and wasn't that a bit of grandstanding?, Codrea has some questions. Including
We can ask if grandstanding and getting headlines plays into any of that.
We can ask where ATF is on this, and if their absence is indicative of continued noncooperation and friction between their agency and the FBI.
We can ask how this is likely to boost the career of the guy ramrodding the operation, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, an Obama pick who gained notice on the national stage helping represent Bill Clinton during his impeachment.
Go read.
7 comments:
Well, the Occam's Razor explanation would be this:
"Suppose you needed to arrest 22 executives from various companies associated with the firearm industry. Where could you pick them all up at once?"
Without question: the 'Well, they just happened to be all in one place so we decided to arrest them there' explanation, however, resembles bad cheese in a Shakespeare play.
No, they knew they'd all be there.
Look, there are two firearms trade shows, and the NRA convention doesn't necessarily get all the LE/Mil sales guys, unlike SHOT.
From what I've heard the actual arrests were pretty low-key; believe me, if they'd wanted to make a production number out of it, they could have.
Agreed. Doesn't change the fact that instead of simply having agents arrest these people at their offices or whatever, they waited for the SHOT show; if that wasn't pushing a message and- to an extent at least- inviting special media attention...
As you might be able to tell, my level of trust in these organizations isn't real high anymore.
I'm not necessarily a fan of the whole thing, but realistically, I'd have done it the same way.
Look at it like this: One way you have to have dozens of agents, all over the country, coordinating their arrests on the same day so as to stay ahead of the rumor mill. The other way, you get all your arrestees in one place so you can do it quickly, quietly, and with less manpower and less chance of somebody getting wind of things and bolting. Just like when they mail a bunch of people with outstanding warrants announcements that they've won free TVs or sports tickets and they need to come to some hotel conference room to pick them up.
Also, a lot of the 'net chatter about this seems to omit the fact that this sting started two years ago, long before Obama and Holder.
Partly I tend to look for ways to criticize the weenies when something like this comes up; it's hit the point that, in any case of this sort, I just don't trust them to have done something for the proper reasons. Especially when someone like Breuer is involved.
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