Four Federal Agencies Implicated in Gunwalker Scandal

Update:

Some very interesting background on Mr. O'Reilly, plus this:

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform Committee met today to further investigate Operation Fast and Furious and Project Gun Walker.

William Newell, former Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives Phoenix Field Division stated that four federal agencies were "full partners" in an operation that has been described as a "perfect storm of idiocy". The agencies involved were Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, Drug Enforcement Agency as well as ATF.

In another compelling bit of testimony Special Agent Newell admitted that he had been in contact with Kevin O'Reilly who is the Director of North American Affairs of the National Security Council by email regarding Operation Fast and Furious and Project Gunwalker and why he began one email correspondence with the words "You didn't hear this from me."

The obvious question here is why is it important that there was communication between Newell and O'Reilly? Part of this has to do with statements made by President Obama that he and Eric Holder had no knowledge that guns were being walked into Mexico by straw as part of ATF policy and the idea that "[Congressional investigators are] gradually building a case for a much wider, national conspiracy. By the end of this process, they'll be able to prove that orders came for the very top."

Remember that Kevin O'Reilly is Director of North American Affairs of the National Security Council which puts him in a very interesting position:

The National Security Council (NSC) is the President's principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. Since its inception under President Truman, the Council's function has been to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies. The Council also serves as the President's principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies.

The NSC is chaired by the President. Its regular attendees (both statutory and non-statutory) are the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the statutory military advisor to the Council, and the Director of National Intelligence is the intelligence advisor. The Chief of Staff to the President, Counsel to the President, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy are invited to attend any NSC meeting. The Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget are invited to attend meetings pertaining to their responsibilities. The heads of other executive departments and agencies, as well as other senior officials, are invited to attend meetings of the NSC when appropriate.

H/T David Codrea

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