Attorney general draws GOP wrath over botched gun-trafficking sting
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WASHINGTON -- House Republicans accused Attorney General Eric Holder of hiding information at a hearing Thursday over the botched Operation Fast and Furious gun-trafficking investigation, while he dismissed calls for his resignation and said he's not to blame for the scandal.
The attorney general testified for four tense hours to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs about Fast and Furious. It was a mess in which the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives let illegal weapons flow across the border into Mexico and into the hands of criminals, as part of a failed sting operation meant to track the guns and nab drug lords.
Some House oversight committee Republicans suggested that Mr. Holder was engaged in a cover-up and had been misleading Congress. "Because you have been grossly incompetent in the way that you have prepared before coming to Congress, I think you should resign," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho.
Mr. Holder responded that his accusers were engaging in "political gotcha games" and character assassination. Committee Democrats said the Republicans were pushing an election-year witch hunt, and that there was no evidence tying the attorney general to the operation.
White House press secretary Jay Carney, asked about the hearing during Thursday's daily briefing, said the issue has been politicized, and that President Barack Obama "absolutely" stands by his attorney general.
Mr. Holder and lawmakers from both parties agreed that Operation Fast and Furious was a disaster that never should have happened. Investigators lost track of about 1,400 of roughly 2,000 guns bought between 2009 and January 2011, and many ended up at crime scenes in Mexico and the United States. Two guns tied to Fast and Furious were found near Nogales, Ariz., where U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010.
"How many border patrol agents would have had to die as part of Operation Fast and Furious for you to take responsibility?" Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., asked Mr. Holder.
First Published February 3, 2012 12:00 am
