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GOP lawmakers want an explanation for ominous message sent by head of ATF to employees
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But first -- the ATF scanned -- just gotten bigger part eighteen of whistle blowers now being threatened.
Watch this video message to ATF workers is from their boss the ATF acting director.
What's the message behind -- -- -- Then it.
Original star.
Now lawmakers are crying the video message ominous and scary.
Is it really meant to chill whistle blowers house oversight shared their ice and senator Chuck Grassley firing an awful letter to ATF acting director Todd Jones to find out.
-- -- -- joins us.
So I'm briefing this video.
-- I don't think your viewers can reach any other conclusion except this is a thinly veiled threat telling people don't go to the press.
Don't go to congress even if it.
The chain of command isn't working which is really what happened in fast and furious.
It wasn't that ATF people weren't screaming bloody murder if they weren't being listened to by justice or by some of their leaders.
I -- your whistle blowers ATF.
Yes.
So I Agassi -- conclusion that this is that this video was -- had this statement to the other whistleblowers within ATF.
When law enforcement closes ranks even when things are wrong.
That is exactly what the American people are concerned about and especially when you have -- you US attorney.
Who helps cover it up and then an attorney general who ultimately won't turn over the facts related to it.
Of course you worried about it if not for the whistle blowers senator Grassley.
And our investigation.
Would have never gotten started.
Whistle blowers were critical.
To us understanding and ultimately knowing what to ask for and in most cases the most meaningful information we never got from justice we got -- for whistle blowers.
-- the ATF has denied that this video was an effort to to tell whistle -- and better shut up the ATF spokeswoman says that the -- video clip has taken out of context she said the message was one of eight internal videos released since March.
That address topics range from trust commission to morale.
That this one dealt with the choices and consequences.
But it was not meant to discourage legally protected activities.
It was directed employees who violate the rules in that was not directed -- those who was protected disclosure.
You know when I was a young man if I have my hand was in the cookie jar on my mom wanted to know -- I was taking a cookie I didn't say what cookie jar.
You can look at this in context and it's very clear use your chain of command or else no question at all about it it speaks for itself.
According get this video.
Well I think one of the things that we're proud of is that people who see wrongdoing.
Take advantage of federally protected.
Rights to come to congress sometimes -- go to the press.
We're not always happy when they go to the press but candidly they've got to go somewhere when their chain of command is failing if that video hadn't come to our attention.
We again would have had a closing of the ranks.
Intimidation.
-- would lead to whistle blower is not doing the right thing and let's remember some of our whistle blowers are.
Discrete people don't know who they are some became known the ones became known have been the subject of intimidation and bad treatment.
No questions about it.
Is it -- -- that whistle blower about me in your view and got this tape in the public domain.
I don't daily -- distributed by the acting director to everybody -- let's understand.
You can give this kind of information to congress.
The statutes are very specific.
You know we're not sending this -- times and in this whole tape that I mean that the amending it did the acting director -- mister tech beat Todd Jones didn't say here's a videotape.
Why you see what I'm sending out the ATF not that he would -- be applied -- and you didn't get from them.
We did not get it from them.
And in fact -- continue to still be stonewalled post contempt and any cooperation even get an answer from the US attorney.
Here in the District of Columbia as to whether or not he will proceed according to the statute on the contempt there was already voted by a bipartisan group of congressman.
Did you get the in this show information about fast and furious and the border agent who was murdered -- guns are part of -- -- did you get that whistle blower.
Senator Grassley got the first whistle -- and -- there and work with senator Grassley another whistle players now in this letter that you and senator Grassley have signed stated death July -- to the acting director of the man we saw on the video you -- asked him to respond to the letter by July 25 what do you want from.
-- we'd like to see.
An answer of what he says -- in context we'd like to look at all the video you -- all this particular video so that to me now we only have that clip.
We have we have the full video we do not have and there's -- and we did not take it out of context.
More importantly would like to see all the videos would like to see the training material because it does look to us.
As a thinly veiled threat and I and I can restore the conclusion about the way the people that that helped get it to us could reach no other conclusion.
-- -- loved to have mr.
B tad Jones command and tell us so what he meant and we've put send -- an invitation they might as welcome if you watch his brother his eyes and open invitation.
And an SEC said.
Thank you had a.
