Secret ATF Wiretaps Show Holder Department Knew About Gun-Walking Scandal

The new information show how many illegal “straw purchases” had taken place, and what guns had been recovered in Mexico, as well as showing how ATF officials initially watched guns bought by the criminal purchasers, but then ended their surveillance without recovering the high powered automatic weapons that they allowed to walk.

“The application included financial details for four suspected straw purchasers showing they had purchased $373,000 worth of guns in cash but reported almost no income for the previous year”

In the midst of a fiery floor debate over contempt proceedings for Attorney General Eric Holder, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) quietly dropped a bombshell letter into the Congressional Record.

The May 24 letter to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), ranking member on the panel, quotes from and describes in detail a secret wiretap application that has become a point of debate in the