Dianne Feinstein

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Dianne Feinstein

DOJ's Breuer: I Shouldn't Have Just Trusted ATF To Stop 'Gun Walking' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | November 1, 2011, 11:55AM

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) questioned Justice Department official Lanny Breuer at a hearing on Tuesday about Attorney General Eric Holder's knowledge of ATF's flawed Operation Fast and Furious, the day after Breuer apologized for not connecting the "gun walking" tactics that took place during a Bush-era ATF operation to the more recent anti-gun trafficking operation.

Breuer said during his testimony that he trusted officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to make sure that agents weren't allowing guns to "walk" across the Mexican border, as they learned happened back in 2006 and 2007 during Operation Wide Receiver.

"At the time, I thought that dealing with the leadership of ATF was sufficient and reasonable, and frankly given the amount of work I do, at the time I thought that was the appropriate way of dealing with it," Breuer said. "I thought we had dealt with it by talking to the ATF leadership."

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Topics: ATF, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Chuck Grassley, Dianne Feinstein, Eric Holder, Fast And Furious, Lanny Breuer

Orly Taitz

'Birther' Orly Taitz Mulling Senate Run Because She Speaks Spanish And Hebrew

Ryan J. Reilly | September 19, 2011, 12:32PM

Orly Taitz

So-called "birther queen" Orly Taitz is considering running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's seat in 2012.

"I think I do have a chance specifically because I do speak Spanish and I speak Hebrew," Taitz told the Sacramento Bee following a town hall event on Latino issues at the California Republican Party convention.

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Topics: Barack Obama, Birthers, California, California Republican Party, Dianne Feinstein, Orly Taitz

Chemical Disclosure

Bush Administration, Not Science, Prevented Regulation of Toxin In Drinking Water

Zoe Schlanger | July 13, 2011, 1:15PM

The EPA's controversial 2008 decision not to regulate a drinking water contaminant long connected to impaired brain development and decreased learning capability in infants had more to do with the interests of the Bush administration than with scientific findings regarding its safety, according to a report released Tuesday by a congressional watchdog agency, the LA Times reports.

Perchlorate is a toxin in rocket fuel and fireworks, is present in most states' drinking water, lettuce and milk, and is found in high concentrations near current and former military bases as a byproduct of weapons testing. The E.P.A. currently says it could be contaminating the public wells supplying anywhere from 5 million to 17 million Americans.

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Topics: Chemical Disclosure, Dianne Feinstein, EPA, Environment, George W Bush

Feinstein: Senate Panel Looking Into Allegation That Bush White House Wanted To 'Get' Professor

Eric Lach | June 17, 2011, 3:15PM

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

The Senate Intelligence Committee has begun a preliminary investigation into the allegations that the Bush White House asked intelligence officials to gather damaging information on an outspoke critic, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) told The Lookout.