“My hopes are that the trial judge will deny the United States motion to hide the known connection between ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious and Brian’s murder,” whistleblower and retired ATF agent Jay Dobyns told The Truth About Guns following a News 4 Tucson report that federal prosecutors are trying to keep details about Operation Fast and Furious “gunwalking” out of the murder trial of two men accused of killing Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry . . .
Dobyns is the whistle-blowing agent who gained notice after infiltrating the Hells Angels and writing about his experiences in the New York Times bestseller, “No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner-Circle of the Hells Angels.” That resulted in death threats against Dobyns and his family, and his home being destroyed in an arson fire after ATF withdrew his cover identity and reneged on protection agreements.
He has since been the subject of reports focused on retaliation against him for coming forward with information exposing official wrongdoing, and his lawsuit, wherein the judge concluded government prosecutors had committed “fraud upon the court” for witness intimidation and withholding information. He was also instrumental in providing background information on management personalities and practices involved in the Operation Fast and Furious “gunwalking” scandal.
“The argument that the rip crew would have obtained guns somewhere and would have ambushed Brian and his BORTAC team anyway had ATF not been involved is likely true,” Dobyns told TTAG. “But, the dirty little can-of-worms secret that DOJ and ATF wants buried and forgotten is that ATF was involved and did ease and assist the arming of narco-traffickers with ‘assault weapons.’ Thousands of them. The very federal agency tasked to prevent drug traffickers from obtaining firearms instead helped them.
“DOJ and ATF want the American public, and now the judge, to pretend our government’s direct involvement in the death of an American hero is irrelevant,” he explained. “How convenient.
“If I had my way, the ATF agents and managers who helped arm the rip crew defendants that killed Brian and the DOJ executives who turned a blind eye to the gunrunning would be on trial right alongside Ivan Soto Barraza and Jesus Lionel Sanchez Mesa,” Dobyns concluded. “They may be less guilty than the drug runners, but not a lot less. They just happen to work for the DOJ and when you have that going for you crimes are given a free pass.”
UPDATE: TTAG just received the following comment from Vince Cefalu, who as a special agent and whistleblower was himself subject to prolonged retaliation and an illegal termination attempt:
There is only one reason the US Gov. would care about the facts surrounding the guns. It could revive public and Congressional interest. It could also expose Holder and DOJ and a whole slew of senior ATF managers for their part in the cover-up. It could also expose many of them to subpoenas, thereby exposing the level of corruption then and now.
UPDATE From News 4 Tucson: Border Patrol Union calls for gunwalking scandal details to be included in slain agent’s murder trial