Justice Dept. Vague on When Holder First Learned About Operation Fast and Furious

This vague statement was the answer to a direct question. “The concerns about Operation Fast and Furious first became evident earlier this year,” It's true, the concern over the atf allowing guns into mexico did become exident earlier this year. And while this statement is meant to imply that holder became aware of this at that time, it doesn't say that.

You can bet that holder knew about “operation fast and furious” long before then. You can also bet that he was part of the planning.

By Fred Lucas - CNSNews

The Justice Department has given a vague response to a query by congressional investigators about when Attorney General Eric Holder first learned about a botched gun running sting operation along the southwest border

In a letter answering a questionnaire about “Operation Fast and Furious,” the department replied only that concerns emerged “earlier this year.” It also mentioned two occasions when Holder testified on the matter to congressional committees, both already on the record.

In their questionnaire addressed to Holder, investigators led by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) asked when department officials including Holder himself had first become aware of the program.

“When and how did you [Holder] first learn about Operation Fast and Furious or the strategy of ‘allow[ing] the transfer of firearms to continue to take place in order to further the investigation?’” they asked.

The Justice Department response, provided by Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich on July 22, did not include an exact date – or even an approximate one – for Holder first having learned about the operation.

“The concerns about Operation Fast and Furious first became evident earlier this year,” it said.

“After learning of these concerns, the Attorney General referred the matter to the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General for review, as was made clear in the Attorney General’s testimony on March 10, 2011 before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and also in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on May 3, 2011.”

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