Rick Perry Says Eric Holder Should Quit Over Guns Deal
EmailHours before the second foreign policy debate this campaign season, Rick Perry called for the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder based on his handling of Operation Fast and Furious, and should Holder refuse to resign, the Texas governor says President Obama should fire him.
“Mr. Holder’s proclaimed ignorance leaves Americans to draw one of two conclusions: Either he is guilty of extraordinary bureaucratic incompetence or he is guilty of a cover-up meant to shield him from the consequences of an operation that has left at least one federal agent dead and continues to imperil many more,” Perry wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Times. “Either way, it is high time for Mr. Holder to step down. If he refuses to resign, Mr. Obama must fire him immediately.”
Perry is the second presidential candidate to call for Holder’s resignation after Rep. Michele Bachmann voiced her position last week.
Perry highlighted the impact of the operation and detailed the information Holder provided during a congressional investigation into Fast and Furious.
“Hundreds of Fast and Furious firearms have been implicated in criminal activity, and another 1,400 firearms are on the street because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives engaged in gun-walking – the selling of firearms to straw purchasers in an attempt to locate major weapons traffickers in Mexico. This controversial tactic, involving thousands of weapons, means that brave law enforcement personnel along the border remain at risk,” Perry wrote in the op-ed. “As details come to light, a larger shadow has been cast on Mr. Holder. When initially asked under oath to say when he first knew about Fast and Furious, Mr. Holder told the House Judiciary Committee on May 3, ‘I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.’
“But the evidence casts serious doubt over that claim. First, President Obama had commented publicly on the operation, noting on March 22 – more than a month before Mr. Holder’s sworn statement – that an inspector general had been assigned to investigate the matter.”
Perry, a border state governor, criticized Holder for not apologizing immediately to the family of slain border patrol agent Brian Terry.
“Under the attorney general’s leadership, our nation’s top law enforcement agency proactively armed some of the most dangerous criminal organizations in North America, and at least one American is dead as a direct result. The damage done to Mr. Holder’s credibility is irreparable,” Perry wrote. “Moreover, Mr. Holder never apologized to – or even spoke with – the family of slain Border Patrol Agent Terry until he was confronted by Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, earlier this month, nearly a year after Terry’s murder.”
“America simply cannot tolerate an attorney general who arms the very criminals he is supposed to protect us from and then refuses to comfort the grieving parents of a slain Border Patrol agent. Nor can we tolerate a president who lacks the courage to take decisive action in restoring justice to the Department of Justice,” Perry continued. “It is time for Mr. Holder to go.”
Speaking at a Federal Law Enforcement Foundation luncheon last Friday in New York, Perry called Fast and Furious an “ill-conceived operation” and made a veiled reference to Hoyer, saying the country deserves an “attorney general who displays the same courage and a sense of responsibility which they serve.”
Perry has heightened his attacks on Democrats in the past week as he has attempted to paint himself as the Washington “outsider” by picking battles with President Obama, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Rep. Steny Hoyer.
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If Perry is so serious about guns, he should shut down the gun stores on the Texas border who are selling assault weapons to the cartels.
Posted by: tmferretti | November 22, 2011, 8:56 am 8:56 am
One more clown trying to remain relevant in a race that is already decided. Pathetic, really…………….
Posted by: Searambler | November 22, 2011, 9:25 am 9:25 am
Perry should be indicted for allowing the execution of an innocent man.
Posted by: raggmopp | November 22, 2011, 10:39 am 10:39 am
Perry is correct. Holder is responsible for the death of a border agent and the loss of weapons to the drug cartels. Resignation is to good for him. He deserves jail time.
Posted by: william | November 22, 2011, 11:35 am 11:35 am
If Perry is so concerned about guns , why doesn’t he ask Congrees to the renew the assualt weapons ban as stated below.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) (or Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act) was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law in the United States that included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms, so called “assault weapons”.
The 10-year ban was passed by Congress on September 13, 1994, and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton the same day. The ban only applied to weapons manufactured after the date of the ban’s enactment.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired on September 13, 2004, as part of the law’s sunset provision. There have been multiple attempts to renew the ban, but no bill has reached the floor for a vote
Posted by: tmferretti | November 22, 2011, 11:36 am 11:36 am
I agree one hundred percent plus Chu, Geitner, the whole band of the corrupt administration needs to go.
Posted by: Freedom | November 22, 2011, 11:55 am 11:55 am
There have been multiple attempts to renew the ban, but no bill has reached the floor for a vote
POSTED BY: TMFERRETTI | NOVEMBER 22, 2011, 11:36 AM —There was little if any noticeable change in the number of crimes committed with semi automatic rifles in this country during that time that the ban was in effect. Weapon of choice for felons in this country is the handgun which if you are a convicted felon it is illegal for you to own any firearm period.
Posted by: allen | November 22, 2011, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
Operation Fast & Furious proves the Obama Administration of being complicit to treason, sedition and murder. Obama, Napalitano and Holder on down should be charged accordingly. The Mexican government is calling for extradition and they should be all sent to Mexico to stand trial as well.
Posted by: Cynthia | November 22, 2011, 12:39 pm 12:39 pm
“If Perry is so serious about guns, he should shut down the gun stores on the Texas border who are selling assault weapons to the cartels.” Those gun dealers attempted to report the sales, but were told by ATF (under the Justice Dept) to “allow them to proceed.” This was the core mandate of Operation Fast and Furious, to allow prohibited firearms to be sold to questionable buyers, in the hope that they would turn up in the hands of the Mexican cartels, and then Eric Holder (and his boss, …who?) could say, “Look what those nasty gun dealers are doing! We must shut them down.” The gun dealers who sold the firearms did their best to comply with the law and were told to not report the purchases. Even some ATF agents tried to send the information up their chain of command, and they were instructed to drop it. Result: Drug cartels armed in Mexico, a US Border Patrol Agent killed by one of Eric Holder’s Fast and Furious rifles. BTW: The drug cartels obtain the majority of their ‘assault’ firearms not from the US, but from deserting Mexican army and police, and even more from international (read African and Russian) black market arms dealers. …Be an informed commenter, not a panicked reactionary Brady Buncher, please.
Posted by: Felipe | November 22, 2011, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm
Rick Perry can’t do a lot of things. He should not be the one throwing stones. Heck , in Texas we hope he gets lost on his way back. Everything he says is just to get attention. He is an overgrown little kid , that thinks he’s cute, but that shine wore off when he turned 15. Now he’s just a manipulator. Texas is weird, our politicians make me cringe. Texas politics ain’t exactly ‘cutting edge’, as a matter of fact it’s straight from the 1800′s. I thought old school politics would of died a long time ago. But I look around & we haven’t progressed at all. Don’t elect another texas governor for president, it will be a nightmare. vote for a new future, not let’s make the past the future.
Posted by: ajole | November 22, 2011, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
@ Cynthia i hope someone blames the hell out of you for something you didn’t do also. It’s a great feeling. Way to spread hate & lies all for you to feel good? typical fox news listener. rush called & said , ‘good job’. lol
Posted by: ajole | November 22, 2011, 1:39 pm 1:39 pm
Posted by: tmferretti :::: If Perry is so serious about guns, he should shut down the gun stores on the Texas border who are selling assault weapons to the cartels.
==========================
what you seem to be forgetting is that the federal government was going in and asking these gun dealers to sell the weapons. if the gun dealers say no, they would face a hard fight in keeping their store open and their federal firearm license because the ATF is the agency that asked them to go ahead and sell and is the agency that approves the licenses. so they are in a catch 22.
Posted by: james | November 22, 2011, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
Fast and Furious (Wide Receiver) was a continuation of the Bush administration Justice Department policies. I don’t blame George Bush, John Ashcroft or Alberto Gonzales. This was a sting operation gone bad. The President and Attorney General usually are not informed on was thought to be a minor operation in the Southwest District until it went sideways.
The republicans are using this for political purposes in an attempt to discredit this President. They should quit blowing smoke up the backsides of the American people. If the republicans are serious about stopping trafficking across the border they need to forget the NRA and back or propose some common sense gun control legislation.
The death of a border agent is a tragedy but so is the death of 34 police officers and thousands of innocent people killed by illegal hand guns last year.
Posted by: tmferretti | November 22, 2011, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm
TMFERRETTI | NOVEMBER 22, 2011, 1:43 PM If the republicans are serious about stopping trafficking across the border they need to forget the NRA and back or propose some common sense gun control legislation.++++We have way more than enough laws on the books concerning gun control. Holder and the rest of his merry band of nitwits should try enforcing what we already have out there now.
Posted by: allen | November 22, 2011, 1:56 pm 1:56 pm
CYNTHIA
If we’re going to discuss sedition, we need to really talk about the real sedition. Do you think those republicans who signed pledges to Grover Norquist in violation of their oath of office are treasonous?
If Eric Holder wanted to he could bring them all up on charges. He won’t do that because he refuses to play these political games.
Posted by: tmferretti | November 22, 2011, 2:09 pm 2:09 pm
TIMFERRETTI…
> The 1994 AWB was a complete failure and had no effect on crime. It was a failure because it was a poorly written bill.
> No, F&F was NOT an extension of Wide Reciever, there are too many factual differences between the two.
> No the Republicans are not blowing smoke. F&F was a crime, and they correctly investigating it. The Democrats, however, have provided no worthy attempt to investigate this at all. They are trying to sweep it under the rug. Testimony evidence shows this.
> Try using facts sometime, it works alot better than your baseless rhetoric.
Posted by: Leonidas | November 22, 2011, 3:16 pm 3:16 pm
LEONIDAS
Was not Wide Receiver a operation to sell the cartels guns through a gun dealer in order to track where the guns went. The basic premise was the same with Fast and Furious. Again, the operation went sideways, are their people to blame yes, but thinking the Attorney General and the Presdent of the United States is responsible for every detail is ridiculous. Should we hassle George Bush and Alberto Gonzales for Wide Receiver.
All this investigation is , is political posturing by the republicans who have blocked every peice of gun control legislation that has ever been introduced citing the 2nd admendment when the real reason is the amount of money they get from the NRA.
If thats not blowing smoke nothing is.
Posted by: tmferretti | November 22, 2011, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
I would like to see a debate…Rick Perry vs George W Bush. OMG that would win an academy award for funniest reality show EVER. Texas need s a better education system.
Posted by: ajole | November 22, 2011, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
All this investigation is , is political posturing by the republicans who have blocked every peice of gun control legislation that has ever been introduced citing the 2nd admendment when the real reason is the amount of money they get from the NRA.
If thats not blowing smoke nothing is.
POSTED BY: TMFERRETTI | NOVEMBER 22, 2011, 3:38 PM +++BS at best…Why do we need more gun control? Cite specific reasons please…
Posted by: allen | November 22, 2011, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
TMFERRETTI…
> F&F did not go sideways, and it was not a sting gone wrong. Its sole intention was to let guns walk without inderdicting them, and the operation functioned exactly how it was concieved.
> A “basic premise” is irrelevant, and not enough to draw a parallel with F&F. In Wide Reciever, Guns were tracked, stopped at the border, arrests were made, and the Mexican LE was coordinated with. F&F made NO ATTEMPT to do any of these.
> Yes, the Attorney General IS responsible for every detail of an operation, IF that operation is commiting a crime, and by agencies under his authority. F&F = Illegal gun trafficking = A crime.
> The President’s actual involvment has not been established, and is therefore irrelevant. However, I do not approve of his wishy-washy reaction to this issue whatsoever.
> Gun control legislation is blocked because it is usually worthless and ineffective. Why? Because the politicians who write these bills are poorly educated on the topic, and choose to remain willfully ignorant. Choosing instead to write legislation based off of emotional reactionary BS, instead of actual facts, and rational understanding.
> The NRA seeks to protect and preserve portion of the constitution. Im ok with that, and the politicians are ok with that as well. They dont need the NRA’s money in order to agree with them and support their cause.
> The only smoke thats being blown is your own.
> Anything else?
Posted by: Leonidas | November 22, 2011, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
Rick Perry vs George W Bush. OMG that would win an academy award for funniest reality show EVER. Texas need s a better education system.
POSTED BY: AJOLE | NOVEMBER 22, 2011, 3:40 PM====You do know that George Bush is a native of Connecticut?
Posted by: wact1 | November 22, 2011, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
@ WACT1 – you know George W was the governor of texas? of course i know he’s from connecticut. But , both of them were texas governors, both can’t string a sentence together. both push for creationism is our schools. Uh they both can’t talk or think well & that’s why it would be FUNNY> hello? do I have to explain this sh!t to goppers?
Posted by: ajole | November 22, 2011, 4:26 pm 4:26 pm
Have they found Obamas missing teleprompter yet???
Posted by: whining liberal | November 22, 2011, 4:36 pm 4:36 pm
Why ban assault weapons, when Holder and the Obama administration will simply give them to Mexican drug cartels? Answer: Obama and Holder would rather see the American citizens and Border Patrol/homeland security be outgunned by the criminals.
Posted by: Americaisgreat | November 22, 2011, 9:36 pm 9:36 pm
Where is the Gun-Control Lobby’s outrage about F&F??
This rediculous operation directly violates everything the gun-control lobby stands for. It violates the very reasons for their existance.
But yet…..they are silent. No protests, No editorial rants, No million mom marches…..Nothing. They have said nothing.
It shows that the gun-control lobby’s concern for “public safety” is really all just a big charade.
Posted by: Leonidas | November 23, 2011, 11:55 am 11:55 am