Two lawmakers have alleged that a top ATF deputy embroiled in the Fast and Furious controversy has been receiving a second salary with an outside job at J.P. Morgan, according to a letter to the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) wrote to acting ATF director B. Todd Jones Tuesday, alleging that Deputy Assistant ATF Director William McMahon remained on paid government leave for a number of months while he continued working for the bank, according to a report in the Washington Post. McMahon oversaw ATF’s field operations in Phoenix during Fast and Furious, the failed gun-tracing operation that has spurred a lengthy and often rancorous congressional investigation. McMahon stayed on paid leave for four to five months while working for the bank so he could reach retirement eligibility, the report states.
“ATF has essentially facilitated McMahon’s early retirement and ability to double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two full-time paychecks — one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector,” the lawmakers wrote, according to the Post.
Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote that McMahon is working as an executive director for J.P. Morgan in the Phillippines while he is simultaneously receiving a six-figure salary from ATF.
McMahon was one of five ATF officials pinpointed as having failed during the operation in a congressional report detailing the lawmakers’ 18-month inquiry.
ATF did not immediately comment to the Post, however a spokesman did confirm that McMahon is still an ATF employee. The bank did not respond to the Post’s request for comment Tuesday night.
