Project Gunrunner/Fast and Furious update

Entrance question: What's the last thing you would want to do if you are in the midst of a CYA operation regarding an ill-conceived and deadly operation to allow weapons to flow back across the border and into the hands of Mexican drug cartels?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is being accused of retaliating against an agent who helped publicize the agency’s role in allowing thousands of guns to cross the U.S. border and fall into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.

The agent, Vince Cefalu, who has spoken out about the ATF's so-called "Project Gunrunner" scandal, says he was served with termination papers just last week, and he calls the move politically motivated.

“Aside from Jay Dobyns, I don't know of anyone that's been more vocal about ATF mismanagement than me,” said Cefalu, a senior special agent based in Dublin, Calif. “That's why this is happening.” Dobyns, an ATF special agent based in Tucson, has appeared several times on Fox News to discuss the scandal.


Cefalu first told FoxNews.com about the ATF’s embattled anti-gun smuggling operation in December, before the first reports on the story appeared in February. “Simply put, we knowingly let hundreds of guns and dozens of identified bad guys go across the border,” Cefalu said at the time.

Since then, Cefalu’s claims have been vindicated, as a number of agents with first-hand knowledge of the case came forward. The scandal over Project Gunrunner led to congressional hearings, a presidential reprimand – Obama called the operation “a serious mistake” – and speculation that ATF chief Ken Melson will resign.

There was speculation as recently as a week ago that heads were going to roll at ATF. Funny thing is, no one expected that one of those heads was going to be the whistleblower. Melson, however, is still on the job.

The miserable hack that runs the Justice Department appears to be doubling down in the digging in of heels in the aftermath of this wretched operation of which he may or may not have had knowledge. One would certainly think now that he had knowledge of Cefalu's termination.

Exit observation: Do you remember when they told us that if we voted for McCain it would mean a continuation of the politicization of the Justice Department and open season on whistleblowers? Well, they were right.