Could Eric Holder AND His Boss Be Charged With Manslaughter And Sent To Prison ?

One year ago, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered in Arizona. We now know that the weapon used to kill Agent Terry was part of the fatal and reckless Operation Fast and Furious, an operation authorized by the federal government.

The ATF, under the supervision of the Department of Justice, apparently facilitated the smuggling of over 2,000 weapons to the drug cartels south of the border. These weapons were used to kill Mexican nationals and two U.S. law enforcement agents. And, unfortunately, most of these weapons have not been found.

Unfortunately, more people are expected to be killed because of this ill-conceived operation. At least that was the opinion of Attorney General Eric Holder when I questioned him last week at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. AG Holder also admitted to me that this Operation was in fact reckless. Under criminal law, when a person recklessly causes the death of another it is called manslaughter. If those involved in this operation violated the law, they need to be held accountable. And, if that means criminal charges and imprisonment, so be it.

The Attorney General is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer in the country. Despite leading the agency that authorized the operation, AG Holder claims that he didn’t know about Fast and Furious until recently. But, perhaps what is most remarkable is that the Attorney General could not tell me who authorized the Operation in the first place.

There are a few things that need to happen to ensure that those that authorized the Operation, which led to the death Agent Terry and others, are held accountable.

1.  Attorney General Eric Holder must resign.
If, as he claims, he really did not know about Operation Fast & Furious, he certainly should have known. It has become clear from this incident and others that Mr. Holder has lost credibility and the confidence of the American people.

2. An independent special counsel should beappointed to investigate the JusticeDepartment and the ATF. The Department of Justice cannot be trusted to investigate themselves. Its actions are an insult to what has historically been the best justice system in the world.

Even Washington insiders responsible for Fast and Furious cannot hide from the long arm of American justice because justice is what we do in this country. And that’s just the way it is.

God and Texas,

Ted Poe
Member of Congress
TEXAS