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But a lack of candor from the Justice Department about Fast and Furious prompted a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee to mention the possibility of impeachment. It is an unfortunate reality that we will continue to feel the effects of this flawed operation for years to come, Holder told the House Judiciary Committee. Guns lost during this operation will continue to show up at crime scenes on both sides of the border.
But he went on to denounce the investigation by members of Congress, which has been led by the House Oversight and Investigations Committee. Thus far, 53 members of Congress have called on Holder to resign. Operation Fast and Furious appears to have been a deeply flawed effort to respond to these challenges, Holder said. As we work to avoid future losses and further mistakes, it is unfortunate that some have used inflammatory and inappropriate rhetoric about one particular tragedy that occurred near the Southwest Border in an effort to score political points.
He later said, Going forward, I hope that we can work together to provide law enforcement agents with the tools they need to protect the country to ensure their own safety. For their sake, we cannot afford to allow the tragic mistakes of Operation Fast and Furious to become a political sideshow or a series of media opportunities. Operation Fast and Furious is a Justice Department program that began in September 2009 in which federal law enforcement knowingly allowed about 2,000 guns to flow to Mexico with the intent of tracing the guns to drug cartels. However, the government lost track of the guns. The operation was halted in December 2010 after two guns from the operation were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
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Holder, in testimony on Capitol Hill that comes as the congressional investigation into the program expands, decried the "gun-walking" tactic used in the operation as "inexcusable" and "wholly unacceptable." But a day after an influential senator called for the resignation of one of Holder's top deputies over the scandal, Holder denied department leaders played any role in the crafting of "Fast and Furious." He continued to assert that top Justice officials were not told about the "inappropriate tactics" until they were made public.
Still, the top law enforcement official in the country conceded that, as a result of "Fast and Furious," guns lost by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives remain in the hands of criminals. "Although the department has taken steps to ensure that such tactics are never used again, it is an unfortunate reality that we will continue to feel the effects of this flawed operation for years to come," he said. "Guns lost during this operation will continue to show up at crime scenes on both sides of the border."
Holder faced the ire of skeptical lawmakers who are demanding accountability. Wisconsin Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner told Holder Thursday that he considers impeachment on the table if Holder doesn't figure out who's responsible. "You know, the thing is, is that if we don't get to the bottom of this -- and that requires your assistance on that -- there is only one alternative that Congress has, and it's called impeachment," he said. "It is an expensive and messy affair. And I don't want to go this far." Congress has been investigating "Fast and Furious" for nearly a year. Scrutiny of the program intensified after guns from the program were found at the scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry's murder.
Republican lawmakers in recent weeks have complained about inconsistencies in the Justice Department's public accounting of the program over the past year. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday pointed to those alleged inconsistencies in calling for the resignation of Lanny Breuer, chief of the department's criminal division. Grassley accused Breuer of withholding information about gunwalking tactics used in a Bush administration-era program known as Wide Receiver, and of not being forthcoming about whether he saw a Justice letter to Congress in February that inaccurately claimed ATF was not letting illegal guns walk across the U.S.-Mexico border.
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And yet the "liberal" press was so quiet about Bush crimes, .
And yet the "liberal" press was so quiet about Bush crimes, .
What crimes?
And yet the "liberal" press was so quiet about Bush crimes, .
What crimes?
U.S Attorny firings,torture,wars for oil,illeagal wire tapping.
What crimes?
U.S Attorny firings,torture,wars for oil,illeagal wire tapping.
No actions by the president in regards to anything related to those subjects (which you misrepresent) have ever been deemed "crimes," you partisan hack.
U.S Attorny firings,torture,wars for oil,illeagal wire tapping.
No actions by the president in regards to anything related to those subjects (which you misrepresent) have ever been deemed "crimes," you partisan hack.
"deemed" by who? no actions have been deemed as crimes in "fast and furious".
No actions by the president in regards to anything related to those subjects (which you misrepresent) have ever been deemed "crimes," you partisan hack.
"deemed" by who? no actions have been deemed as crimes in "fast and furious".
No, not yet. Would you like to try and bring up any other unrelated topics, you illogical fuck?
Bush set the crime threshold way too high for anyone to be prosecuted for anything.
What crimes?
U.S Attorny firings,torture,wars for oil,illeagal wire tapping.
No actions by the president in regards to anything related to those subjects (which you misrepresent) have ever been deemed "crimes," you partisan hack.
And yet the "liberal" press was so quiet about Bush crimes, maybe it is because Bush Admin questioned their patriotism everytime they didn't toe the line.
U.S Attorny firings,torture,wars for oil,illeagal wire tapping.
No actions by the president in regards to anything related to those subjects (which you misrepresent) have ever been deemed "crimes," you partisan hack.
Then why did he have to cancel a speaking trip to Switzerland to avoid being charged in a torture case....you partisan hack.
If Bush had been the president of some third world country.Bush set the crime threshold way too high for anyone to be prosecuted for anything.
President Bush didn't commit any crimes in office. Put down the bong and try to focus for a second.
Imagination time is fun!
