May 15, 2012

Fast and Furious: Botched Gun Probe or Criminal Scandal?

A growing number of lawmakers say Attorney General Eric Holder should be charged with contempt of Congress for his responsibility in the "Fast and Furious" gun scandal.

Critics claim Holder and other officials in the federal government tried to cover up the major gun smuggling investigation that went awry.

For more than a year, both House and Senate committees have tried to find out how the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms sent guns across the Mexican border in hopes of catching smugglers -- and then lost track of them.

The guns found their way into the hands of drug cartels and led to the death of at least one border agent, Brian Terry, and possibly scores of Mexican citizens.

Investigative reporter and Townhall.com news editor Katie Pavlich says the Fast and Furious case is a criminal ordeal that can't be ignored.

The details of the gun running and federal stonewalling are found in her new book by, Fast and Furious: Barack Obama's Bloodiest Scandal and Shameless Cover-up.

Katie Pavlich will appear on the May 14 edition of 'The 700 Club' to talk more about the 'Fast and Furious' gun scandal and how it's being handled. Check local listings here for showtimes and stay with CBNNews.com for the entire interview, Tuesday after 11 a.m. ET.

The House Governmental Affairs Committee heard from a parade of witnesses, including Holder. But many are not satisfied with what they see as stonewalling and the submission of heavily edited documents.

"There are things in those documents that you don't want us to see," Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., said at a recent hearing.

"There's no attempt at any kind of cover-up," Holder responded. "We're not going to be hiding behind any kind of privileges or anything."

"How many more border agents would have had to die for you to take responsibility?" Rep Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., asked Holder.

"That kind of question, I think, is frankly -- and again, respectfully -- I think that's beneath a member of Congress," he said.

Fourteen months after Agent Terry's death, his family filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the government.

Meanwhile, California Rep. Darrel Issa has drafted a contempt of Congress document against Holder for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena.

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