| Republicans Step Up the Pressure On Holder Regarding Fast and Furious |
| May-18-2012 |
| Keywords: holder, republicans, fast and furious |
The showdown between House Republicans and Attorney General Eric Holder are heating up.
House Speaker John Boehner stepping into the fray, along with Rep. Darrell Issa, demanding Holder comply with the GOP's official investigation into Obama administration gunrunning operation Fast & Furious.
In a letter, the men warned that the House is prepared to "act to fulfill our constitutional obligations," which includes making good on a threat to hold Mr. Holder in contempt of Congress should he elect to not comply with the House subpoena.
The letter says Americans have lost confidence in the Attorney General's leadership of the Department of Justice.
The letter stops short of demanding Holder step down from his leadership role at the DOJ, but made the point that the House leadership is growing tired of the games.
"The American people deserve to know how such a fundamentally flawed operation could have continued for so long and have a full accounting of who knew of and approved an operation that placed weapons in the hands of drug cartels."
Fast & Furious is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) operation that put thousands of guns in the hands of Mexican Drug Cartel members. The operation, run out of Arizona, allowed guns to be sold to straw purchasers who then trafficked them across the border.
While denying any knowledge of the operation themselves, both Mr. Holder and President Obama have said the operation, designed to track arms-smuggling networks in Mexico, was a mistake.
Hundreds of guns from the operation are still not accounted for, but at least two guns turned up at the scene of a gun battle between U.S. Border Patrol agents and smugglers in December 2010 that left Agent Brian Terry dead.
"It is our hope that, in finding the truth, we can both provide closure to the Terry family, begin to repair our relationship with Mexico, and take steps to make necessary changes at the department," the leaders said in their letter. |
|
|
Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 8:00 PM Email to a friend |
| < Back to Today's Issues |
|
 |
|
|
|
