Holder: 'Gunwalking' is wrong

By: Sharyl Attkisson
Topics: Law and Order

That came in response to a CBS News investigation into allegations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms intentionally allowed thousands of assault rifles and other weapons into the hands of Mexico's drug cartels for the purpose of gathering intelligence.

Gunrunning scandal at the ATF

Prior to this week, the position of the Justice Department was that ATF has never knowingly allowed guns to get into the hands of suspected gunrunners. However, Attorney General Eric Holder no longer appears to be denying the allegations, which have been made by a dozen veteran ATF agents.

Agent: I was ordered to let U.S. guns into Mexico

At a hearing today, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison asked Holder to comment on the case. Holder emphasized "The mission of ATF.. is to stop the flow of guns. That is the focus of ATF and why they are bravely working in Mexico and in this country."

Holder went on to say for the first time that letting guns "walk" into the hands of criminals for any reason is wrong. Holder says he's "made it clear to people in the (Justice) Department that letting guns 'walk,' I guess that's the term people use, is not something that is acceptable. We cannot have a situation where guns are allowed to walk, and I've made that clear to the US Attorney as well as the agents in charge of various ATF offices."

Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Phoenix U.S. Attorney's office under the Justice Department supervised ATF's Fast and Furious operation.

Sharyl Attkisson
Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News investigative correspondent based in Washington. All of her stories, videos and blogs are available here.
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by HarryOrielly February 19, 2012 9:41 AM EST: The highest JUSTICE official in our country has perjured himself multiple times and been in contempt of court by refusing to co-operate with the senate committee- The most CORRUPT administration in history has deceived America as Holder protects Obama from the many unreported lawsuits against his FORGED birth certificate and multiple SSN's used in real estate scams- and no-one will go to jail because the DEMOCRATIC party has too much money to bribe and payoff judges & politicians- Pelosi was outraged at Bush but is silent on Obama's many crimes-; Reply to this comment


by bajajohn1 March 15, 2011 8:55 PM EDT: Holder needs to show courage and go after the Wall Street crooks. But as for Holder, he has not done anything notable in his time in office.; Reply to this comment

by wfw3536 March 11, 2011 10:19 AM EST

How sad when we have two top people(Holder and Janet N.) in the administration and they act like they are clueless. This practice has resulted in hundreds to maybe thousands of folks being kill with these guns. Obama needs to step up and fire these incompetent folks. Thank you CBS for breaking this important story.

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by bajajohn1 March 15, 2011 8:56 PM EDT: They also need to arrest George Bush and charge him with committing war crimes.


by SevenStarHand March 11, 2011 2:05 AM EST: A sad, sad, reckoning is brewing for the USA. Our leaders need to be held accountable for ONCE AGAIN creating an enemy. We armed the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Saddam, and others as well. Then they expect us to accept some lame excuse? No conspiracies huh? This is blatantly evil...

We need to legalize drugs and treat those that have a medical problem with compassion instead of jail. Our government purposely creates the situation that puts so many in jail and then does crap like this. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !!! This is not Holders or Obama's doing, this has been going on for decades.; Reply to this comment


by gig76 March 11, 2011 12:20 AM EST: Who in America actually uses, supplies, distributes Mexican drugs? Who? Has CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Fox News ever cared to find out who? Americans be allowed to know who. Illegal drugs have ravished America to her core along with legal prescription drugs over prescribed by pushy pharmaceutical firms pushing drugs on physicians to sell to desperate patients looking for relief or cures that don't exist. Again, there wouldn't be problems with Mexico if no one buying using supplying distributing illegal drugs in America. So provide who are using these drugs and make the problem will be remedied and go elsewhere.; Reply to this comment


by jd2408 March 10, 2011 11:53 PM EST: I am trying to find this hearing on C-Span and as yet have not found it but I did find the 2009 hearing which many of you may find interesting. The ATF did thank the committee for its support of Project Gunrunner but I was not sure what that actually referred to. The ATF portion starts at around 33:51 if you want to hear it.
www.c-span.org/Events/Senate-Hearing-on-Law-Enforcement-Responses-to-Mexican-Drug-Cartels/13223-1/; Reply to this comment


by diablo1010 March 10, 2011 11:29 PM EST: or blame your Hypocrite and corrupted government. Don´t make it easy for them ...or blame your drug-hungry fellow countrymen? or Are all of you white doves ?; Reply to this comment


by djseavy March 10, 2011 11:28 PM EST: None of this should be a surprise to anybody. The government has shielded itself from all accountability. In the end, they'll find somebody to hang out to dry for this. Remember Ollie North? I doubt we've seen even one molecule of the "tip of the iceburg." And the government expects us to trust anything they do or say? It's one lie after another; one scandal after another; strip away our consitutional rights while they commit every crime in the book, and invent a few more.; Reply to this comment

by jd2408 March 10, 2011 11:12 PM EST

It is very polite for CBS to say the thousand of guns were allowed to cross the border for the " purpose of gathering intelligence." I have yet to understand how they gathered intelligence from this action.

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by bajajohn1 March 15, 2011 8:57 PM EDT: One cannot gather intelligence when they are not intelligent.

by diablo1010 March 10, 2011 10:37 PM EST

it´s really sad ... Thousands of Mexicans are still being killed by these guns .. many of them near to my house here in Monterrey ...2 days ago 8 month old baby shot in head during execution

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by diablo1010 March 10, 2011 11:26 PM EST: or blame your Hypocrite and corrupted government. Don´t make it easy for them ...or blame your drug-hungry fellow countrymen? or all of your are white doves ?