Fast and Furious: Enter the IRS and White House

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his House Oversight committee did not waste any time getting down to business when their “Gun Walker” hearings resumed yesterday.  Within a matter of hours, they had Special Agent in Charge William Newell, of the Phoenix ATF office, sizzling nicely on the Oversight hibachi, and this astonishing exchange occurred:

So now we’ve got the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and ICE connected with Operation Fast and Furious.  We already know the FBI was involved, because some of their paid confidential informants starred in ATF’s favorite closed-circuit TV shows.  Who’s left to implicate?

Ah, yes: the White House.  Newell also testified that he discussed Operation Fast & Furious with his old friend, White House National Security Director for North America Kevin O’Reilly.  According to CBS News, Issa’s committee got its hands on an email that began with the ominous words, “you didn’t get this from me.”