Letter to President Obama

Letter

Today Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) joined many of his fellow Republican colleagues in urging President Obama to ask for Attorney General Eric Holder's immediate resignation over Operation Fast and Furious. Holder appears to have knowingly given false testimony under oath regarding his knowledge of the plan, though he was briefed on the operation in July 2010. During a recent hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder even admitted that he initially misstated facts as to when he found out. In a letter to President Obama, Jones and his colleagues ask the president to hold federal officials accountable for their actions and to ask for Attorney General Holder's immediate resignation.

"The American people deserve honest answers and they deserve the truth," said Jones. "It is time our federal officials are held accountable for their actions, especially when their actions may have cost people their lives."

The full text of the letter to President Obama can be found here.

Dear Mr. President:

We call on you today to hold Attorney General Eric Holder accountable for Operation Fast and Furious -- and urge you to ask for his immediate resignation.

In intentionally letting over 2,000 firearms "walk" across the border into Mexico, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE)--under the leadership of Attorney General Holder -- carried out an operation that left a U.S. Border Patrol agent dead, broke federal law, and attempted to build a case for gun control. Operation Fast and Furious has proved to be one of the most serious errors in judgment carried out in recent history by a federal agency.

Now, the Attorney General has attempted to cover his own tracks and has been unwilling to cooperate in the ongoing Congressional investigation. In the recent hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Holder even admitted to misstating when he first learned of the operation.

In his May 3rd testimony, Mr. Holder said he first heard of the operation in the "last few weeks" but in his recent testimony said this was "misstated" and heard a "couple months" earlier (around March). Attorney General Holder is either trying to cover-up when he knew of this disastrous operation or is too incompetent to serve as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.

No matter what the case is he must be held responsible for knowing and overseeing a Department that executed Operation Fast and Furious. Mr. President, last month you expressed your disapproval that "somebody showed such bad judgment that they would allow something like that to happen"--and vowed to "find out who and what happened in this situation." We ask you to fulfill this promise to the American people because, like you, they are upset and deserve answers. They also deserve accountability from their federal officials, especially those who are unelected like Mr. Holder.

The Attorney General is supposed to uphold federal laws and not intentionally break them. He should never attempt to cover-up an investigation intended to ensure a mistake of this scale never occurs again. It is time Attorney General Holder takes responsibility for Operation Fast and Furious and step down immediately.

Sincerely,

Joe Walsh
Paul Broun
Mike Pompeo
Cynthia Lummis
Connie Mack
Jeff Duncan
Todd Akin
Tim Huelskamp
Jeff Landry
Tim Murphy
Steven Palazzo
Dennis Ross
John Carter
Ted Poe
Vicky Hartzler
Kenny Marchant
Lynn Jenkins
Quico Canseco
Charles Boustany
Alan Nunnelee
Diane Black
Ann Marie Buerkle
Allen West
Blake Farenthold
John Mica
Thaddeus McCotter
Dan Burton
Walter Jones
John Culberson
Frank LoBiondo
Stevan Pearce
Lynn Westmoreland
Trent Franks
Louie Gohmert
Denny Rehberg
Bob Latta
Rodney Alexander
Gus Bilirakis
Blaine Luetkemeyer
Tom Graves