Not long ago, I reported that there were questions as to whether or not the State Department had been in the know about the DOJ’s “Gunwalking” program due to the connections in Mexico. While I was out of town, it seems Secretary Clinton addressed that very question (major H/T to Artemis for sending me this article). And the answer to that question, according to Sec. Clinton, was no, the State Department was NOT approached abt this program.
Again, CBS News is leading the way in investigating this program:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday denied having any advance knowledge of a controversial program run by federal officials that allowed thousands of guns to be smuggled from the U.S. to Mexico in an effort to trace them to leaders of drug cartels before the program’s existence became public.
She said the Justice Department did not “request coordination” or give “any kind of notice or heads up” about “Operation Fast and Furious,” the ATF operation which put thousands of guns in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. The weapons may have been used in the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.During the hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) asked Clinton at what point did the State Department learn about Operation Fast and Furious.
“My recollection is that I learned about it from the press, that’s my recollection,” Clinton said.
That sounds like a definitive answer that State was NOT involved. When pushed further by Rep. Mack about the existence of a waiver from the State Department for the DOJ program, which would have been required, Sec. Clinton said she would investigate the matter. Let’s hope she does. I, for one, would like to know the answer to that question.
And the drumbeat for Eric Holder to resign grows ever louder. Now, a total of 17 US House members are calling for Holder’s resignation:
(Rep. Dan) Burton, who once chaired the House oversight committee that is currently investigating the Justice Department over Operation Fast and Furious, said he has always opposed Holder and didn’t believe he should be confirmed as attorney general in the first place, based on his record of deceiving Congress.
“I think he’s been a mistake from the very beginning,” Burton told TheDC in a phone interview.
“When I was chairman of government reform and oversight during the Clinton administration, we had Holder before my committee a number of times and he misled the committee. In fact, he lied. During his confirmation in the Senate, I sent a letter to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, [Sen. Patrick] Leahy, and I sent it to the other members of the committee as well, and I cited specific cases where Holder had not been straight with the committee and I said he should not be confirmed.”
It also appears Holder misled Congress on May 3 when he told the House Judiciary Committee that he had known of Operation Fast and Furious for only a few weeks. Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley told TheDC he personally handed Holder a letter on the topic while the attorney general was in his office months earlier. Senior aides sent Holder numerous briefing memos on the subject, including the name and intimate details of the failed operation, as early as July 2010. (Click here to read the rest.)
I want for Holder to be brought up on charges, and have to testify in public for this insane program. Will that happen if he resigns? If he resigns, will it let him off the hook? In any event, it is clear that he is a conniving liar who has no place anywhere near the DOJ.
Secretary Clinton appears to be in the clear on this whole issue, though I look forward to the answer regarding a waiver for the DOJ. But Holder continues to look guiltier and guiltier. He cannot get his comeuppance soon enough for me, and I trust for the families of the federal agents lost, and those families in Mexico who lost loved ones as a result of these weapons. Yep, his comeuppance cannot come soon enough…
What do you think?
