Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa is moving forward with his investigation into the Obama Justice Department's lethal Operation Fast and Furious, conducted under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (for reference, ATF is overseen by the Justice Department).
Next week, Issa will hold two hearings on Capitol Hill.
The first will take place Monday and will focus on the efforts of Department of Justice officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder, to stonewall the oversight investigation. Lawmakers on the committee will examine "the constitutional questions raised by both the Department of Justice's refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena as well as the withholding of documents from a Congressional subpoena." Issa said earlier this week that a slew of subpoenas will be issued, including the subpeona of the Obama Administration, in order to get to the bottom of who ordered Operation Fast and Furious. If the Obama Justice Department continues to ignore and not comply with those subpoenas, a contempt hearing may be necessary.
The second hearing will take place Wednesday when family members of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who was killed with a gun purposely sold to drug cartels under the orders of the Justice Department and ATF in the Arizona desert, will testify. Terry's mother, sister and cousin will make statements surrounding his murder. ATF agents from the Phoenix Field Division will also testify. The focus will be on the consequences of this botched operation and questions will be asked about ATF ordering and encouraging law abiding gun shop owners to sell weapons to straw purchasers working for Mexican drug cartels and why ATF knowingly allowed those weapons to flow freely and illegal into Mexico.
“The reckless decisions of ATF and Justice Department officials in Operation Fast and Furious have devastated lives and put fear into communities on both sides of the border,” said Chairman Issa in a statement. “By exploring this Justice Department sanctioned program, we can better understand the flawed process surrounding the genesis and implementation of an operation that put guns into the hands of criminals.”
Officials from the Justice Department have been requested to testify but have not confirmed they will show up. Townhall will be there next week to bring you the latest information.