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Officials furious at 'Fast and Furious' figure's alleged 'double dipping'
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
August 26th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
August 26th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
While the official report on the botched gun-running operation that
became known as "Fast and Furious" - a ploy intended to apprehend
Mexican drug cartel figures that disastrously wound up kill U.S. agents -
a new injustice in the case has come to light. Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms official Bill McMahon is apparently on paid
administrative leave while simultaneously drawing a six-figure salary
from JP Morgan.
"Under any reading of the relevant personnel regulations, it appears that ATF management was under no obligation to approve this sort of arrangement," Issa and Grassley write. "Given McMahon's outsized role in the Fast and Furious scandal, the decision to approve an extended annual leave arrangement in order to attain pension eligibility and facilitate full-time, outside employment while still collecting a full-time salary at ATF raises a host of questions about both the propriety of the arrangement and the judgment of ATF management."
According to Issa and Grassley, the bureau has made it possible for McMahon to "double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two full-time paychecks -- one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector."
Both claim that the treatment of McMahon is "in sharp contrast" to how the ATF has treated those who spoke out, such as Special Agent John Dodson, "who is told he must wait until the Inspector General's report is complete before the agency will even consider his simple request for a statement retracting the false statements made about him by agency leadership."
The ATF also approved the arrangement for McMahon before the Justice Department inspector general finished his report on the failed gun tracking scheme.
Issa says that the formal investigation and report is complete, and that the fact will clearly speak for themselves.
"We know that the IG report is finished, we know that it's at Justice, and we know that we can't see it. We're hoping, though, that they will release it," Issa told Fox News.
Issa said he's "positive" that the report "is going to say the same thing our report has said, which is -- this is somebody (Bill McMahon) who is responsible for and signed documents that he told our committee he didn't see, didn't know about. Now, the only question is -- did he not read them and sign them?"
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