ATF denies it promoted Fast and Furious supervisors
by Hugh Holub on Aug. 18, 2011, under atf, politicsThe Los Angeles Times reports August 17m 2011 that it did not “promote” the three agents involved with the “Fast and Furious” fiasco that led to over 1,400 guns “walking” into the hands of border bandits and the Mexican drug cartels.
ATF denies it promoted Fast and Furious supervisors
Reporting from Washington— The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Wednesday that three supervisors in its controversial Fast and Furious gun-trafficking investigation were transferred to lateral jobs, not promoted.
Here is the ATF Press Release rebutting the LA times claim the three supervisors were “promoted”:
ATF Responds to Inaccurate News Reports Regarding “Fast and Furious” Personnel
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2011 — The following statement is from Scot Thomasson, chief, Public Affairs Division, Office of Public and Governmental Affairs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF):
“Recent media reports have inaccurately characterized personnel changes involving ATF agents associated with the Fast and Furious operation as promotions. Special Agents Voth, Newell and McMahon were laterally transferred from operational positions and moved into administrative roles, they were not promoted. They did not receive salary or grade increases nor did they assume positions with greater responsibility.
On May 13, 2011, Deputy Assistant Director McMahon, Field Operations was reassigned to a position within the Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations back filling a position that had been vacant for over a year. His transfer was one of six other transfers announced on that day involving various other positions.
On August 1, 2011, Special Agent Newell, who had been selected as Country Attache Mexico City, was reassigned to the Office of Management to assist with the OIG investigation and Congressional inquiry.
Furthermore, Special Agent Voth was reassigned to a headquarters position, a lateral move into a program area.
These transfers/reassignments have never been described as promotions in any of the documents announcing them.”
COMMENTARY: Just about everyone who works for the federal government sees being transferred to a Washington DC headquarters job as a “promotion” even if there is no pay increase.
Conversely, being transferred from headquarters to remote locations like Las Cruces, New Mexico or Wyoming is generally viewed as a demotion.
One theory is that the ATF supervisors were moved to headquarters so they could be more closely monitored to make sure they were not talking out of school to Congressional investigators or the media.
