House investigators subpoenaed a U.S. attorney described as having an “outsized role . . . in approving” Operation Fast and Furious and who the Justice Department, according to lawmakers, has blamed for the “misleading information” given to Congress.
“The Committee has learned of the outsized role played by the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office – and you specifically – in approving the unacceptable tactics used in Fast and Furious,” House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wrote yesterday to Patrick Cunningham, who leads the criminal division of the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s office.
Cunningham apparently cancelled Tuesday an interview with the Issa’s committee that was scheduled to take place today. “You sudden withdrawal, without any explanation, is unfortunate,” Issa wrote. “Given your intimate knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious, your counsel’s offer of an attorney proffer, akin to what a defense lawyer would offer for an indicted defendant, is wholly inadequate.”
Issa told Cunningham the DOJ has blamed him for “relay[ing] inaccurate and misleading information to the [DOJ] in preparation for its initial response to Congress.”
Cunningham is supposed to have a deposition with the House investigators on January 24th. You can read the full letter here.
