Shocker: DOJ Press Release Indicates Eric Holder Lied About His Knowledge Of ATF Gunrunner Program

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Written By:
Rob Port

Jul 10, 2011
9:28pm

Project Gunrunner, for the uninitiated, is an ATF program that was ostensibly supposed to stop the flow of guns from the United States into Mexico. This flow of guns has oft been cited by gun control advocates as justification for tighter gun control laws. In reality, though, the feds used the program to facilitate the trafficking of guns across the Mexican border instead.

In testimony before Congress’ Government Oversight committee, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that he didn’t authorize the program and had only learned about it a “few weeks” before his testimony:

Rep. Darrell Issa: “When did you first know about the program, Fast and the Furious? To the best of your knowledge what date?”

AG Eric Holder: “I’m not sure of the exact date but I probably heard of Fast and Furious the first time in the last few weeks.”

Except, it would appear as though Holder lied. By way of Salem News, this Department of Justice press release quotes Holder talking about Project Gunrunner back in 2009:

Last week, our administration launched a major new effort to break the backs of the cartels. My department is committing 100 new ATF personnel to the Southwest border in the next 100 days to supplement our ongoing Project Gunrunner, DEA is adding 16 new positions on the border, as well as mobile enforcement teams, and the FBI is creating a new intelligence group focusing on kidnapping and extortion. DHS is making similar commitments, as Secretary Napolitano will detail.

But as today’s conference has emphasized, the problem of arms trafficking will not be stopped at the border alone. Rather, as our experts emphasized, this is a problem that must be met as part of a comprehensive attack against the cartels – an attack in depth, on both sides of the border, that focuses on the leadership and assets of the cartel

It would seem as though somebody has some explaining to do.