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Grassley, Issa demand answers from ATF on why Fast and Furious official still receives benefits and paid leave
By Ramsey Cox - 08/22/12 02:39 PM ET
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sent a letter Wednesday requesting an explanation from the Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) on why a top ATF official involved in Operation Fast and Furious remains on paid leave while also drawing a six figure salary from a major financial services company.
“ATF has essentially facilitated [William] McMahon’s early retirement and ability to double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two full-time paychecks — one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector,” Grassley and Issa wrote. “Moreover, ATF did not wait for the Office of Inspector General to complete its report on Fast and Furious before approving the arrangement.”
McMahon remains a full-time employee in ATF’s Office of Professional Responsibility and is also serving as Executive Director of Global Security and Investigations Group at J.P. Morgan in the Philippines, the letter stated.
Grassley and Issa said they also found this concerning since McMahon has been scrutinized for his role in the botched Operation Fast and Furious.
“Given McMahon’s outsized role in the Fast and Furious scandal, the decision to approve an extended annual leave arrangement in order to attain pension eligibility and facilitate full-time, outside employment while still collecting a full-time salary at ATF raises a host of questions about both the propriety of the arrangement and the judgment of ATF management,” the letter stated.
Grassley and Issa said ATF wasn’t under any obligation to agree to the deal and therefore have shown a failure to make good decisions. The two lawmakers pointed out that the agency has handled similar situations differently.
“This is in sharp contrast to the posture the agency has taken with whistleblowers like Special Agent John Dodson, who is told he must wait until the Inspector General’s report is complete before the agency will even consider his simple request for a statement retracting the false statements made about him by agency leadership,” Grassley and Issa wrote. “This is not the culture of change that you promised to bring to ATF.”
Issa and Grassley said, “the ATF appears to be rewarding McMahon,” rather than imposing consequences for his perceived failures.
The two lawmakers included a list of 22 questions they want answered about ATF’s decision to allow McMahon to take two salaries. They said they want the requested documents and answers by Sept. 4.
Issa is the Chairman of the House Oversights and Government Reform Committee and Grassley is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Both men have been critical of the Department of Justices’ handling of the investigation in Operation Fast and Furious, which allowed thousands of American guns get into the hands of Mexican drug cartel members.
Grassley initiated the investigation with a letter he sent to ATF in 2011, after the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. He was shot with one of the guns involved in the gunrunning operation.
By Ramsey Cox - 08/22/12 02:39 PM ET
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sent a letter Wednesday requesting an explanation from the Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) on why a top ATF official involved in Operation Fast and Furious remains on paid leave while also drawing a six figure salary from a major financial services company.
“ATF has essentially facilitated [William] McMahon’s early retirement and ability to double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two full-time paychecks — one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector,” Grassley and Issa wrote. “Moreover, ATF did not wait for the Office of Inspector General to complete its report on Fast and Furious before approving the arrangement.”
McMahon remains a full-time employee in ATF’s Office of Professional Responsibility and is also serving as Executive Director of Global Security and Investigations Group at J.P. Morgan in the Philippines, the letter stated.
Grassley and Issa said they also found this concerning since McMahon has been scrutinized for his role in the botched Operation Fast and Furious.
“Given McMahon’s outsized role in the Fast and Furious scandal, the decision to approve an extended annual leave arrangement in order to attain pension eligibility and facilitate full-time, outside employment while still collecting a full-time salary at ATF raises a host of questions about both the propriety of the arrangement and the judgment of ATF management,” the letter stated.
Grassley and Issa said ATF wasn’t under any obligation to agree to the deal and therefore have shown a failure to make good decisions. The two lawmakers pointed out that the agency has handled similar situations differently.
“This is in sharp contrast to the posture the agency has taken with whistleblowers like Special Agent John Dodson, who is told he must wait until the Inspector General’s report is complete before the agency will even consider his simple request for a statement retracting the false statements made about him by agency leadership,” Grassley and Issa wrote. “This is not the culture of change that you promised to bring to ATF.”
Issa and Grassley said, “the ATF appears to be rewarding McMahon,” rather than imposing consequences for his perceived failures.
The two lawmakers included a list of 22 questions they want answered about ATF’s decision to allow McMahon to take two salaries. They said they want the requested documents and answers by Sept. 4.
Issa is the Chairman of the House Oversights and Government Reform Committee and Grassley is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Both men have been critical of the Department of Justices’ handling of the investigation in Operation Fast and Furious, which allowed thousands of American guns get into the hands of Mexican drug cartel members.
Grassley initiated the investigation with a letter he sent to ATF in 2011, after the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. He was shot with one of the guns involved in the gunrunning operation.