WASHINGTON — Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, took sharp aim Tuesday at Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton over the controversial ATF gun program dubbed Operation Fast and Furious.
In a letter fired off Tuesday to Clinton, and posted on the CBS News website, Issa chastised Clinton for not providing information to Sen. Chuck Grassley on the ATF program that allowed gun traffickers to pass weapons on to Mexico, all with the hopes of tracing them to the drug cartels.
“On March 4, 2001, Senator Charles E. Grassley wrote to you requesting basic information about the connection between Operation “Fast and Furious”conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the December 14, 2010 firefight that claimed the life of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry,” Issa wrote. “I understand you have yet to respond and are likely to refuse Senator Grassley’s request for information without a letter from the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“This refusal is mystifying in its own right, given Senator Grassley’s standing as the Ranking Member of that Committee. More inexplicably, your refusal stands in stark contradiction to the promise of transparency promoted by President Obama. During Sunshine Week last year, the President stated that he had “recommit(ed) (his) administration to be the most open and honest ever.”
“Given the gravity of this matter, this refusal is simply unacceptable,” he wrote. “Therefore, I am joining Senator Grassley’s request for any and all records relating to a meeting involving the then-U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual with Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, Mr. Breuer’s deputy, and other officials in Mexico City in the summer of 2010 regarding “on-going investigations” related to Project Gunrunner and its “Fast and Furious” component….Additionally, please explain in detail the reasons behind your refusal to answer the Senator directly.”
Issa asked that doucments be handed over no later than 5 p.m. on April 12.
OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST
- U.S. Still Lacks Border Strategy (AP)
- Guilty Plea Set for Conman Turned FBI Informant (AP)
- Justice Dept. Probe Says Panther Case Was Handled Properly (AP)
- 2nd Az. Execution Looms Despite Questions About Drug (AP)
- Arms Dealer Arrested FBI Sting Pleads Guilty (AP)
- FDA Chemist Charged With Insider Trading (Washington Post)
- Major League Players Admit to Steroid Use in Barry Bonds Trial (Wall Street Journal)
