“THIS IS FOR YOU SON,” Mrs. Terry posted on Twitter. “Mr. Holder. How come you can never say my son's name. You never have. All i ever hear you say is ‘i didn't find out or I cant say’ Im actually tired of hearing your double talk in answering questions. What a joke you are. You know my son was a real AMERICAN, a WARRIOR, and a HERO, who was also protecting COWARD POLITICANS like you.” [sic]“Hope you remember that,” Mrs. Josephine Terry added in her message to Holder before signing it: “PROUD MOM OF BRIAN A. TERRY.” [sic}
Allegations continue to emerge that Holder lied to Congress about what he knew and when he knew it concerning the operation, prompting calls for a special counsel to investigate. And those calls have been ignored by both Obama and Holder.
According to reports obtained by organizations such as Judicial Watch and the National Association of Chiefs of Police:
On May 3, 2011, in a House Judiciary Committee hearing chaired by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) Holder testified: “I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.” However, newly released documents show he was receiving weekly briefings on Fast and Furious as far back as July 5, 2010!
"Holder subsequently said he misunderstood the question. But not many are buying that excuse. It is now up to Holder to tell the American people how his own Justice Department can credibly investigate him for lying to Congress," said former police commander and military intelligence officer Mike Snopes.
Judicial Watch sued the DOJ and the ATF to obtain Fast and Furious records. Back on July 13, our investigations team submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking:
*All records of communication, contracts and correspondence between ATF Director Kenneth E. Melson and any official, officer, or employee of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General (DAG) regarding ATF Phoenix Operation Fast and Furious.
*All records regarding, concerning, or related to, the October 26, 2009 meeting/telephonic conference call between DAG David Ogden, Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Lanny Breuer, ATF Director Melson, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Michelle Leonhart, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller, and other DOJ officials regarding the Southwest Border Strategy (including, but not limited to, any agendas, minutes, transcripts, notes, or presentations).
*All records prepared for, or submitted to, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding, concerning, or related to, ATF Operation Fast and Furious.
(Judicial Watch filed a similar FOIA request with ATF on the same day. Neither agency responded within the time the law requires – prompting our lawsuits.)
"Make no mistake; this seems to be one of the most egregious examples of corruption and malfeasance inside of the Obama administration we’ve seen yet," said Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton.
"In Fast and Furious, the ATF, with the full approval of the DOJ, allowed guns to be sold and sent to the Mexican drug cartels," he said.
According to JW, once Fast and Furious splashed into the news, the man at the head of ATF, Kenneth Melson, reportedly told Rep. Issa that the senior officials at the DOJ were trying to suppress information about the scandal – an admission that surely earned Melson a transfer to a make-work position at DOJ. The U.S. Attorney in Phoenix who helped run the operation was forced to resign. And the Los Angeles Times reported that two more high ranking ATF officials have been demoted as the DOJ attempts to clean up the mess.
So how is it that Holder, the supervisor of all these men, has kept his job?
Holder displayed similar behavior regarding the Black Panther scandal. At least one Obama administration official testified to Congress that no political appointees were involved in the decision at the DOJ to abandon the voter intimidation lawsuit against the Black Panthers. Judicial Watch obtained the evidence proving this was a bald-faced lie. Even Holder himself was a recipient of email updates on the Black Panther case.
Several law enforcement commanders believe that the Justice Department has become more politicized under Holder -- and Obama -- than at any other time in recent history. They've told the Law Enforcement Examiner that Holder must be removed even if it means voting out President Obama in November.
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