Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 7, 2011

CONTACT: Apryl Marie Fogel 202-595-4946

Gosar Responds to Attorney General Eric Holder’s October 7, 2011 Letter:Calls for Holders Resignation & Answers       

Today, Attorney General Holder sent a letter to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the U.S. House and Senate Judiciary Committees. 

In his letter, just as he has tried to distort the facts about what Justice officials knew about Operation Fast and Furious, Attorney General Holder is trying deflect attention away from his own conduct by distorting comments Rep. Gosar made about the importance of accountability. 

Today a bipartisan group of ten sheriffs in Arizona, called for a special counsel to conduct an examination outside the Justice Department because they don’t believe Justice should be trusted to investigate those who may have participated in wrongdoing.  Rep. Gosar agrees with these sheriffs

Today Congressman Gosar said “I am appreciative that Attorney General Holder finally took the time to address Operation Fast and Furious.  I find his explanation of the operation unacceptable and his refusal to take responsibility for the crimes associated with it reprehensible. 

The fact that Attorney General Holder continues to acknowledge his role in this disastrous and failed operation is further cause for his immediate resignation.

The firearms Attorney General Holder allowed to walk during this unprecedented operation have been linked to dozens of crime scenes, including the murder of a U.S. border patrol officer and hundreds of deaths in Mexico. These facts cannot be ignored.”

Reiterating comments previously made, Congressman Gosar noted “In our nation, when someone assists others in the commission of crimes, knowing such crimes are likely, they can be charged as an accessory. We should not hold the government to a different set of standards when it requires accountability for their actions. Here, a program that permitted the sale of weapons to people otherwise barred by law to own such weapons was facilitated. Officials involved knew that these firearms would go to drug cartels knowing these cartels would use them for violent crimes on both sides of the border. I ask: when will we hold those responsible accountable? I will continue to call for answers as to who knew what, and when until I am satisfied that a similar operation can never occur again and those responsible for this case accept responsibility.”

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