ATF Special Agent’s Whistleblowing Creates a First Amendment Showdown

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

What is earnest is not always true; on the contrary, error is often more earnest than truth.

Benjamin Disraeli

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special Agent John Dodson is bringing together strange bedfellows — liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and conservatives in Congress. The ACLU has thrown its support behind Dodson because his attempts to release a book on the ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious are being quashed by the governmental agency. Conservative legislators who earnestly support whistleblowers have joined the ACLU in supporting Dodson.

The ATF’s transfer of guns to Mexico

Operation Fast and Furious was a 15-month ATF operation to allow illegal gun sales destined for Mexican drug cartels in order to monitor and arrest the buyers and sellers of the guns. It is estimated that 1,400 weapons were lost by the ATF in Mexico as part of the operation. In December 2010, Border patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in the Arizona desert and two weapons that were sold and purchased in Operation Fast and Furious were found near the scene.

Blowing the whistle on illegal gun transfers

Shortly after Terry’s murder, Dodson blew the whistle on Operation Fast and Furious. Dodson’s allegations of ATF supervisors authorizing the flow of semi-automatic weapons to Mexican drug cartels created a scandal in 2011, causing the toppling of the ATF’s top leadership in Washington and Phoenix.

Publishing the truth

After blowing the whistle and testifying before Congress, Dodson wrote “The Unarmed Truth.” It provides Dodson’s inside account how the federal government funneled approximately 2,000 guns to Mexican drug cartels. According to agency rules, Dodson must request permission for outside employment in order to publish and distribute his book. His initial request was rejected because the book would negatively impact morale and ATF’s relationship with other federal law enforcement agencies. Dodson is committed to releasing his book in January 2014 irrespective of the ATF’s position.

For more than 35 years, Dallas whistleblower attorney, Steve Kardell, has been advising tipsters on how to avail themselves of federal and state legal protections. Call for a consultation.

By Admin | Published April 11, 2014 | Posted in Graft and Corruption | Tagged ACLU, ATF, Operation Fast and Furious

Cancel reply

Awards & Honors

Our Office

Dallas Office
4514 Cole Ave
#600
Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: 214-306-8045
Fax: 469-729-9926

Testimonials

"Steve Kardell was terrific in representing me in some very adversarial discussions with Citigroup and also later represented me in my testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission." -Richard Bowen, Citigroup Whistleblower
"Incredible knowledge of employee related concerns and equally brilliant knowledge of health care regulations, standards of practice. I would recommend this firm to anyone." -V.B.
"Reaching out to Steve Kardell was the best decision I made. His ability to provide immediate insight and direction was very powerful, and a huge relief during a very stressful time period. For anyone struggling with a whistleblower situation, I would highly recommend at least speaking with Steve. After a 10 minute call with him, I had a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Even better, he gave me some immediate hope. In the end Steve did a better job than I thought was possible. Steve was able to get in contact with people in my organization, that I didn’t have access to. Because of his years of experience, he already has contacts in many organizations in Dallas. The entire situation was handled peacefully. I was impressed by his ability to “keep the peace”–rather than creating a battle with the organization. The reason I didn’t reach out to a lawyer initially, was because I thought it would mean an immediate end to any hope of a positive relationship with the company. Steve was able to address my concerns, and in the end I was able to continue to work for them." -KS
"Never thought my career would end like it did after 30 years of service. I was part of the first round of the so called reduction of force. I asked myself how can I be part of this with 30 years of seniority. How did they pick these 90 plus employees? Now, the culture of this organization made you question every decision they made. It wasn’t what you knew it’s was a culture of who you know. Nonetheless, I did not accept their severance package. I immediately starting looking for an attorney who would take on my case. After the initial call to Steve I had hope again. He was open and honest about everything and reassured me he would do his best for me, and he did. I had an awesome outcome. Thanks Steve you’re the best." -S.S.