Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, which Lamar Smith chairs, on December 8, 2011, to answer questions about testimony Holder gave the panel in May, and to field a full crop of new questions that have arisen since then about how he and the Department of Justice are operating.
One topic of continued focus is the DOJ's "Operation Fast and Furious," which intentionally allowed straw buyers for criminal organizations to purchase hundreds of guns so that the ATF could track them across the U.S.-Mexico border. But Fast and Furious had a fatal flaw. Once purchased, there was no attempt to follow the firearms. Instead, the guns were allowed to cross over into Mexico without any coordination with Mexican authorities or any attempt to track the firearms.
Tragically, two of the guns were found at the scene of the shooting death of Customs and Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. And by the Department’s own admission, hundreds of guns remain unaccounted for.
It’s been a year since the death of Agent Terry. Yet, many questions remain as to how such a reckless and dangerous law enforcement program was allowed to operate under the Justice Department.
Unfortunately, little new information was brought to light during Holder's second appearance.
"I am disappointed in the Department’s repeated refusal to cooperate with this Committee’s oversight requests," Smith said. "This lack of cooperation is evident in the Department’s handling of inquiries related to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) Operation Fast and Furious, and the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010. And inconsistent statements from Department officials about who knew what and when have only raised more concerns."
Smith made clear his intent to continue investigating the circumstances behind this and other DOJ initiatives until all the facts are brought to light.
