If the U.S. House wants to know the real truth about the ‘Fast and Furious’ program, call Bush to testify

 

Program began under the Bush administration

 

By Chinta Strausberg

 

 “Operation Fast and Furious” is a by-product of President George Bush’s 2006 “Project Gunrunner that operated under the authority of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT).

The goal was to authorize the distribution of guns to Mexican drug dealers as a means of tracing the cartel’s massive drug operation.

Whatever the goal was, something went terribly wrong when Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered by the Mexican drug cartel whose guns were traced back to the “Fast and Furious” operation.

On June 28, 2012, the House voted 255-67 in favor of both civil and one criminal contempt charges against Holder that included 17 Democrats voting in favor and two Republicans voting against it. The civil charge passed 258-95, but the drama of the day was when 108 Democrats including Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1^st), the Black, Latino and Asian Caucuses walked out without voting. (See photo and story http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index.ssf/2012/06/house_votes_to_hold_ag_holder.html

As a result of the House voting to hold Holder both civilly and criminally in contempt of Congress, the family of Terry released a statement denouncing those who voted against holding Holder in contempt of Congress.

Robert Heyer, who is chairman of the Brian Terry Foundation and who is Terry’s cousin, released a statement.

“The Terry family takes no pleasure in the contempt vote against Attorney General Eric Holder. Such a vote should not have been necessary,” the statement reads.

“The Justice Department should have released the documents related to Fast and Furious months ago. Eric Holder’s refusal to do so and President Obama’s assertion of executive privilege have stood in the way of justice and the answers we seek into the death of fallen Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

“Given the Obama administration’s steadfast refusal to level with the American people, Congress was left with no choice but to vote Mr. Holder in contempt.”

But, my question is why didn’t Congress ask President Bush and/or his Attorney Generals…like Alberto Gonzales, or Peter Keisler or Michael Mukasey to testify about this program? Why now and why target Eric Holder, the first African American Attorney General who has cooperated with Congress unlike some others including Karl Rove, Bush’s political “guru”? (See http://articles.cnn.com/2008-07-10/politics/rove.subpoena_1_robert-d-luskin-subpoena-longtime-political-guru?_s=PM:POLITICS). Check out a similar incident (http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20020412.html),

If the House, in its quest to bring down Eric Holder and taint President Obama in the process, files a civil contempt suit in federal court to get a judge to compel Holder to present the “Fast and Furious” documents, then it should go all the way back to Bush’s gun program and former President Bush should also be called to testify; that is if the House really is interested in knowing the FULL truth about the infamous “Fast and Furious” program. Why was the House so silent then on this operation?

Could the answer be simply politics as in Tuesday, November 6, 2012?

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.