Grassley calls on senior Justice Department official to step down over gunwalking scandal

By: Christine Delargy, Sharyl Attkisson
Topics: Congress

Updated at 4:15 ET

Sen. Chuck Grassley called on Lanny Breuer, a senior level official at the Justice Department, to step down on Wednesday, the most recent move by the Iowa Republican to "hold people accountable for gunwalking."

Breuer, head of the Criminal Division at the Justice Department, signed off on detailed wiretaps for "Fast and Furious," a revelation Grassley called "shocking."

Breuer's office also played a major role in drafting the initial letter of response to Congress on the gunwalker scandal last January.

Attorney General Eric Holder has since acknowledged that the response, which denied any gunwalking had occurred, contained "inaccurate information." Holder said his staff inadvertently relied on incorrect information provided to them and Breuer later admitted he does not remember if he reviewed the letter in question before it was sent to Congress.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Grassley said of Breuer, "it is time for him to go."

"If you can't be straight with Congress, you don't need to be running the Criminal Division," the ranking Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said.

"It's time to stop spinning and start taking responsibility."

A Justice Department spokesperson said Wednesday that Breuer did not participate in the letter drafting and does not recall reviewing it before the letter was sent, though also said he acknowledged mistakes.

"The Criminal Division, under Assistant Attorney General Breuer's leadership, has made critical progress in our fight against violent crime along the Southwest Border," the same spokesperson said.

Holder has been called to testify before a House committee on the gunwalker scandal on Thursday.

CBS News' "60 Minutes" also interviewed Breuer for "Prosecuting Wall Street," a piece that aired Sunday.

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by stn_sage December 7, 2011 4:34 PM EST: OH, PLEASE! SHOCKING?! REALLY?!
What I find shocking is that this long time veteran of the Senate has sit back through the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations, and watched while both the Constitution and Bill of Rights have been systematically negated by him and his colleagues! That, they have put the country on the brink of economic collapse by transferring PRIVATE DEBT onto the backs of all American taxpayers! And, they have furthered their stupidity by errantly invading numerous countries and fighting illegal wars!
Rather than accept 'the green-light' from someone to go after this
minor official, I suggest he do the job the public sent him there
to do, but never has; defend the Constitution, stop the wars,
hold the Fed and Wall Street responsible for their illegality,
clear up the mortgage debacle, vote for tougher controls over
Congress, and improve programs for the American public!
Until he does, he's just another USELESS politician pretending
to do good things for the public that amount to nothing, making
speeches espousing high moral and ethical principles while not
practicing them, and, taking up a position that could best be
filled by someone who'll act for the citizenry and nation,
instead of corporate America and special interests!; Reply to this comment