday morning. Video episodes are released on Youtube on Friday afternoons at 2 PM CST.Like and Subscribe to the channel! Tell your friends!

What if the Biden Administration and the DOJ aren't interested in ending school mass shootings? Carl examines Operation Fast and Furious where Obama's AG, Eric Holder illegally ran guns across the southern border to undermine 2A rights - border agent Brian Terry was killed by one of those guns, the Gretchen Whitmer “kidnapping” hoax where FBI informants recruited participants in the scheme to create a narrative against Trump supporters, and questions why President Biden and the DOJ have no desire to “harden schools” to deter mass shooters. Carl argues that the left rather see kids die than harden schools because they want public outcry for gun control.   More: www.Carljacksonshow.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carljacksonradio Twitter:https://twitter.com/carljacksonshow Parler: https://parler.com/carljacksonshow http://www.TheCarlJacksonPodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the Biden Administration and the DOJ aren't interested in ending school mass shootings? Carl examines Operation Fast and Furious where Obama's AG, Eric Holder illegally ran guns across the southern border to undermine 2A rights - border agent Brian Terry was killed by one of those guns, the Gretchen Whitmer “kidnapping” hoax where FBI informants recruited participants in the scheme to create a narrative against Trump supporters, and questions why President Biden and the DOJ have no desire to “harden schools” to deter mass shooters. Carl argues that the left rather see kids die than harden schools because they want public outcry for gun control.   More: www.Carljacksonshow.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carljacksonradio Twitter:https://twitter.com/carljacksonshow Parler: https://parler.com/carljacksonshow http://www.TheCarlJacksonPodcast.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I discuss how an ATF agent got screwed overr by his own agency as well as the DOJ, and the similarities between ATF Agent Jay Dobyns and Operation Fast And Furious.

Donald Ray Reynolds, Jr. - a young black Knoxvillian with no prior trouble with the law, who owned four small businesses and possessed a Tennessee open-carry permit - has now spent a decade of a remarkable life + 75 year sentence in a controversial Bureau of Prisons Communication Management Unit in Knoxville, Tennessee: institutions set up in the George W. Bush years to house accused terrorists. New Right journalist and friend of The Popular Show, J. Arthur Bloom has been researching Reynolds' case, and sets out for us the spine-tingling evidence that Donny is in fact being detained for turning down the offer to act as an informant on Mexican cartels, in a case remarkably similar to the Operation Fast and Furious scandal of the Obama years. Support us, get extra content, and help us build the project, at Patreon.com/ThePopularPod.

( To see the video of this show, click here >> https://youtu.be/nKBAmakA_GA ) Cristina's Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and More > https://beacons.page/cristinagomez Patreon Club for Extras & Behind the Scenes: https://www.patreon.com/paradigm_shifts Cristina gets to talk about Non-Human intelligences, and Cryptids, with Micah Hanks. With more than a decade in podcasting, travel, writing and research, and the study of history and science, Micah Hanks has more than just a passion for knowledge. His study of world history, culture and philosophy over the years have helped shape his nonpartisan outlook on current events, and always with a nod to the lessons history can teach us. Micah is a longtime advocate for scientific research into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), more commonly known as “UFOs.” He is an affiliate member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), as well as a frequent commentator and writer on the subject, and maintains an interest in the history, and possible scientific explanations for aspects of the phenomenon. You can learn about some of Micah's UAP research here and here. Micah's other interests include space studies, zoological mysteries and unusual phenomena in nature. A “hopeful skeptic,” he advocates a critically-minded approach to the study of these subjects. After several years as a producer for iHeart Media (formerly Clear Channel Radio), Micah began podcasting in 2011. From the former ATF agent who became the whistle blower that brought attention to the “Operation Fast and Furious” scandal, to a psychologist who once consulted former Beatle John Lennon, Micah has interviewed a number of experts over the years in the fields of science, technology, philosophy, history, archaeology, and other disciplines. You can find where to listen to all of Micah's podcasts here. In 2016, Hanks began working closely with the archaeological community in the Southeastern United States, in an effort to understand relationships between early North Americans and their environment at the end of the last ice age. In 2018, he produced a short documentary on the controversial Topper archaeological site in Allendale County, South Carolina. Micah is a frequent guest on podcasts and radio programs, and has been interviewed by Vice, CNN Radio, Coast to Coast AM, Mysterious Universe, Hot Air, and a number of other outlets. He has also lectured in America and Europe on a variety of subjects that include archaeology, unidentified flying objects, and historical mysteries.

In this episode of “Making Sense of the Madness” Sean Morgan analyzes the latest breaking news and interviews Dr. Kirk Elliott about Evergrande only paying its Chinese creditors. Could this bankruptcy continue to impact global markets?In the main interview of the show Sean interviews Major Jeffrey Prather about the parallels between Operation Fast and Furious, Syria, and the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Prather outlines how we are in the middle of unconventional warfare with a deep state enemy that could last years. He lays out an inspiring action plan of local action at inflection points. Literally anyone can join the fight for freedom in a legal and nonviolent way.Join Team America: https://JeffreyPrather.comGet Breaking News Updates: https://SeanMorganReport.comGet a Free Gold Consultation:Call Dr. Kirk Elliott at +1 720-605-3900https://sovereignadvisors.net/pages/seanmorgan/Nearly 60% of Americans are concerned about running out of money.RECEIVE A FREE CONSULTATION & A FREE E-BOOK ABOUT ANNUITIEShttps://www.americanmediaperiscope.net/clevelandwww.AmericanMediaPeriscope.netSupport the show (https://donorbox.org/seanmorganreport)

Bye bye Cuomo, Who is going to replace him?, and infrastructure bill is what it is. But first: We have over a thousand people registered for our conference, so dont wait, got to FLFNetwork.com and click on Events. We cant wait to see you there! Governor Cuomo got picked up by a car: Play clip: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/08/10/andrew-cuomo-resigns-1389566 According to The Political Insider: https://thepoliticalinsider.com/new-york-governor-andrew-cuomo-resigns-amid-sexual-harassment-scandal/ Criminal Charges “It may not be so easy for Cuomo as resigning. After the AG report came out, one of Cuomo's accusers filed a criminal complaint – which prompted the Albany Sheriff to suggest that an arrest could be possible if the allegations pan out: Sheriff Craig Apple, a Democrat, confirmed receipt of the complaint with the Post and said sheriff's officials have since contacted the Albany County District Attorney's office. Apple raised the possibility of arrest and prosecution but said they would be contingent on the claims being substantiated and the discretion of the DA… “I mean it was — he was like cupping my breast. He cupped my breast,” the woman told investigators. Cuomo also, according to the victim's statements in the report, “moved his hand to grab her butt cheek and began to rub it” for at least five seconds. Cuomo has also been accused of causing the deaths of thousands of senior citizens through his COVID nursing homes policies, but the Biden Justice Department had declined to conduct a civil rights investigation into the matter.” But Biden did say: According to Fox: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-respects-cuomo-decision-resign-sexual-harrassment-allegations "I think the impact is all on Andrew Cuomo and his decision to make that judgment," Biden said. "And I respect his decision." "He's done a hell of a job,"… That's why it's so sad." No word if the Attorney General is going to do an actual investigation into President Biden's accuser, Tara Reade. But who is going to replace Cuomo? Kathy Hochul to become New York's first female governor https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cuomos-replacement-kathy-hochul-become-new-yorks-first-female-governor-2021-08-10/ Andrew Cuomo's resignation as governor of New York after a series of sexual misconduct accusations has turned a spotlight on his lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, who will become the first woman to lead the state in its 233-year history. Hochul, a former Democratic congresswoman who has served as lieutenant governor since 2015, will take over from Cuomo until his third four-year term in office ends in December 2022. Here are some facts about the 62-year-old Hochul: -- Cuomo asked Hochul, a rising star in the Democratic Party, to join the gubernatorial ticket in 2014 after the then-lieutenant governor, Robert Duffy, announced he would not seek another term. Cuomo and Hochul won in 2014 and then again in 2018. -- She graduated from Syracuse University in 1980 and earned her law degree from Catholic University in Washington in 1984. -- Hochul has described herself as an "independent Democrat." In 2012 she was one of 17 Democrats who joined with Republicans in finding U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for withholding some documents related to a failed gun-running investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious. According to Market Watch they had two notable comments worth mentioning here: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/who-is-kathy-hochul-5-facts-about-the-woman-replacing-gov-andrew-cuomo-11628622906 “But the New York Times reports that she has been “cut off” from Cuomo's inner circle, and that she has not spoken with the outgoing governor since February. What's more, Hochul was not one of the aides regularly seen standing next to Cuomo during his daily coronavirus news briefings last year, and she was also left out of Cuomo's recent book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19.” And “She also supported the fight for a $15 minimum wage and paid family leave in New York, as well as for banning salary history in job interviews. Yet she also previously opposed driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, although she has since changed her position to support them.” Fight Laugh Feast Magazine Our Fight Laugh Feast Magazine is a quarterly issue that packs a punch like a 21 year Balvenie, no ice. We don't water down our theology, why would we water down our scotch? Order a yearly subscription for yourself and then send a couple yearly subscriptions to your friends who have been drinking luke-warm evangelical cool-aid. Every quarter we promise quality food for the soul, wine for the heart, and some Red Bull for turning over tables. Our magazine will include cultural commentary, a Psalm of the quarter, recipes for feasting, laughter sprinkled through out the glossy pages, and more. Senate approves bipartisan $1T infrastructure plan in win for Biden (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/senate-approves-infrastructure-plan-win-biden The Senate on Tuesday passed a major $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill in a significant show of bipartisan force that marked a big step forward for President Biden's domestic agenda. The vote was 69-30, with 19 Republicans – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – joining all Democrats to approve major investments to the nation's roads, bridges, railways and more. To mark the achievement, Vice President Kamala Harris came to the Capitol to preside over the Senate and announced the successful vote. "Big news, folks," Biden tweeted immediately after the victory. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal has officially passed the Senate. I hope Congress will send it to my desk as soon as possible so we can continue our work of building back better." My Senator, Jim Risch, had this to say about it on his facebook page: “Today, the Senate passed the infrastructure bill for America's roads and bridges. Senators had two choices: this $550 billion package with no tax increases, or allow Democrats to pass the Biden proposal of $2.5 trillion, raise taxes, and pile it on top of their impending $3.5 trillion social spending spree. On behalf of Idaho, I chose to support the lower $550 billion (bill authorizes $550 billion in new spending) investment in hard infrastructure like roads, bridges, and broadband. I believe it to be the substantially more reasonable and conservative solution to the necessary infrastructure spending. I intend to vigorously oppose Democrats' reckless $3.5 trillion social spending bill, which is coming next.” Well according to Vox, here is their summary of what is in the bill: https://www.vox.com/22598883/infrastructure-deal-bipartisan-bill-biden-manchin Transportation projects: The bill would spend $110 billion in new funds for roads, bridges, and related projects. It also would commit $39 billion for public transit — which the Biden administration described as “the largest federal investment in public transit in history” — along with $66 billion for rail. It'd spend $42 billion on ports, airports, and related projects. And it would invest $11 billion in making America's roads safer.Reconnected communities: In the past few decades of road construction, many American cities have been physically divided by large highways, disproportionately affecting minority communities. The bill would spend $1 billion to reconnect many of these places.High-speed internet: The bill would spend $65 billion with a goal of providing broadband internet to all Americans, further aiming to boost competition among providers and reduce the cost of high-speed internet to make it more affordable.Electric vehicles: The bill would put $7.5 billion into a national network of electric vehicle chargers. It would also put $7.5 billion toward electrifying buses and ferries. These actions, the Biden administration said, are meant to create jobs but also help tackle global warming by decarbonizing major components of American transportation systems.Other action on climate change: The bill would also make several other investments meant to combat climate change, including $28 billion for power grid infrastructure, resiliency, and reliability (in part to help expand the reach of clean energy) and $46 billion to, in part, mitigate damage from floods, wildfires, and droughts.Clean drinking water: The deal would spend $55 billion on clean water infrastructure, particularly to eliminate lead pipes and other dangerous chemicals in today's service lines.Cleaning up the environment: The bill would also commit $21 billion to environmental remediation, particularly to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, abandoned mines, and orphaned gas wells. Now Forbes also says that: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/08/10/senate-set-to-pass-12-trillion-infrastructure-bill-after-months-of-negotiations-heres-what-comes-next-for-bidens-agenda/?sh=33fea5665911 “That bill is expected to propose lowering the Medicare age to 60 and expanding it to include dental, hearing and vision, as well as a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants and tuition-free community college for two years.” COVID/Vaxx update: We called this on CrossPolitic last year. We said to just watch these tyrants use their "emergency powers" to require the vaccine. This is from Incompetent Jay Inslee (Gov. of WA): "I am writing today to let you know that I am requiring, by issuance of a proclamation, that all employees who work in state service for executive cabinet agencies must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021, along with on-site contractors and volunteers. I have also mandated vaccination in some private health and long-term care services. I am taking this action pursuant to my emergency powers as Governor of the State of Washington found at RCW 43.06.220." Closing This is Gabriel Rench with Crosspolitic News. Support Rowdy Christian media by joining our club at fightlaughfeast.com, downloading our App, and head to our annual Fight Laugh Feast Conference next fall. With your partnership, together we will fight outdated and compromised media, engage news and politics with the gospel, and replace lies and darkness with truth and light. Go to fightlaughfeast.com to take all these actions. Have a great day. Lord bless

( To see the video of this show, click here: https://youtu.be/CFYEW4oq1iY ) Cristina's Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and More > https://beacons.page/cristinagomez Patreon Club for Extras & Behind the Scenes: https://www.patreon.com/paradigm_shifts Cristina talks UFOs with Writer & Journalist Micah Hanks. Jimmy Church of Fade to Black Radio makes a surprise appearance in the first half of the show. With more than a decade in podcasting, travel, writing and research, and the study of history and science, Micah Hanks has more than just a passion for knowledge. His study of world history, culture and philosophy over the years have helped shape his nonpartisan outlook on current events, and always with a nod to the lessons history can teach us. Micah is a longtime advocate for scientific research into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), more commonly known as “UFOs.” He is an affiliate member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), as well as a frequent commentator and writer on the subject, and maintains an interest in the history, and possible scientific explanations for aspects of the phenomenon. You can learn about some of Micah's UAP research here and here. Micah's other interests include space studies, zoological mysteries and unusual phenomena in nature. A “hopeful skeptic,” he advocates a critically-minded approach to the study of these subjects. After several years as a producer for iHeart Media (formerly Clear Channel Radio), Micah began podcasting in 2011. From the former ATF agent who became the whistle blower that brought attention to the “Operation Fast and Furious” scandal, to a psychologist who once consulted former Beatle John Lennon, Micah has interviewed a number of experts over the years in the fields of science, technology, philosophy, history, archaeology, and other disciplines. In 2016, Hanks began working closely with the archaeological community in the Southeastern United States, in an effort to understand relationships between early North Americans and their environment at the end of the last ice age. In 2018, he produced a short documentary on the controversial Topper archaeological site in Allendale County, South Carolina. Micah is a frequent guest on podcasts and radio programs, and has been interviewed by Vice, CNN Radio, Coast to Coast AM, Mysterious Universe, Hot Air, and a number of other outlets. He has also lectured in America and Europe on a variety of subjects that include archaeology, unidentified flying objects, and historical mysteries.

We were on the road in one of the most notoriously violent sections of Mexico when we were run off the road and ambushed. Federal Agent Shot Multiple Times And His Partner Was Killed In An Ambush By The Zeta Cartel. Victor Avila is our guest. He is a retired US Federal Agent and author of the book Agent Under Fire. Victor tells the horrific story of the incident when he and his partner, Federal US I.C.E. Agent Jaime Zapata where ambushed and shot on a Mexican road by members of the Zeta Cartel. During the violent attack they were both shot multiple times and Jaime Zapata was killed. Victor tells the traumatic story of the attack, having to wait for almost 40 minutes before aid responded. The terrifying security concerns in the Mexican hospital and worst of all the treatment he, and his family received from US Federal Agencies when he returned and was trying to recover from the injuries. Victor Avila wrote a book about the attack and treatment after entitled "Agent Under Fire - A Murder And A Manifesto". If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend about it. If you are able to leave an honest rating and, or, review it would be appreciated. Background song Hurricane is used with permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer. Follow us on the MeWe social media platform. We are on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. In the Clubhouse app look for and follow our club, the LET Radio Show and Podcast.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast Dave and Sam talk about Operation Fast and Furious.   The ATF isn't all bad. In fact, they had a policy of letting illegal gun purchases go between 2006 and 2011. It ended up getting U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry killed on December 14, 2010, and let Mexican criminals get enough guns that they were found at over 150 crime scenes where Mexican citizens were either killed or maimed. And some of the guns were used in the November 2015 terrorist attack in Paris at the Bataclan. But other than that, it turned out just fine.   (In case you're not picking up on it, we're laying on the sarcasm very thick right now.)   You probably know what was officially called “Project Gunrunner” as “Operation Fast and Furious.” Started under George W. Bush, this ATF policy audaciously grew under President Obama and became indicative of the perceived attack on American gun owners by both policy makers and their friends in the establishment media.   It's one of many scandals of the Obama Administration that was never given as much press attention as, for example, Russia buying Facebook ads about NoFap and Pizzagate. Given that the guns run by the ATF were allowed to kill hundreds and that subsequent Congressional investigations resulted in Eric Holder, President Obama's Attorney General, becoming the first sitting cabinet member to be held in criminal contempt of Congress ever, this is shocking. At least for anyone still under the illusion that the establishment media is a fair and impartial source of information.   It is a sad truth that in our world today, there are very few actual journalists. While conservatives, libertarians and patriots tend to chafe at the mere mention of journalists, it's worth noting that independent journalists – those not in thrall to big business and big government – fulfill an extremely valuable function of telling the truth and uncovering corruption. Case in point: The Fast and Furious scandal was broken by two independent journalists: David Codrea of The War on Guns and the late Mike Vanderboegh (who holds the distinct honor of being denounced by both Bill Clinton and the Southern Poverty Law Center) of Sipsey Street Irregulars.   Indeed, when ATF agents at Clean Up ATF sought a way to secure protection for their whistleblowers, it was Codrea and Vanderboegh who put them in touch with Senator Grassley. Sharyl Attkisson and William La Jeunesse were two notable exceptions, but for the most part, the corporate media either ignored the scandal and/or claimed it was a “botched sting.” It fell on Codrea and Vanderboegh to dig deep into the scandal and get the real story.   Sit down and get ready to dig into what is perhaps the most egregious scandal of President Drone's administration – and there's a lot to pick from.   You can read the full article “Operation Fast and Furious: The Forgotten History of the ATF's Notorious Gunwalking Scandal” at Ammo.com.   For $20 off your $200 purchase, go to https://ammo.com/podcast (a special deal for our listeners).   Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs1776   And check out our sponsor, Libertas Bella, for all of your favorite Libertarian shirts at LibertasBella.com.   Helpful Links:  Operation Fast and Furious: The Forgotten History of the ATF's Notorious Gunwalking Scandal The Benghazi Attack: The Forgotten History of the 2012 Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya Vincent Cefalu: Operation Fast and Furious and Project Gunrunner Whistleblower, Author of Ratsnakes David Codrea: Gun Rights Advocate, Journalist at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance Resistance Library  Sam Jacobs

Listen in as we go into the history of one of the most notorious cartels in history, the Sinaloa Cartel. I give some of my first hand experience being a United States Border Patrol Agent and some of my encounters. We talk about Operation Fast and Furious, Mexican Military, the territories of cartel control, and of course sprinkle in some Chapo talk. Then my friend Greg and myself discuss License to Kill and whether or not it deserved to be the lowest grossing Bond film of all time. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donald-waldron/support

On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast Sam invites gun rights advocate and journalist, David Codrea, to the show. David Codrea is that rarest of creatures in the 21st century -- a skilled and principled investigative journalist, willing to overturn stones to find the truth underneath. It was his strong journalistic chops that made him instrumental in breaking the story that the world knows as “Operation Fast and Furious,” a part of Project Gunrunner, an ATF policy of allowing illegal gun purchases to happen in a vain attempt to catch bigger fish that resulted in the death of a Border Patrol agent and countless others.  Sam had Mr. Codrea on The Resistance Library Podcast to talk about the importance of actual, principled journalism today, as well as how he broke the Fast and Furious Scandal to the broader world and the importance of digital security.  David's Links:  @dcodrea on Twitter David Codrea | AmmoLand Shooting Sports News David Codrea | GunDigest David Codrea | Muck Rack The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance David Codrea | The Truth About Guns Helpful Links:  Operation Fast and Furious: The Forgotten History of the ATF's Notorious Gunwalking Scandal History of the ATF: How the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Became Corrupt & Abusive The Resistance Library Sam Jacobs For $20 off your $200 purchase, go to https://ammo.com/podcast (a special deal for our listeners). Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs45 And check out our sponsor, Libertas Bella, for all of your favorite 2nd Amendment shirts at LibertasBella.com.

On this special episode of the Resistance Library Podcast, Sam Jacobs speaks with the author and former ATF agent, Vincent Cefalu. Vincent Cefalu is best known as the primary whistleblower who exposed Operation Fast and Furious and Project Gunrunner to the American public - but that's not how he wants to be remembered. Cefalu is a curious figure, one who strongly believes in the mission of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and for reasons that are not easily dismissed by the same canned arguments we've all spouted at one time or another. A humble figure, he's ready to provide credit to the other, lesser-known whistleblowers of the ATF.  Sam talked with Mr. Cefalu about his history working with the ATF, his role in exposing arguably the biggest scandal of the Obama Administration and his memoir, Ratsnakes, which is an account of his several decades long career with the ATF with scant mention of the high-profile scandal that he helped to break.  Vincent's Links:  CleanUpATF.org Ratsnakes: Cheating Death by Living a Lie (check out the book's official site for an autographed copy) Ratsnakes: Cheating Death by Living a Lie (Amazon link) BenBella Books | Vincent A. Cefalu  Helpful Links:  Operation Fast and Furious: The Forgotten History of the ATF's Notorious Gunwalking Scandal History of the ATF: How the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Became Corrupt & Abusive The Resistance Library Sam Jacobs For $20 off your $200 purchase, go to https://ammo.com/podcast (a special deal for our listeners). Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs45 And check out our sponsor, Libertas Bella, for all of your favorite 2nd Amendment shirts at LibertasBella.com.

In today's episode of the Resistance Library podcast, Molly and Sam discuss the ATF and the Bureau's controversial history of corruption and abuse. t's unlikely that there is a single federal alphabet organization less popular among the readership of this website than the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. These are the people who gave us both the Siege at Ruby Ridge and the Siege of Waco. What's more, they may well be engaged in an entirely unconstitutional exercise: monitoring and patrolling the gun ownership of law-abiding citizens. There's also a solid case to be made that the ATF is a rogue organization, the most corrupt of the federal alphabet agencies. This can be seen through a number of scandals beginning with Ruby Ridge, threading through the siege at Mount Carmel in Waco, and continuing to the notorious “Fast and Furious” scandal. While firearms owners, weapons enthusiasts and Second Amendment advocates might have a special bone to pick with the ATF, we believe that all freedom-loving Americans should be concerned about the overreach, lawlessness and lack of accountability in this organization. Roman poet Juvenal once posed an important (and famous) question about powerful justice officers: “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?” – Who is to guard the guardians? All told, there are over 20,000 firearms laws and regulations on the books at the state and federal level. Many of these contradict each other or are written with a lot of room for interpretation. Gun owners and gun dealers are easy prey for a corrupt and lawless federal agency that wants to twist its arms outside the bounds of the law. It's also worth considering what overreach and lack of accountability other federal organizations are responsible for that we don't know about, simply because they do not have the same spotlight on them as the ATF – a reminder that the scandals mentioned above are just the ones that we know about. Check out more of Sam's articles on the ATF, Waco, Ruby Ridge and Operation Fast and Furious at Ammo.com's Resistance Library. For $20 off your $200 purchase, go to https://ammo.com/podcast (a special deal for our listeners). Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs45 And check out our sponsor, Libertas Bella, for all of your favorite 2nd Amendment shirts at LibertasBella.com.   Helpful Links: History of the ATF: How the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Became Corrupt & Abusive Siege at Ruby Ridge: The Forgotten History of the ATF Shootout That Started a Militia Movement The Waco Siege: What Happened When the Fed Laid Siege to the Branch Davidian Compound Operation Fast and Furious: The Forgotten History of the ATF's Notorious Gunwalking Scandal The Resistance Library Molly Carter Sam Jacobs

The violent legacy of the government's Operation Fast and Furious continues a decade after I first began investigating it. Read the written article here: https://sharylattkisson.com/2019/09/exclusive-another-atf-fast-and-furious-weapon-recovered-in-mexico-a-decade-after-u-s-government-allowed-gun-sales-to-cartels/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sharylattkissonpodcast/message

The violent legacy of the government's Operation Fast and Furious continues a decade after I first began investigating it. Read the written article here: https://sharylattkisson.com/2019/09/exclusive-another-atf-fast-and-furious-weapon-recovered-in-mexico-a-decade-after-u-s-government-allowed-gun-sales-to-cartels/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fullmeasurepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fullmeasurepodcast/support

Eric Holder made a swing through Wisconsin to campaign for liberal Supreme Court candidate Rebecca Dallet, but the fawning media forgot about the former Obama attorney general's real legacy. The only AG ever held in contempt of Congress, Holder rarely hesitated to use the power of big government for politics - from the deadly "Operation Fast And Furious" gun-running operation, to spying on journalists, to harassing choice schools. Catch the MacIver News Minute on News/Talk 1130 WISN every Tuesday and Thursday at 8, 11, and 2. Listen to News/Talk 1130 WISN live: www.iheart.com/live/1130-wisn-4245/

Exclusive audio obtained in the field where a representative from the state and local Democratic Party ignores the existence of not only Operation Fast and Furious, but also everything former Attorney General Eric Holder did (such as press censorship and illegal spying) days before he was supposed to show up in Northern Virginia to fundraise for the 2017 statewide Democrat ticket. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-remso-martinez-experience/support

// Mike Detty, a one-time POLICE contributor, talks about "Guns Across the Border," a first-hand account of his involvement in an ATF "gun walking" operation that preceded Fast & Furious. As a firearms dealer, Detty sold guns to Mexican cartel operatives at the direction of ATF special agents in Arizona. Detty says he was motivated by patriotic duty, and betrayed by the agency he worked for. Show the Guns Across the Border Podcast Transcription: Paul: Hello, this is Paul Clinton with POLICE Magazine. This is themonthly author's podcast with books by and for cops. We have a veryinteresting book this month to discuss. It's called "Guns Across theBorder: How and Why the U.S. Government Smuggled Guns into Mexico: TheInside Story". It was written by Mike Detty. In the book, Mike chronicleshis experience as a federally licensed firearms dealer in the Tucson areaand his role in these gun-walking sting operations and the flooding of gunsto Mexico. Mike has been a contributor to POLICE Magazine. He's written some great firearm reviews over the years. His business is essentially selling rifles and other guns at gun shows in Arizona. Mike, we're really pleased to have you on, and thanks for joining us to talk about the book. Mike: Thanks, Paul. It's a pleasure to join you, and thank you for having me on. Paul: Talk about this book and how it came about. You found yourself in the cross-hairs, so to speak, of a very ill-fated, eventually, federal gun operation. Talk a little bit about how you got involved in this from the beginning and how this got started. Mike: Sure. Historically, it is significant in that Operation Wide Receiver, which was the case that I brought ATF into in 2006, eventually morphed into Operation Fast and Furious, about two and a half years later. The way it started was, as you mentioned, I did gun shows for a living. I am an FFL holder, a Federal Firearms Licensee. I sell AR-15s at Arizona gun shows. I was approached by an individual who wanted to buy six AR-15 Lowers from me. The next day, he came back and he asked if I would have more sometime later in the month. I told him I had another 20 on order that I expected the next week. His answer to me was, "I'll take them all." The sheer number that he wanted, and the fact that he was paying cash, and the fact that he was a young Hispanic kid, made me suspicious right off the bat. That happened on a Sunday. Monday morning, I contacted my local ATF contact. He had me fax in the paperwork, and the he called me back later in the day and asked me if I could come down the following day and spend some time talking with him. That was really how Operation Wide Receiver began. There was a group of young men in the Phoenix area that was buying AR-15 Lowers. They were sending them to somebody in San Diego who was purchasing the top ends of the rifles, 10 inch, which of course, anything under 16 inch barrel length is illegal, but it didn't matter to them, because they were pretty mixed up in doing illegal stuff anyway. Anyhow, they would complete these firearms by pinning on a short top end, and then taking them across the border into Tijuana for the Felix Arellano Cartel. That was how Operation Wide Receiver started. It kind of went through some twists and turns, but by the time were finished a year and a half had gone by. I think we'd sold weapons to five different cartels. Paul: Before we get into the details of this, talk a little bit about where federal law enforcement was coming from and their goals in your mind, or what they said to you about these operations. They've been termed "gun-walking operations" and I guess these operations would fall under this Project Gunrunner. What was the original goal of this operation, as far as you understood? Mike: Project Gunrunner was a project to stem the flow of illegal guns into Mexico. It involved saturating the border states with more ATF agents and more funding to prevent that from happening. Operation Wide Receiver, when I first got involved and they first started looking at these characters I was selling to, and by the way, after that initial purchase, I didn't sell anything to these people without prior knowledge of ATF and without them specifically asking them to do this at their behest, to further the investigation. I just want to make that clear. It wasn't as if I did something, and then, "Oh, I'd better let them know," just so I don't get in trouble. Paul: I guess the idea is that, this has always been the case, that the drugs come from Mexico and the guns and the ammunition go to Mexico. So the ATF and the federal government was becoming more and more concerned about guns that cartel operators were purchasing here in the border states and taking to Mexico to use in this violent cartel drug war, right? Mike: That's correct. That was correct. The first meeting that I had with these ATF people here in Tucson, I was told that I would have a chance to help them take out a powerful drug cartel. I'm smart enough to know the implications of that. Paul: Yeah. That sounds good, actually. It sounds like a noble goal. Mike: Being a patriot, I was eager to help them. It just didn't turn out the way it was outlined to me. What happened to be the goal, we never came close to achieving that goal. If you read the book, I think there was something far more insidious going on than trying to take out a drug cartel. Paul: Part of, I think, at least what we've heard said publicly from the ATF, and obviously this was a huge scandal that resulted in congressional hearings, and of course the deaths of two federal agents, speaking of course of border patrol agent Brian Terry, and also ICE special agent Jamie Zapata. Guns that apparently were sold through these sting operations were found at both of those crime scenes. Mike: Correct. Paul: Right. Mike: All three of those guns were from Fast and Furious, although there is nothing that would prove any of the guns from Wide Receiver showing up at future crime scenes. We know that they've shown up at crime scenes in Mexico. Fortunately, nothing has been found here in the United States. Paul: The critique of the ATF through all this has been, why didn't you track the guns? Was there some goal early on to either attach some type a micro-tracker or microchip to the gun? Was there any effort early on by them to track these guns? Mike: No. I do mention in the book, it's been reported in mainstream press that under President Bush things were done more responsibly. They tracked the guns they were working with Mexican officials. That's hogwash. None of that's true. There was one attempt to put a tracking device in a rifle during operation receiver, and it failed miserably. It was never fielded, it was never talked about again. The other thing, what I was told from the start, was that there was ongoing cooperation with the Mexican authorities and that if they didn't interdict the guns that at some point in time, they knew where the guns were at, they were going to round them all up, or most of them. I mean, nothing is 100%. It was conveyed to me that the operation I was working was multinational, meaning that the Mexican authorities were on board with it, and that this was how they were going to take out this cartel. That just proved to never be true. The Inspector General's report that was issued last fall, it cites I think three different phone conversations during the three years I was involved with Operation Wide Receiver where they had contacted Mexican authorities, but there was never any ongoing coordination. There was no commitment by Mexican authorities to follow these guns anywhere into Mexico. In fact, none of them were ever tracked. Paul: Wow. You mentioned that there were a couple of very interesting anecdotes in the book of failed attempts by these agents to follow and/or arrest these straw purchases and the buyers who came to you to purchase these guns. Mike: Sure. In fact, there was one event, I believe it was 50 .38 Super Pistols that one of these guys bought one night. It was ATF's intention to have an air surveillance to follow these guns to the load house, sit on the load house until they were loaded up in the load truck, and then follow them to Mexico so that from the time those guns left my house, it really never left their visual surveillance until they crossed the border. That was very important to help them prove their case. In the book, I relay how this turned into a three-day surveillance. They sat outside a house for quite a while and were concerned that they actually might have missed somebody going out the back door with the guns, because the original intent was for those guns to go very quickly, and it never happened. They did stay on the house. Once they got into a car, they were able to follow them. They went down close to the border, and then on the Indian reservation, they drove in circles for three or four hours. When I asked one of the agents why somebody would do that he said, "These are experienced drug smugglers. They know what type of aircraft we use for air surveillances." In their case, they were fortunate. They had a helicopter to back up while the DTS plane went and got refueled and then came back. They were never able to do much with that information. They know the guns crossed the border, but once they crossed the border, they didn't have any idea what happened to them. Paul: Wow. Let's talk about your role in this, because it really is fascinating. Your book, I have to give you credit here, I mean, you've really written a detailed book, and you've included a lot of great details about how these went down. Talk a little bit about how some of these transactions would work. You have a business and you are able to sell firearms out of your home. Talk a little bit about how this would work, how the cartel members would purchase the guns. You would kind of set a little showroom in your living room, right? Mike: Right, yeah. Being a divorced guy, I had a living room that didn't have a stick of furniture in it, so I used that space. I had guns set up. AR-15s and semi-auto AK-47s and 30 types of pistols, and I would set them up. I wanted these guys to perceive that I had plenty of inventory, so I didn't just put one out of each one. I would put stacks and stacks of guns, and then I'd leave one out of the box for them to look at and figure out what they wanted to buy. They would usually come late at night. When they were going to do a purchase, usually they would have a plastic grocery bag full of cash. A lot of times, they didn't know how much money was in that back, because somebody at the stash house would hand them a bag and say, "Here, go buy as many guns as you can for this money." A large portion of every evening was spent just counting that cash. In fact, it was after one event where one of these people tried to burn me for $5,000, I actually went out and bought a bank- quality money-counter. The first thing we would do when they got there was, we would count the money, and then they'd know how much money they had. Paul: I love that detail in the book. A lot of these guys would just give you stacks of 5 and 10 dollar bills, and you would have to spend 45 minutes to an hour counting small bills. Right? Mike: Yeah. That was typical. There was one group out of Phoenix whose ringleader was dyslexic, I think. He would always hand me his money and have me count it. At first I thought it might be a test to see if I was being honest with him, because once I got to the certain dollar amount, I would hand him back the rest of the money. It did in fact turn out to be, either he couldn't count, or was just so severely dyslexic, he couldn't count the money himself. Paul: Talk about some of the characters. One of them I think came in wearing pink ostrich boots. Talk a little bit about who these guys were. Mike: It was kind of a happenstance. In other words, we fell into a hornet's nest while we were just looking for a honeybee. There was one particular gentleman I was doing business with. He had a cousin, a very distant cousin, in town. Her husband was in federal penitentiary for dealing dope. She would host these barbecues that she would invite other people in this trade to these barbecues. It didn't matter what cartel or what familia they were from. They were welcome guests there, but during the course of the barbecue she would tell them, "Hey, if your guys need guns, I've got a hookup for you. Here's the deal. You just pay me a commission on every gun you buy, and that'll keep me happy and I'll keep you hooked up with this guy with the guns." These people from those barbecues would accompany the original buyer. It just got crazy because there were so many people that wanted to come and buy guns. Paul: I'm sorry, so this is really your classic straw purchase, right? Mike: Yep. Paul: So they would fill out the paperwork for people who would be denied on a background check, right? Mike: Right. These were all people that legally couldn't buy because they weren't citizens. The one guy that could, he ended up doing a lot of the paperwork himself. He was actually connected with a cartel in Caborca that had been raised here in the United States and was a US citizen. He was doing a lot of the purchasing. Some of the other groups, they would bring people they knew that had clean records that would do the purchasing for them. That's where all the charges, unfortunately, I mean, it's a relatively minor charge, for Operator Wide Receiver was for straw purchasing. In other words, when they filled out the background check, they checked the box saying, "This firearm is for personal use. I'm buying this gun for myself." That turned out not to be true, and we know that because they took them across the border and sold them down there. Paul: Yeah. What types of guns did they buy? We've heard that they like these AK-47 or AK variants that had wire stocks. What kind of stuff did they buy? Mike: Those were probably the bulk of what they really wanted was the cheaper AKs. At the time, I was buying the Romanian imports. WASR was the model name. Some of them had underfolding stocks or side folding stocks or fixed stocks. At the time I want to say, I was selling them retail for under $400. That was the bulk of what they bought. Then there were some other groups that wanted to have AR-15s and they wanted to have the good quality, the best quality I could find, but that wasn't the bulk. The majority of the stuff was AK-47 rifles and pistols. Paul: Those were available fairly cheap for them, right? Like you said, you could get one for $400 or so? Mike: I was retailing them for $400, which meant that I probably made maybe $100 on that transaction. Paul: Okay. And I guess they liked these Colt .38 Supers as well? Mike: The Colt .38 Supers weren't gun for fighting. They were guns that somebody would wear to kind of show almost their rank. There was one guy that as buying these for a cartel in I think it was Magdalena. The head guy would hand them out as presentation pieces. In other words, you've done something really valuable for me, or you've taken a great risk for me, and I'm going to rewards you with this status symbol. Paul: Okay. Mike: That's how those were used, but like I said, they bought those in quantity with one guy buying 50 when he'd need from me. Paul: Yeah. You worked, really, as you describe in the book, as an undercover operative with the ATF, kind of almost dictating every step of the way, right? Mike: Yeah. Like I said before, there was nothing that I did on my own. There were very few, rare instances where somebody called me on the phone and I'd have to make a quick decision. Trying to think of what ATF would want me to do. Usually I would beg off and say, "Listen, I can't do this afternoon because I have a doctor's appointment," or something else. Everything that I did was under their direction. Paul: You tell kind of a good little anecdote here. They had you wearing a transmitter, and it sounded like the ATF Tucson office only had one transmitter, and it was kind of cutting out at times? Mike: Yeah. Its age was uncertain, its quality was not good, and it appeared to be the only one they had, because in three years of working with them, it was the same transmitter that I used night after night. Paul: Yeah. Mike: There were instances, and some of your veteran cops and shooters that are listening to this will understand. I'm in my early 50s, right, and after a lifetime of shooting, I don't hear so good. I'm one of those people that has the volume all the way up on my cellphone so that I can hear conversations clearly. Well, imagine yourself being in a room of cartel associates and having an agent call and say, "Hey, Mike, your wire's down. Turn it off and then back on again real quick." Then you look around the room to see if any of these other people in the room have heard what you just heard through your phone. I was very fortunate in that regard. Stupid things like that, looking back, were just crazy. The risk that I took and some of the risks that I was exposed to through no fault of my own. Paul: And I guess eventually they placed some cameras in your house, and they put one in a clock radio, and I guess one in a Kleenex box, right? Mike: Yeah. The clock radio is kind of a neat thing, because it would not only record, but it would transpond, I don't know if that's the right term. There was somebody sitting in a truck outside that could see it real time, but that was just one instance, and I guess that equipment was too expensive for each office to have, especially the smaller Tucson office. In other instances, they had what was called a "Hawk," which was a video and audio recorder that they could hide in a box of Kleenex. Usually, that would sit on my wet bar, where it could watch the entire living room that I was using as showroom. In addition to that, I would have a digital recorder in one of my pockets. The reason they had me do that was because the quality was so much better than what they could record with the transmitter. It was just dual redundancy, so they'd have backup to backup. Paul: Yeah. And I guess, as you mentioned, you were involved in this for three years. It sounded like when it first started it was initially only supposed to be a very short operation that you were going to be involved with. Talk a little bit about the length of time, I mean, did you become frustrated at times with this? Mike: Not really. I mean, while it was going on, it seemed to keep me really interested, and I seemed motivated my knowing that I may be part of something historical. As it turns out, it ended up I was part of something infamous rather than historical. Paul: Good word for it, yeah. Mike: I didn't have a crystal ball at that time, but I really did. I was motivated by a patriotic sense of duty, and I really had this feeling of fate and that God put me in this place in this position right now to help. I wouldn't have felt right just telling these guys I couldn't help them. Of course, from years I've written for POLICE Magazine, I'm a pro-law enforcement guy, and I never would suspect that these guys all seem like great guys, and I didn't see ever having a problem for being on the wrong end of their hire, which I eventually did end up. Paul: Yeah. Mike: It was an interesting three years, and like I said, I didn't mind doing the work for them, and I didn't mind at the time taking risk, because I thought that whatever was going to be gained from this would be so valuable to the United States and to the detriment of the various cartels that were pursuing. Paul: We'll get into the end result of this in a minute, but one thing I found very interesting was that you were very meticulous through this investigation about the notes that you took and the records, and you kept pretty good records about conversations and things you were doing and saying. Mike: Right. I kept my notes daily. I always tried to make time to write down the events of the evening along with conversation as quickly as possible after they happened, so that it would be fresh in my mind. Originally, I started doing this for two reasons. One, I always thought I might write a book, because it was kind of an extraordinary circumstance that just an ordinary guy like me got involved in. The other reason was, we were doing so many of these buys that I was afraid if I ever had to testify, I have to be certain if this event happened on this night during this buy, and so forth, so I could keep one buy separate from all the others that happened. That was my intent originally. Because I had gone and I bought my own digital recorder, every time a burned a CD of an evening's buy with the bad guys, or several phone conversations I had with the bad guys, to burn that to a CD, I had to download it to the hard-drive on my computer. When things started not looking right to me, I started recording conversations with the special agents and phone calls with the special agents. That was all on the hard-drive of my computer, along with my notes. Paul: Yeah. Mike: At one point in time, when they brought in a special prosecutor from Washington D.C. to prosecute Wide Receiver, she asked me if I'd kept any notes or a journal or anything. I said, "Yeah, I have a journal. I don't want to give it you, because there's a lot personal information in there." It was an actual journal, it wasn't just transcribes of bad guy buys. She demanded it. It was the old thing, "You know, look, we can do it the hard way or we can do it the easy way. I'll make life miserable if I don't get it," so I did give it to her. She never expected to see what was in there. It was either her or one of the special agents in Tucson sent that up to Special Agent in Charge, which was Bill Newell, in the Phoenix office. He or she ordered immediately to ATF Office in Tucson, "Don't take anymore cases from this guy. Don't talk to him, don't acknowledge him in any way." Basically, I was shut out. He knew long before me that my notes contained information that eventually was going to be very embarrassing to him. At one point in time, my computer was hacked. All the audio files that there were nights and nights and nights of purchases at my house, phone calls, and so forth, those were all corrupted. I kept them all in one folder. Every one of those files was bad. Before I got too paranoid, I went and checked some of the shorter phone conversations that I had with these bad guys. To the special agent in charge of this case, I would attach it to his Yahoo! account, because DOJ and ATF email accounts have filters on them that limit the file size, so I would have to use his personal Yahoo! account. I went back and said, maybe I can get back some of these conversations by checking those emails. Surprisingly enough, every email I had ever sent him, or every email he'd ever sent me, had been wiped clean from my computer. Paul: Wow. Mike: Now I'm in a position. I'd contacted somebody that's a very good friend who's one of our most elite military intelligence assets and told him what was going on and gave him information about my computer and my wireless system and so forth. He called me back a couple hours later and he said, "Look, Mike, you're welcome to fly out here. My guys think if they look at your box, they can figure out who got into it. But here's the rub. Let's say we find out exactly who did this to you, who do we take that to? Because I think you're going to take it to the same people who did it to you." Paul: Oh boy. Mike: "What good's it going to do to you." The fortunate thing about this, and the reason that I haven't been put in a very difficult spot was because I have an external hard-drive as a professional writer. Every few days I back up my computer. I was able to restore all those files, but whoever got into my computer and corrupted those files, they knew that this could put them in very bad light. Paul: Yeah. And during the story, you talk about, you would have conversations with these cartel operators and you'd burn a CD and just take it over and drop that over to the ATF office in Tucson, right? Mike: Right. Paul: So you were sharing some of this material with them during the course of this investigation as well, right? Mike: That was the sole purpose of recording this stuff. Paul: Yeah. Mike: By happenstance, I mean, it just happened to all be on the hard- drive on my computer. Paul: Yeah. Mike: I think that certainly kept me out of a very sticky spot with our federal government. Paul: Yeah. It's a very enlightening book. Talk a little bit about, I guess you were audited at one point by the ATF, right? Mike: Yeah. Surprisingly, not too long after the last case I brought them had come to an end, I had two ATF investigators. They're not actual agents, but they're more on the regulatory side of the things. They showed up at my door one day and they said, "We're here to conduct an audit." I knew what they were going to find. In my books, for instance, if there's 75 AK-47s that are logged out to one particular person, they're going to have some questions, so I asked them, I said, "First of all, do you know who I am and do you know what I've done for your office?" Meaning the Tucson ATF office. The young lady replied, "Yes, we do, and I want you to know that Bill Newell is the one that ordered this audit." Bill Newell was the special agent in charge of the Phoenix office. Paul: Mm-hmm. Mike: So I didn't think too much about it. Paul: Yeah. It came from the top. Mike: It came from the top, and this was after they had already gotten my notes, and apparently knew that every conversation I had was on the hard-drive of my computer. Over the course of a couple weeks, they came to me and they said, "You know, we have 80 serial numbers here we can't find." The guy said to me, "You're not going to be able to keep your license. Most likely, you're going to be criminally prosecuted. You can't lose 80 serial numbers, not these type of guns, Mr. Detty, and keep your license and not get prosecuted." Oh my God! Paul: Wow. Mike: I can't believe this. Paul: Yeah. Mike: What am I going to do? I'm just getting ready to go to the hospital to have an ankle replaced, and I thought, well, I'd better do whatever I can. So I did my own audit, and I actually did a physical inventory of every gun that I had. The lower receiver of an AR-15, because it has a serial number on it, they call it a complete gun. I had boxes and boxes of just stripped low receivers. In other words, they didn't have any triggers or hammers or magazine releases installed, and just the bare basic component, because some people like to buy them that way and then build a gun from parts. I had over 400 of these in boxes out in the garage. There were 24 to a box. It was I think in July when these people conducted the audit, so I went and sit in my living room in the air- conditioning while I put these boxes on hand trucks and brought them out of the garage and through the front door and put them in front of them. Each box contained 24 each. All they had to do was pull the receiver out of the box, count the serial number. Somehow, during the course of three days of doing this, they lost 80 serial numbers. Every one of those missing serial numbers was receivers that were in those boxes. My question is, how can somebody who's been hired by the federal government get a box of 24 receivers placed in front of them, open the box, count 3, close the box, open the next box, count 8 out of 24, close the box. Every one of those 80 serial numbers were in those cases of stripped lower receivers. [call dropped off 32:44] Paul: Just go ahead and pick up where you left off. Mike: I'm not sure where we cut off, but getting back to these boxes of stripped lower receivers, I had 24 in each box, and these agents, or investigators, as they call them, I think, they were counting them. There were some of the boxes of 24 each, they opened and counted 3. There was another box of 24 they opened and counted 8 of those. There's another box they opened and counted 12 of the 24. At the same time, you're telling me that there's a possibility that I'm going to lose my license and maybe be charged criminally for losing these serial numbers. Looking back, is it just that these people were so inept, that these federal employees couldn't count? Are they that badly screwed up? Or is it a case that somebody came out here and gave them orders and specifically told them to lose some serial numbers so that I could be discredited? So if something happened further down the road, they'd say, "Look, this guy's records were so screwed up, we had to take his license from him." Paul: A reasonable person might come to that very same conclusion. Mike: Yeah. If you read my book, and I'm sure you did, I tried to lay it all out there, let the reader decide for himself. Is it biased? Of course it's biased, because I wrote it. If one of these ATF agents here in Tucson had written a book, it'd look very different. But there's nothing in that book that's not the truth. There's nothing in that book that I haven't already documented. There's nothing in that book that's not a recording of some type that I can't prove. Paul: Yeah. Mike: That's why ATF's been so quiet about this. What can they say? They have no comeback. Even the Inspector General report that came out last fall, there were periods of time directors for ATF didn't cover. In the Inspector General's report it says, during these missing periods, we've used a confidential informant's personal journal to fill in those spots. You have to look at it two different ways. Are these people so inept that they weren't keeping their own sets of records, or is there something more insidious going on, that they actually went back and destroyed records? Either way, it doesn't look good for them, but hey, here's my journal. Show me what you've got. They're not willing to do that, because it's not going to come out well for them. Paul: Certainly, that was reflected in the response from Eric Holder and others to these Congressional inquiries and to Rep Darrell Issa and his continual requests for information. President Obama invoked the Executive Privilege on this not to talk. Mike: Exactly. Paul: That speaks for itself, I think. Mike: Just to be clear, these two different operations, Operation Wide Receiver did occur under President Bush, and Fast and Furious, of course, was under the Obama Administration. Paul: Yeah. Mike: However, and I point this out in my book, both those operations shared the same Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office, and people often ask me this, "Who do you think that approved this gun-walking operation?" I tell them. I said, "Look. This was initiated at the field level. Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell, he didn't look up any further in his chain of command to ask for approval. He wasn't going to supervisors saying, "Hey, this is what I want to do. Can I do it?" No, he's saying, "This is what I'm doing." Even though there are e-mails back and forth between people in the Department of Justice that are just aghast at the number of guns that are crossing the border, now I'm speaking about Operation Wide Receiver, nobody took the next step and admonished Bill Newell. Nobody took the next step and said, "Are you an idiot? You can't do this. Stop doing this." No, they, would sit and wring their hands between themselves, but they didn't do a thing about it. Paul: Yeah. Ultimately, it cost the ATF. The head of the agency resigned over this pretty much. Anyway, interestingly enough, you have two folks listed on the back jacket of the book. One, Sharyl Attkisson, who's a Washington D.C. investigative reporter who was one of the people who broke this story, actually, and you have David Codrea who's a gun writer and a speaker and a pretty intelligent guy. Did you work with those folks with the book? It seemed like you had some pretty good resources there, at least, to tap into. Mike: Two different things. David Codrea writes for Examiner.com, which is people who are concerned about our right and seeing our rights being diminished, and is very vocal about it. Sharyl Attkisson with CBS News. Our introduction was via e-mail. She had kind of been surfing CleanUpATF.org. Before we went on air, we spoke briefly about Jay Dobyns and his book "No Angel." He was an undercover ATF Tucson agent who was actually the first federal agent to get patched in as a member of the Hell's Angels biker group. Paul: Mm-hmm. Mike: Can you hold on? I'm sorry, Paul. Just one second. Paul: Yeah, no problem. Mike: Jay and some other agents, who had felt like they had not been dealt fairly with by ATF and were sick of the management and mismanagement at all levels of administration with ATF, have a website called CleanUpATF.org. Sharyl had posted something on one of their forums about, "Hey, if you know anything about Fast and Furious, I'd appreciate your information." Actually had her personal e-mail address. I sent her an e-mail. I said, "I don't know anything about that specific case, but I'd be happy to talk to you about Wide Receiver." This all happened probably February, following the shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Paul: That's when this story really, really heated up. Mike: Yeah. There wasn't a story until that happened. Nobody knew about this. Paul: Yeah. Mike: I was still kind of sitting around, waiting to see if they were ever going to do anything with Wide Receiver, because at that point, that hadn't been prosecuted yet. When the highest officials at DOJ and ATF came out and said, "Listen, we never allowed guns to cross the border for part of any investigation. Never happened, didn't happen, it's not going to happen. Forget about it." I knew already there was a cover-up in progress, because I'd been part of one that was allowing that to happen. Paul: Wow. Mike: I wasn't sure who to go to. I wasn't sure who to talk to, because my big fear was that somebody would come down on me for obstructing justice or something. I was just really afraid to talk. In the months to follow, I had sent Sharyl bits and pieces of information, and finally, I think it was the following September, I actually did an on-air interview with her. A very skilled lady, very competent. Her integrity is without any flexibility. I can't say enough nice things about her. She is what all journalists should be. She spent a great deal of time vetting me out and looking at the information that I had before we even talked about doing an interview, because the last thing she wanted to do was put somebody on camera that's going to make her look bad somewhere down the road. Paul: Yeah. Mike: David Codrea, very much the same thing. I started feeding him bits of information. He did his own job of vetting me too, and for quite a while named me as an unnamed source in his articles. After he discovered, yeah, what this guy is saying is true, it checks out with other people I know that have worked out of that office, and so forth. Both of these people have known me for a couple of years know. They've known me to be a person that's told the truth from the very beginning to the very end. Unfortunately, that hasn't been true for ATF and DOJ. Paul: Let's get into that briefly. First of all, why do you think they weren't able to really pursue more serious charges against these purchasers considering all the detailed evidence that you provided them? Mike: The first Assistant U.S. Attorney on my case, I met him actually a couple of years after Operation Wide Receiver concluded. Actually, him and his son bought a gun from me at a gun show, and he was looking at my business card and he's like, "Gosh, your name sounds familiar. Why do I know that name?" Of course, I knew his name right away, because I'd seen it on reports and so forth. I said, "You might know that from Operation Wide Receiver." He's like, "Oh, geez, yeah! Yeah. All the reports that I read, finally to meet you here in person and put a face with that name." We chatted for quite a while. I asked him, "Tell me why you never prosecuted Wide Receiver? Because the ATF agents had told me that he was in the process of promoting himself for U.S. Magistrate, and that was the reason he'd never actually taken this case to court." He said, "Well, it's nothing like that. I'm not going to take a case to court where I have to lie. I'm not going to have my professional credibility and integrity questioned because the ATF screwed up so badly." He went on to tell me, "When I got involved with this case, I was lead to believe that there was ongoing cooperation with the Mexican authorities. That's the only reason that I signed off to allow these guns to continue to go across the border. Once I found out that wasn't the case, I wasn't going to devote another heartbeat to developing this case to take it to trial." He declined prosecution on this case, even though he was involved from the outset. Paul: It was just going to fall apart on him. Mike: Right. He eventually did get his U.S. Magistrate appointment. The next young lady, Assistant U.S. Attorney, to look at the case, she declined for the same reason. She's like, "Do you realize what a black eye this is going to give us if we take this to court and acknowledge how many guns we let go across the border without there being Mexican involvement? Not to mention the lying on the part of ATF." So she declined it. Paul: Yeah. Mike: A year and a half later, they send out a prosecutor named [Lauren Wind] and she was with the Gang Task Force Unit in Washington, D.C., specialized in doing MS13 cases. She decided to take on this case. If you read the Inspector General's report about Fast and Furious, probably the first 70 or so pages is about Wide Receiver to kind of set up a history of what's going on here and why that was important to subsequent Fast and Furious. There's quite a bit of e-mail back and forth with her and people in Washington about, there were significant numbers of guns let go, there was no Mexican authority involvement. What are we going to do? This was happening about that time everything with Brian Terry's death was coming out in news, around March and April, subsequent to his passing. They wanted to keep that whole topic of gun-walking out of court. They didn't want to have another black eye. The other thing was, they didn't want any of these cases to go to trial. They said, "Look here's what we're going to do. We're going to narrow the scope, and we're going to charge you with lying on your background check, three years maximum." Nine out of the ten players involved in Wide Receiver took that deal. The one guy that pushed for his own trial had all charges dismissed, I think at 10 a.m. when the trial was supposed to start at 11 a.m. Paul: We ran out of time with Mike, but we just want to thank him for joining us, and we want to encourage our listeners to check out his book, "Guns Across the Border." Thanks again for listening to another episode of the POLICE Magazine author's podcast featuring books by and for cops. We encourage you, again to e- mail us with your feedback at editor@policemag.com. Otherwise, we'll see you next month for another edition of the POLICE author's podcast.

  TONIGHT 06/28 09:00PM CDT - "OBAMACARE" – Today marks occasion   The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the individual insurance requirement at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The decision means the historic overhaul will continue to go into effect over the next several years, affecting the way that countless Americans receive and pay for their personal medical care. The ruling also handed Obama a campaign-season victory in rejecting arguments that Congress went too far in requiring most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. On a Positive Note:  The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal and civil contempt of Congress over the failed federal gunrunning Operation “Fast and Furious,” largely voting along party lines though several Democrats joined Republicans on each measure. A sitting attorney general never has been held in contempt by Congress.

Today's Show: Operation Fast & Furious; a Modern Day Iran Contra & Clark County Redistricting  Gun-Running Timeline: How DOJ's ‘Operation Fast and Furious' Unfolded Thursday, July 07, 2011 By Fred Lucas   (CNSNews.com)- Operation Fast and Furious was a program carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a division of the U.S. Justice Department. In this operation, which began in the fall of 2009 and continued into early 2011, the federal government purposefully allowed known or suspected gun smugglers to purchase guns at federally licensed firearms dealers in Arizona. Click here for more of the story   Clark County Commission Redistricting Changing the Historic West Side  Is this one of the first indications of the rise of the Hispanic/Latino Community flexing their new muscle as the up and coming power in Clark County Nevada and what does it mean for African Americans. Watch the Video by clicking here   *The above overview represents categories most commonly represented in Our Own Voices Live. Actual content categories may vary from show to show.