House Leadership Demands Cooperation from Holder on “Fast and Furious”

On May 18, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), joined House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder demanding full cooperation with the ongoing Congressional investigation into the infamous “Fast and Furious” operation, and the tragic death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
According to a press release by Rep. Boehner, the letter asserts that the Department of Justice has not sufficiently complied with a Congressional subpoena seeking answers on the operation, and questions whether false information that was provided– and later withdrawn–“was part of a broader effort by your Department to obstruct a Congressional investigation.”
The letter states that, “two key questions remain unanswered:  first, who on your leadership team was informed of the reckless tactics used in Fast & Furious prior to Agent Terry’s murder; and, second, did your leadership team mislead or misinform Congress in response to a Congressional subpoena?”
Rep. Issa has been investigating “Fast and Furious” since early in 2011, but after 15 months the DOJ is still refusing to cooperate or reveal the truth about who in the agency knew about and approved the controversial gun-walking operation.
“The Terry family deserves to know the truth about the circumstances that led to Agent Terry’s murder,” the letter states.  “And, 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.”
Holder continues to deny any knowledge of the tactics involved in the operation, which was run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives out of its field office in Phoenix, Ariz.
Earlier this month–in response to Holder’s stonewalling–Rep. Issa sent out a draft Contempt Order that would find Holder in contempt of Congress if he refuses to respond to an October 2011 subpoena for internal DOJ documents.  The letter makes clear that House Republican leaders are united in their desire for a full and unobstructed investigation.
“As co-equal branches of the U.S. Government, the relationship between the Legislative and Executive branches must be predicated on honest communications and cannot be clouded by allegations of obstruction.  If necessary, the House will act to fulfill our Constitutional obligations in the coming weeks.”
The lawmakers closed the letter by saying, “It is our hope that, with your cooperation, this sad chapter in the history of American law enforcement can be put behind us.”
We couldn’t agree more.
To read the full text of the letter, please click here.