ATF Director Resigns

[Rumpled]

Hope this isn't a dupe.
Heard it on the radio this afternoon.

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/080406letter_to_ag.htm

Director Truscott Expresses Gratitude for Opportunity to Serve

Letter to Attorney General Cites Important Contributions Made by ATF Employees


WASHINGTON – Carl J. Truscott – the first Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) since its move to the Department of Justice and the sixth in the Bureau’s history – announced today that he has decided to pursue other challenges and opportunities.

In a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Director Truscott thanked the Attorney General for the opportunity to serve the American public and for the Department’s leadership that has embraced ATF in its transition into the Justice family. Truscott also highlighted some of the many significant accomplishments made by the men and women of ATF since the transition to the Justice Department, among them the reduction of violent crime and important contributions to the Department’s highest priority – the prevention of terrorism.

Truscott was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to serve as Director of ATF in April 2004, bringing to the Bureau more than 24 years of Federal and State law enforcement experience.

A copy of Director Truscott’s letter to the Attorney General is attached.

And the attachment
http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/080406letter_to_ag.pdf


Hopefully we'll get someone at least a little better.

 

[Liberal Gun Nut]

I'm available. Mr. Ashcroft, please PM me so we can get started. Thanks.

 

[ilbob]

why is it that even republican presidents have a history of making poor chocies for batf director?

 

[Kharn]

No one else wants the tarnish of that organization on their resume.

Kharn

 

[Brett Bellmore]

Whether they're "poor" choices depends on what the Presidents in question were trying to accomplish. Remember, Bush is on record as being in favor of more gun control. Wanted the "assault weapon" ban made permanent. Minimum age for gun ownership raised. The non-existant "gun show loophole" closed.

Bush wasn't quite as bad as his father in that regard, but the fact remains that he's not our friend, he's just a less than dedicated foe, who had at least some appreciation for what he could and couldn't get away with. Which is, admittedly, better than a foe who doesn't worry about pissing you off.

Problem is, he's not up for reelection anymore. Which means that maybe he doesn't care anymore if he pisses us off. I expect Truscott's replacement to be significantly worse.

 

[JohnBT]

About time. Remember this?

"He has held numerous meetings, some focused on its tiniest details, such as paint colors and soap dishes"
______________

ATF Director Is Linked to Cost Overruns For New Building

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 6, 2006; Page A01

The new headquarters of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the District is at least $19 million over budget at a time when the agency is considering sharp cuts in the number of new cars, bulletproof vests and other basics it provides agents.

The Justice Department inspector general's office recently received a complaint alleging that ATF Director Carl J. Truscott put through or proposed unnecessary plan changes and upgrades to the 438,000-square-foot building in the past two years, according to four sources familiar with the project.


ATF Director Carl Truscott planned to purchase, among other things, nearly $300,000 in extras for the new director's suite, sources said.

Truscott met with Acting Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty last week to address some of the complaints, and quickly canceled some of the upgrades he had planned for the new headquarters, according to two sources familiar with these events. A Senate subcommittee is also looking into the cost increases.

Truscott planned to purchase, among other things, nearly $300,000 in extras for the new director's suite, including a $65,000 conference table and more than $100,000 for hardwood floors, custom trim and other items, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. ATF officials said that none of those upgrades has been approved and that the conference table was initially proposed by the architect and replaced in plans with one that costs half as much.

The Justice Department and the inspector general's office declined to comment. Truscott also declined to comment through the ATF press office.

Sources portray Truscott as preoccupied with the project. He has held numerous meetings, some focused on its tiniest details, such as paint colors and soap dishes, they said. He also has organized regular field trips to the building site with senior executives and photographers and has decorated ATF's current offices with oversize photos of the construction, they said.

The sources also said that some ATF officials object to the approximately $1 million annual cost of an extensive security detail for Truscott, who spent 22 years at the Secret Service before coming to ATF. The expenditures pay for five full-time agents and two armored Chevrolet Suburbans, which have not been made available to previous ATF directors or to the heads of comparable agencies, such as the U.S. Marshals Service, according to sources and government records.

 

[ChuteTheMall]

Except for wasting money, I'd rather keep the ATF director occupied with picking out new soap dishes than with grabbing guns. If we have to have an ATF at all.

 

[Beren]

...$65,000 conference table...

...that the conference table was initially proposed by the architect and replaced in plans with one that costs half as much.

That their conference table only cost $32,500 is supposed to make it somehow acceptable?



That /table/ cost twice as much as my current /CAR/!

 

[ilbob]

Except for wasting money, I'd rather keep the ATF director occupied with picking out new soap dishes than with grabbing guns. If we have to have an ATF at all.

If he is obssesed with the soap dishes, it gives him less time to come up with more money wasting ideas. So maybe it actually saved us money.

It always amazes me at the kind of money wasted on these pampered government executives.

I don't see any reason a few $25 folding tables from Sam's Club wouldn't work for their conference rooms.

 

[Harry Tuttle]

cheap conference furniture needs to get replaced every 2 years

the good stuff lasts at least 100 and can be refinished

 

[mp510]

That /table/ cost twice as much as my current /CAR/!

Or about 30 times the cost of mine.

 

[zastros]

the good stuff lasts at least 100 and can be refinished

Except that they don't. When the new guy comes in, he gets a budget for all new furniture. Which, if he doesn't spend, he loses. Never met anyone who lost that line item yet.
At the college I used to work for, every so often they would move dept. into different buildings. When they moved into the new building they got a budget for new furniture, and the dept. that replaced them would too.(So they wouldn't have to use all that junky old office furniture.) All the "old" stuff would be taken to storage for a certain length of time, then auctioned off. In our building when a dept. was moving they'd pass the word around and everyone would troop up there to see if there was anything we needed. I still have some of that stuff.

That being said, I'd just as soon the new guy concentrated on new drapes, etc. too.

 

[Molon Labe]

Now if we can only get everyone else in the ATF to resign...

 

[hammer4nc]

Chances are the agency will trend toward more JBT-type activity in the short term, to re-establish their reason for being, once again. Aside from the criticism of Truscott on wasteful spending on the new headquarters, IG audits in the last few years have focused on ineffective enforcement of gun laws. In response, I've observed an increased emphasis on the "Project Safe Neighborhoods" program, gun show harassment, and seemingly random, vindictive raids on FFL's, by the ATF lately. Anyone else noticed?

Chasing paper crimes is a big waste of resources (not to mention ineffective use of jail space); and just plain lazy policing, IMO. However, this has become the bread and butter activity for this redundant agency.

It will be interesting to see how politics play into the nomination of a new director. No career minded personality is going to want to lead this lame agency in a lame-duck administration. I predict the promotion of a middle-level no name administrator from within the agency, who's close to retirement anyway, to serve out the term. Either that, or they'll pull some doddering republican senator out of retirement, with the understanding that he doesn't really have to show up for work.

Stay tuned.

( and Wait 'til Pres. Hillary nominates Chuck Schumer as ATF Director)

 

[the naked prophet]

I nominate John Ross.

 

[publius]

Truscott also highlighted some of the many significant accomplishments made by the men and women of ATF since the transition to the Justice Department, among them the reduction of violent crime and important contributions to the Department’s highest priority – the prevention of terrorism.

How did our bungling tax collectors lower the violent crime rate?

Which important contributions to that top Justice Dept priority, preventing terrorism, are we talking about? They must be pretty important if the director needs a $30,000 table just to talk about them.

Kind of a nebulous top priority, don't you think? The terrorists might get around any countermeasure, so more government power, more government secrecy, and less individual liberty will always be the order of the day. If protecting individual rights doesn't compete for the top priority spot at some point, things can only go one direction: the statist direction. Convenient, huh?

 

[ilbob]

Chasing paper crimes is a big waste of resources (not to mention ineffective use of jail space); and just plain lazy policing, IMO. However, this has become the bread and butter activity for this redundant agency.

This situation is not unique to the BATF. Most police agencies of any size are doing the exact same thing. I have come to believe it is primarily for the following reasons:

It is much easier and safer to go after generally law abiding people and non-violent offenders than it is to go after violent criminals.

Since news agencies rarely do any fact checking any more, they can release glowing press reports about how many guns they got off the street this month. Even if none of those guns ever actually were on the street. Or the violations involved were mostly misspelled or abbreviated words on a form.

Or they can brag about the drug dealers they caught. But not bothering to mention that the vast majority of the drug dealers were non-violent offenders selling small amounts of weed.

 

[Liberal Gun Nut]

I was happy when I saw the article about how much money they spent on conference tables, fancy flooring and a bodyguard detail for the director. If they spent 100% of their budget on such things we would all be better off.

A $60k conf. table? Why stop there? Make it a $600k conf table! Buy a dozen of them!

 

[DMF]

How did our bungling tax collectors lower the violent crime rate?

Truscott's remarks were not about tax collectors, bungling or otherwise, they were about a LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, given statutory authority by Congress (18USC3051) to enforce various federal laws which relate to violent crime. If you want to talk about tax collectors maybe you should start a thread about the Internal Revenue Service, or the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Now if you want examples of ATF efforts to go after violent criminals I can give plenty of examples:

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/PressRel06/courtney_etal_aryan_indict_pr.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Public-Affairs/press_releases/press06/Aguilar Pleads Guilty.html

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/field/071206dal_texarkana_man.htm

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Public...es/press06/Koch Sentenced to over 17 yrs.html

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/field/071206dc_defendants.htm

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/field/080106la_five_arrested.htm

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Public-Affairs/press_releases/press06/Thomas & Countess Convicted.html

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/field/071806balt_firebombdef_sentenced.htm

Which important contributions to that top Justice Dept priority, preventing terrorism, are we talking about?

How about the investigation that led to the first successful prosecution under the federal statute prohibiting providing material support to terrorist organizations? In that case Hezbollah, which prior to 9/11/01 was responsible for killing more US citizens than any other terrorist group? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23384-2004Jun7.html

Need more?
http://www.atf.gov/press/fy05press/031605iraq.htm

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/012006doj_elevenindicted.htm

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy04press/field/042304sea_snohomash.htm

http://www.atf.gov/press/fy06press/field/040706sf_ecoterrorists.htm

 

[Lupinus]

did anyone else get the scene from the wizard of oz with the munchins dancing around after the house falls on the witch in their head?

 

[Diomed]

did anyone else get the scene from the wizard of oz with the munchins dancing around after the house falls on the witch in their head?

For about three seconds, until the realization that the replacement will probably be worse set in.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I nominate Ted Nugent.

 

[wingman]

but the fact remains that he's not our friend, he's just a less than dedicated foe, who had at least some appreciation for what he could and couldn't get away with.

Bait and switch, give you some small thing to gain from another sale, works
for stores and our government.

 

[Lupinus]

I nominate Ted Nugent.

I'll second the motion. Who wants to vote?

 

[thumper723]

Ted would rock. Maybe he would be the first government agency head to shut down his own agency.