© CBS 5WASHINGTON (CBS5) -
Two lawmakers say the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives approved allowing an ATF senior official involved in the controversial gun operation Fast & Furious to remain on paid leave while working for the J.P. Morgan investment bank in order to reach retirement eligibility, the Washington Post reports.
A letter provided to the Washington Post on Tuesday and addressed to the acting ATF director quotes California Rep. Darrell Issa and Iowa Sen. Charles E. Grassley as saying that Deputy Assistant ATF Director William McMahon has been receiving two salaries simultaneously.
The lawmakers said the ATF apparently approved McMahon to remain on paid leave for four or five months while working for the investment bank in order to reach retirement eligibility, according to the newspaper.
"ATF has essentially facilitated McMahon's early retirement and ability to double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two fulltime paychecks - one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector," Issa and Grassley wrote.
According to Issa and Grassley, McMahon is getting a six-figure salary as an official in the ATF Office of Professional Responsibility while serving as executive director of global security and investigations for J.P. Morgan in the Philippines, the newspaper reported.
A congressional report recently spotlighted McMahon as one of five ATF officials involved in the botched gun operation. McMahon allegedly was aware that no safeguards were in place to prevent a large number of guns from getting into Mexico, but he made no effort to stop them, the report stated.
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
