Attorney General Eric Holder angrily defended himself Thursday in a Republican-led congressional hearing at which lawmakers called for his resignation as they pressed him for information about Operation Fast and Furious, a gun-trafficking program tied to the slaying of a U.S. border agent.
“I should be held accountable,” Holder shot back after a particularly bruising round of questions about the operation in which guns bought in the United States were allowed to reach drug cartels in Mexico. But, he added, he also should be given credit for successfully handling delicate national security matters and revitalizing anti-trust investigations and civil rights enforcement.
“Imagine that: Given some credit for the things this Justice Department has done under my leadership,” he said. “One has to balance all of these things.”
Holder was defending himself before the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, whose chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has threatened to charge Holder with contempt of Congress if he does not turn over tens of thousands of documents related to Fast and Furious by Feb. 9.
Operation Fast and Furious permitted more than 2,000 guns to flow into Mexico, one of which was used to kill Brian Terry in December 2010.
Holder contends he didn’t learn of the program until early 2011, but some Republicans believe Holder or other top Justice Department officials actually sanctioned the operation. READ MORE
The mother of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry had harsh words for Attorney General Eric Holder after Thursday’s House oversight committee hearing on Operation Fast and Furious.
“THIS IS FOR YOU SON,” Mrs. Terry posted on Facebook at about 3:30 p.m. “Mr. Holder. How come you can never say my sons name. You never have. All i ever hear you say is ‘i didnt find out or I cant say’ Im actually tired of hearing your double talk in answering questions. What a joke you are. You know my son was a real AMERICAN, a WARRIOR, and a HERO, who was also protecting COWARD POLITICANS like you.”
“Hope you remember that,” Mrs. Terry added in her message to Holder before signing it: “PROUD MOM OF BRIAN A. TERRY.”
Brian Terry was murdered with a weapon his own government allowed to be sold to Mexican drug cartels via Operation Fast and Furious. Like Terry, about 300 Mexican citizens were also murdered with the guns Holder’s Justice Department gave to the drug cartels.
Nobody has been held accountable inside the Justice Department…READ MORE
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