Jerry Seper

Former ATF head’s testimony sought in ‘Fast and Furious’ probe

The ranking Democrat on a House committee investigating the failed "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation wants the former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives called as a witness to better explain how the investigation originated and who authorized it. Published October 28, 2011

Union bemoans ‘tradition of bias’ in prosecution of Border Patrol agent

The vice president of the union that represents all 17,000 nonsupervisory U.S. Border Patrol agents said Thursday that federal prosecutors spent "thousands of man-hours and millions of tax dollars" to win a two-year prison sentence for an agent accused of using excessive force on a drug-smuggling suspect. Published October 27, 2011

GOP wants answers on killing, sentence of agents

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was pressed Wednesday by Republican lawmakers for more information on the February killing of a U.S. agent in Mexico and the prison sentence given last week to another U.S. agent for using unreasonable force in the detention of a suspected drug smuggler. Published October 26, 2011

U.S. border agent jailed for improper arrest of suspected drug smuggler

A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to two years in prison for improperly lifting the arms of a suspected 15-year-old drug smuggler while handcuffed — in what the Justice Department called a deprivation of the teenager's constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force. Published October 25, 2011

Cornyn urging wider probe of ‘Fast and Furious’

Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Darrell E. Issa on Monday to expand their formal "Fast and Furious" investigation to include accusations that similar gunrunning probes took place in Texas. Published October 24, 2011

GSA ex-manager sentenced in bribery scheme

A General Services Administration (GSA) customer-service manager was sentenced Monday to 30 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme related to payments he received for awarding GSA contracts to various government contractors. Published October 24, 2011

Lawmakers blast Justice Department’s ‘Fast and Furious’ probe

Two senior Republican lawmakers lambasted the Justice Department on Thursday for its "false denials" in the Fast and Furious gunrunning operation, demanding that the FBI turn over documents in its ongoing probe into the shooting death by Mexican bandits of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Published October 20, 2011

ICE removes most illegals in agency history

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed 396,906 illegal immigrants from the United States in fiscal 2011, the largest number in the agency's history. Nearly 55 percent of them were identified as having been convicted of felonies or misdemeanors. Published October 18, 2011

Senate tells Justice: No tax dollars for gunrunning programs

An amendment offered by a Texas Republican to prohibit taxpayer funds from being used by the Justice Department to conduct gunrunning investigations similar to the failed "Fast and Furious" operation passed unanimously Tuesday in the Senate with bipartisan support. Published October 18, 2011

‘Fast and Furious’: How botched operation spawned fatal results

The central characters in the failed "Fast and Furious" firearms investigation were 19 men and one woman, accused of laying down hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit cash at Phoenix-area gun shops to buy an arsenal of high-powered weapons for Mexican drug smugglers. Published October 17, 2011

Holder documents subpoenaed in probe

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued a sweeping subpoena Wednesday. Published October 12, 2011

Holder’s honesty before Congress disputed in earlier high-profile cases

The "Fast and Furious" probe isn't the first time Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s truthfulness has been challenged by members of Congress. Published October 11, 2011

Issa letter questions Holder’s ‘credibility’ to serve

A "lack of trustworthiness" raises doubts about the nation's top prosecutor, Rep. Darrell Issa said. Published October 10, 2011

Holder to get new subpoenas on ‘Fast and Furious’ program

The chairman of a House committee investigating the failed "Fast and Furious" weapons operation in which hundreds of guns were "walked" to gun smugglers in Mexico says the panel will issue new subpoenas this week to ask Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. — again — what he knew about the investigation and when he knew it. Published October 9, 2011

Energy official who oversaw Solyndra grant leaving federal position

A top Energy Department official who headed the office that awarded solar panel maker Solyndra LLC $535 million in loan guarantees is leaving the agency for a position at a Washington think tank, company officials confirmed Thursday. Published October 6, 2011

Acting ATF chief ‘refocusing’ on ‘core mission’ of bureau

The new acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, whose former leadership has been criticized or reassigned over the "Fast and Furious" operation, announced key staff changes Wednesday aimed at "refocusing the bureaus direction on its core mission." Published October 5, 2011

Memo: Holder told of ‘Fast and Furious’ as early as July 2010

Eric Holder was told about the weapons investigation as early as July 2010, documents show. Published October 4, 2011

White House staffer was informed about gun probe

Documents detailing discussions between a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent and a White House National Security staffer concerning Operation Fast and Furious have been made public by the Obama administration, but reveal no new information about what top White House officials knew about the controversial investigation. Published October 3, 2011

Audit questions lawyers’ fees in TARP bailout

The Treasury Department paid out more than $25 million under the $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan to law firms that gave vague or no descriptions of their work, charged for undocumented expenses and claimed administrative charges that were not allowed, a watchdog said Thursday. Published September 29, 2011