In light of a federal judge denying a request from the Department of Justice to delay the release of a long-sought after Fast and Furious document list, the sister of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, Kelly Terry-Willis, doesn't find the timing of Attorney General Eric Holder's resignation to be a coincidence.
"I do not find it a coincidence that Eric Holder chose now to resign after Judge Bates denied the request from the DOJ to delay the release of the Fast and Furious documents. I personally think Eric Holder was really hoping that the documents would never be made public to my family and the American people," Terry-Willis tells Townhall. "Will we ever get the accountability for my brother, Brian, Jaime Zapata and every other person who lost their lives to the guns from this horrific scandal? I don't know, but I have a serious gut feeling when we finally see what is in those documents....the dynamics of this investigation are going to change and hopefully the people involved are brought to justice. Eric Holder can run, but there will be no hiding. The truth always reveals itself."
In a separate statement put out on behalf of the Brian Terry Foundation, family spokesman Ralph Terry says Holder's resignation is welcomed.
"Despite Holder’s aggressive pursuit of the Mexican nationals directly involved in Brian’s murder, the Attorney General has repeatedly failed to accept responsibility for the ill-fated gun trafficking investigation and has most regrettably failed to hold those DOJ and ATF officials responsible for the many mistakes made in the operation. Despite repeated pleas by Brian Terry’s family, Holder has chosen to not discipline those individuals found at fault by DOJ’s own Inspector General. Despite the clear and present danger that exists even today to law enforcement and the general public on both sides of the border, Holder has repeatedly refused to hold government officials accountable for the deadly mistakes made in Operation Fast and Furious. Immediately after Brian Terry’s murder, Holder’s Justice Department inexplicably denied that ATF had ever “walked” guns despite the obvious testimony of ATF whistleblowers that were part of the operation," Terry said. "Holder’s resignation is welcomed by the Terry Family and should have occurred immediately after Brian Terry’s death and the revelation that the men that killed Brian were carrying weapons supplied to them by ATF."
"It is the hope of the Terry Family that Holder’s departure will lead to full disclosure of the thousands of documents still sought by investigators still looking into Operation Fast and Furious. It is also our hope that the next Attorney General will do a far better job at protecting the American public and guarding the many rights guaranteed in the Constitution," Terry continued.
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed on December 14, 2010 by illegal Mexican nationals working for cartels in Arizona's Peck Canyon. The weapons left at Terry's murder scene were part of Operation Fast and Furious, a Department of Justice program that involved ATF agents knowingly allowing and facilitating the illegal trafficking of 2500 weapons from the United States into Mexico for use by narco-terrorists. Hundreds of people in Mexico have been killed as a result of the program. In June 2012, Attorney General Holder was held in civil and criminal contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate and produce documents sought in the congressional investigation of the fatal operation. Thousands of documents related to the investigation have still not be released.