The 'Fast and Furious' boondoggle
The “Fast and Furious” project designed to track U.S. firearms given illegally to Mexican drug cartels was a dismal failure. Why did anyone ever think this would be a good way to halt killings by the cartels and to nab drug lords?
As we noted several months ago, the best way to deal with this controversy was to insist on a complete, thorough airing of how the effort went awry — and how almost 2,000 weapons wound up in the hands of criminals.
A new, 512-page report by Justice Department investigators provides sobering answers and withering criticisms. Many are aimed at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials who were involved in Fast and Furious and in a similar operation begun during the Bush administration.
Oversight was poor. Strategies were muddled. Judgment errors were made. Misleading statements were given to Congress.
The Justice Department report should lead to discipline that includes dismissals.
The congressional investigation earlier this year into what went wrong also had its low points, especially the politically tinged and unprecedented vote by House Republicans to cite an attorney general for contempt.
Despite calls for his resignation, the new report concludes that Attorney General Eric Holder did not authorize the flawed tactics that doomed Fast and Furious, and notes that he has taken some positive steps to repair the damage.
But that’s small comfort to Americans. This was a regrettable, bungled project, the likes of which must never be repeated.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months agoWhat’s that saying, “the buck stops here”? I am sure Holder will uphold that philosophy and resign his post, since his dept. obviously participated in the program. Or would that be too harsh for such a find AG as Holder the I won’t prosecute the Black Panthers????
Yep, the House was just wrong in trying to get Holder to come clean with the cover-up—NOT!