Department Of Justice Acting “Fast And Furious” To Save Their Own Skin

Justice Department Documents Show Attorney General Eric Holder Was Well Aware Of Fast And Furious

Lamar Smith wants special counsel to find out if Holder lied to Congress House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) on Tuesday called for President Obama to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress. New documents released this week show that Holder was notified by senior Justice Department officials in multiple memos last year about the controversial Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation.(The Hill By Jordy Yager - 10/04/11)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICIALS MOVE QUICKLY TO DENY THE FACTS

DOJ Officials Denied Knowing Anything Of Fast And Furious Time And Time Again. (Richard Serrano, “Emails Show Top Justice Department Officials Knew Of ATF Gun Program,” Los Angeles Times, 10/3/11)

Attorney General Holder Claims He “Misunderstood” Question From Congress. (Sharyl Attkisson, “ATF Fast And Furious: New Documents Show Attorney General Eric Holder Was Briefed In July 2010,” CBS News, 10/03/11)

DOJ Officials Are Running From The Debacle Of “Fast And Furious” Saying That The Memos Briefed Attorney General Holder On “Wide Receiver” A Different Operation That Began In 2006 (Jordy Yager, “Docs Show Holder Was Informed Of Fast And Furious In 2010,” The Hill, 10/4/11)

On May 3, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder Testified To Congress That He Only Became Aware Of Fast And Furious “Over The Last Few Weeks” In Spring 2011. (Sharyl Attkisson, “ATF Fast And Furious: New Documents Show Attorney General Eric Holder Was Briefed In July 2010,” CBS News, 10/03/11)

• The Fast And Furious Operation Tracked Weapons Sold To Illegal Buyers In Hopes Of Arresting Mexican Drug Cartel Members; The Failed Operation Lost Track Of More Than 2,000 Weapons And Resulted In The Death Of A U.S. Border Patrol Agent. “The term ‘gun walking’ is central to the failure of Fast and Furious. Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives purposely allowed licensed firearms dealers to sell weapons to illegal straw buyers, hoping to track the guns to Mexican drug cartel leaders and arrest them. But they lost track of more than 2,000 weapons, and the Mexican government says some of them have turned up at about 170 crime scenes there. Two were recovered at the scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent's slaying in Arizona in December.” (Richard A. Serrano, “Emails Show Top Justice Department Officials Knew Of ATF Gun Program,” Los Angeles Times, 10/03/11)

But New Documents Suggest That Attorney General Was Well Aware Of Fast And Furious As Early As July 2010. (Tim Mak, “Docs Put Holder On The Spot In Fast & Furious,” Politico, 10/4/11)

Documents Show Attorney General Eric Holder Was Sent Briefings On Fast And Furious Since 2010. (Sharyl Attkisson, “ATF Fast And Furious: New Documents Show Attorney General Eric Holder Was Briefed In July 2010,” CBS News, 10/03/11)

·        Michael Walther, Director Of The National Drug Intelligence Center Advised Attorney General Holder Of “Fast And Furious” In July 2010. (Jordy Yager, “Docs Show Holder Was Informed Of Fast And Furious In 2010,” The Hill, 10/4/11)

·        October 2010 Email Shows That Senior DOJ Officials Knew About The “Fast And Furious” Operation.”(Tim Mak, “Docs Put Holder On The Spot In Fast & Furious,” Politico, 10/4/11)

·        Attorney General Holder Was Briefed By A Memo In November 2010. “But in a memo from November 2010 Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer notified Holder about a sealed indictment against alleged gun traffickers in Arizona by the DOJ’s organized crime and gang section.” (Jordy Yager, “Docs Show Holder Was Informed Of Fast And Furious In 2010,” The Hill, 10/4/11)

·        Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer Noted “Fast And Furious” In The Memo Received By Attorney General Holder. “Breuer wrote that the indictment would remain sealed ‘until another investigation, Phoenix-based ‘Operation Fast and Furious,’ is ready for takedown.’” (Jordy Yager, “Docs Show Holder Was Informed Of Fast And Furious In 2010,” The Hill, 10/4/11)

Justice Department Emails Showed Ranking Officials Knew About “Gun Walking” And Worried About Getting “Grief”. “Two Justice Department officials mulled it over in an email exchange Oct. 18, 2010. ‘It's a tricky case given the number of guns that have walked but is a significant set of prosecutions,’ says Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division. Deputy Chief of the National Gang Unit James Trusty replies ‘I'm not sure how much grief we get for 'guns walking.' It may be more like, ‘Finally they're going after people who sent guns down there.’ The Justice Department told CBS News that the officials in those emails were talking about a different case started before Eric Holder became Attorney General.” (Sharyl Attkisson, “ATF Fast And Furious: New Documents Show Attorney General Eric Holder Was Briefed In July 2010,” CBS News, 10/03/11)