Fast and Furious Timeline and News Links - Jan. - Mar. 2011

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January 2011

January 22, 2011: World Net Daily becomes the first news outlet outside the “gun rights” media to report the story.

Late January 2011: ATF supervisors begin threatening whistle-blowers in an effort to stop the story.

January 30, 2011: Mexican press begins reporting on the scandal. Over the next two months it becomes and remains front page news throughout the country.. Mexican lawmakers are furious and demand that the US Agents be extradited for trial in Mexico. The US Ambassador is forced to resign. In late March the Mexican Attorney General states that an investigation is under way and that he is willing to bring charges against US Officials.

January 30, 2011: Sen. Charles Grassly offers his protection to whistle-blowers. His staffers begin investigating.

February 2011

February 2, 2011: Fox News Online carries a story on the scandal.

February 2011: ATF officials try to stonewall Sen Grassly – in doesn’t work. He continues to demand answers. Approximately 12 ATF agents come forward to aid his investigation.

February 15, 2011: The Washington Times begins reporting on the story.

February 23, 2011: Sharyl Attkisson of CBS news becomes the first mainstream broadcast news reporter to report the story. She continues to dig and report for the next 6 weeks, joined belatedly by Fox News. Two brave agents go on camera to confirm the story.

March 2011

March 4, 2011: Rush Limbaugh discovers the story and shares it with his 20 million listeners.

March 16, 2011: Rep. Darrel Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, calls on the ATF to answer questions and produce documents about "gunwalking" operations where guns were allegedly allowed into Mexico in order to track drug cartels. Issa already has copies of many documents supplied by BATFE whistleblowers. Congressional hearings are now certain.

March 23, 2011: In an interview with the Mexican TV network Univision, Pres. Obama goes on the record stating that neither he, nor Attorney General Eric Holder had knowledge of guns being smuggled into Mexico with the knowledge and aid of ATF.

March 27, 2011: The highest ranking agent yet goes on camera. The now retired agent was head of ATF operations in Mexico during the entire time the guns were going south. He described how he protested the policy over and over. The response was that this operation had been approved at the highest levels of both ATF and the Justice Department.

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