Obama Administration Must Cooperate with Congress on Fast and Furious

By 

Matthew Clark

|
December 7, 2011

3 min read

Constitution

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The fallout over the “Fast and Furious” gunrunning scandal that has plagued Attorney General Eric Holder has just taken a dramatic shift.

Not only did the Justice Department lose hundreds of guns to Mexican drug cartels in an ill-advised and ultimately disastrous gunrunning operation that led to the death of at least one border patrol agent, but there are new allegations that federal law enforcement officials actually assisted Mexican drug cartels in laundering millions of dollars.

A DOJ records dump this past Friday raises more questions than answers, revealing that Justice Department officials spent more time arguing over how to defend the agency against allegations than getting to the bottom of what really happened.

Here is what we know. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) ran a failed gunrunning sting, “Fast and Furious,” letting hundreds of guns “walk” untraced into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Two of those same guns were recovered from the crime scene of the murder of a U.S. border patrol agent.

The Justice Department initially sent a letter to Senator Grassley claiming that ATF never intentionally allowed the guns to walk, then later retracted that letter as “inaccurate.”

What we don’t know is even more troubling than what we do know. TThe Obama Administration continues to employ obstructionist tactics to prevent the release of critical information that could aid in getting to the bottom of this situation. Justice Department agencies are still refusing to turn over information. It is unclear when and what Attorney General Holder knew about this operation, and it is also unclear if and when President Obama was aware of the disastrous program.

It appears that at best Attorney General Holder still doesn’t know what actually happened under his watch and that at worst the Justice Department is lying about the operation.

What is clear is that Congress, which is tasked with oversight, must get to the bottom of this situation. The American people deserve answers from their government, and those responsible must be held accountable for their actions. Remember no one has yet to be fired over this scandal.

It is ultimately President Obama’s duty to ensure that the White House, Attorney General Holder, and the Justice Department fully cooperate with this investigation.

Attorney General Holder has an opportunity Thursday to set the record strait and work with Congress to get to the bottom of this, as he is set to testify before Congress on Thursday.

The misleading, misinformation, and obstruction must stop. The American people deserve the truth. Sign on to our Petition for the Truth About Operation Fast & Furious. Add your name here.