Attorney General Eric Holder angrily defended himself Thursday in a Republican-led congressional hearing at which lawmakers called for his resignation as they pressed him for information about Operation Fast and Furious, a gun-trafficking program tied to the slaying of a U.S. border agent.
“I should be held accountable,” Holder shot back after a particularly bruising round of questions about the operation in which guns bought in the United States were allowed to reach drug cartels in Mexico. But, he added, he also should be given credit for successfully handling delicate national security matters and revitalizing anti-trust investigations and civil rights enforcement.
“Imagine that: Given some credit for the things this Justice Department has done under my leadership,” he said. “One has to balance all of these things.”
Holder was defending himself before the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, whose chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has threatened to charge Holder with contempt of Congress if he does not turn over tens of thousands of documents related to Fast and Furious by Feb. 9.
Operation Fast and Furious permitted more than 2,000 guns to flow into Mexico, one of which was used to kill Brian Terry in December 2010.
Holder contends he didn’t learn of the program until early 2011, but some Republicans believe Holder or other top Justice Department officials actually sanctioned the operation.
“This committee has lost its patience to wait longer,” Issa told Holder. “We will not wait until next Ground Hog Day to get answers for the American people, for Brian Terry and for others.”
Holder, the only witness at the three-hour hearing, accused the Republicans of playing politics, noting that he has testified six times before Congress about the Fast and Furious program.
Holder denied accusations that his office is attempting to cover up evidence related to the operation, but he refused to turn over to Congress additional emails and other internal communications that took place after Feb. 4, 2011, because he wants to protect “candid internal deliberations” about the investigation.
Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., was among several committee Republicans who challenged Holder to take greater responsibility for the operation and its consequences. Buerkle called Holder’s investigation flawed and demanded that Holder shoulder more of the blame for Terry’s slaying.
“How many more border patrol agents would have had to die as a part of operation Fast and Furious for you to take responsibility?” Buerkle asked Holder.
Holder said her comments were “beneath a member of Congress.”
Democrats on the panel defended Holder and said Congress should instead focus on federal gun laws that prohibit the “gun walking” tactics that allowed the sale of high-powered weapons that eventually made their way to Mexico.
“The issue is gun trafficking across the Mexican border,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a member of the committee, told The Washington Examiner. “There is no federal statute prohibiting this kind of activity. This is shocking.”
But Connolly admitted it would be very difficult to pass a gun control bill in Congress because it would be too politically treacherous for Republicans as well as many Democrats from pro-gun swing districts, to support it.
