Three Key 'Fast And Furious' Agents Just Got Cushy Washington Promotions

Three supervisors who played key roles in the ATF's plagued gunrunning program "Operation Fast and Furious," have been promoted to the agency's Washington headquarters, the Los Angeles Times reports today. The three supervisors — deputy director William McMahon and Phoenix field supervisors William Newell and David Voth —have come under fire for supporting the program, which allowed nearly 2,000 guns to "walk" across the border into the hands of Mexico's drug cartels.
All three allegedly pushed the program even as ATF field agents warned that the agency was losing track of the guns. A recent Congressional report found that less than half of the guns have been found and more than 120 have been found at bloody crime sites on both sides of the border.
According to the LAT, Newell was recently moved to the ATF's Office of Management, and Voth has been named branch chief for the agency's tobacco division.
McMahon was promoted Sunday to deputy assistant director of the ATF's Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations, which investigates employee misconduct.
The timing of the promotions is surprising, given the ongoing Congressional investigation into who in the Department of Justice (which oversees the ATF) knew about Fast and Furious.
Grace Wyler Aug. 16, 2011, 5:16 PM
Here's everything you need to know about Operation Fast and Furious >
http://www.businessinsider.com/three-key-fast-and-furious-agents-just-got-cushy-washington-promotions-2011-8