House panel hammers ATF, DEA about ‘horror show’ informant programs (VIDEO)

By Christen Smith

A congressional panel hammered federal authorities Tuesday over audit reports of gross mismanagement of confidential informants, calling it a “horror show” of theft and abuse.
“I’m not surprised we see these horror shows,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-MA, during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “I’m not surprised we see the abuse, the theft. I’m not surprised because it’s all secret. There’s no fresh air. There’s no sunlight.”
Lynch’s comments referenced widespread mismanagement of confidential informants uncovered by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General in two separate audits of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a prepared statement Tuesday both agencies failed to follow the Attorney General’s guidelines for informant programs drafted in the wake of the Fast and Furious report.
Both agencies received scrutiny for their records-keeping — or in the DEA’s case, lack thereof — in regards to the more than 18,000 informants working for the government between 2010 and 2015. Horowitz released an addendum to the 2016 review of the DEA for public viewing this week, which stated the agency kept virtually no records on its informants’ activities and payments — half

Source: Guns.com