Criminal!

If this isn't a crime, it should be:

In the email sent Monday by Charles Brown, an official with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Brown asked “if there was any latitude” in how to spread the sequester cuts across the region to lessen the impacts on fish inspections.

He said he was discouraged by officials in Washington, who gave him this reply: “We have gone on record with a notification to Congress and whoever else that ‘APHIS would eliminate assistance to producers in 24 states in managing wildlife damage to the aquaculture industry, unless they provide funding to cover the costs.’ So it is our opinion that however you manage that reduction, you need to make sure you are not contradicting what we said the impact would be.”

Translation: A government official asks if he can spread the sequestration effects around so as to minimize the impact.  Answer: not if doing so prevents the sequestration impacts we've been warning about.

The Obama administration wants the sequestration to be as painful as possible, and as visible as possible, to further their political aims.  The best interests of American citizens are not part of their calculus...

Rope.
Tree.
Obama official.
Some assembly required.