Too bad to check: Project Gunrunner was funded by … the stimulus

posted at 9:30 pm on July 7, 2011 by Allahpundit
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I really did think it was too bad to check, despite posts about it at PJM, Weasel Zippers, and Free Republic. But I checked. You’ll find complete PDF and text versions of the final stimulus bill right here. Scroll down to page 16 (of 407!) in the PDF version and behold:


For an additional amount for ‘‘State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance’’, $40,000,000, for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10,000,000 shall be transferred to ‘‘Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Salaries and Expenses’’ for the ATF Project Gunrunner.


And to think, you guys say the stimulus didn’t produce anything. It produced guns for Mexican drug cartels, didn’t it? Says Ben Domenech, in a stroke of perfect black humor: “Shovel ready.”

Actually, as Ed reminds me via e-mail, this is old news. The boss emeritus was all over the stimulus angle to Gunrunner back in March. But since only recently has this story really begun to bubble, replete with growing big-media interest, stuff we already knew is becoming stuff we forgot and then remembered and became horrified at all over again. Rather than have me bore you here, then, take five minutes and read Michelle’s post. The One was asked about Operation Fast and Furious at the time — which is under the umbrella of Gunrunner — and insisted that neither he nor Holder authorized it. In that case, I’m really looking forward to finding out which member(s) of Congress decided to earmark $10 million for Gunrunner and what they thought would be done with the money. Someone in the executive branch must have requested the funding for the ATF. Who?

See what happens when Congress doesn’t read the bills?