A new batch of emails from Attorney General Eric Holder were revealed on Friday, further demonstrating just how frustrated he became over Congress’ investigation into the “Fast and Furious” gun-walking scandal.
In one Aug. 30 email, he wrote of his critics, “Some people can kiss my ass.”
The newly released emails are a result of the roughly 64,000 documents the U.S. Department of Justice was ordered to hand over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. President Barack Obama previously exerted executive privilege to keep the documents from being released.
Attorney General Eric Holder takes questions during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Monday, May 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
The Wall Street Journal on Friday published details on the latest batch of emails from the treasure trove of documents:
By August 2011, the bungled operation had become a full-fledged scandal, forcing the reassignment of the head of ATF and the resignation of the U.S. Attorney in Arizona.In an Aug. 30 email, a deputy wrote to Mr. Holder and others that about 25 other U.S. Attorneys around the country “are upset’’ about how the U.S. Attorney’s resignation was handled.
Mr. Holder then vented in a reply: “Why wouldn’t we get the benefit of the doubt. Assume we’re doing things for the right reasons and in the right way.’’
He then added “I’m counting to 10,’’ indicating that he was trying not to get too upset about the matter.
Later on the night of Aug. 30, Holder proclaimed, “Some people can kiss my a**.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said staffers are reviewing the documents released by the DOJ to ensure nothing inappropriate is made public.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. (AP Photo)
In another email to then-ATF head Kenneth Melson, a frustrated Holder lectured the official after he reportedly cleaned out of his office early and insisted on issuing his own press release instead of relying on the DOJ after he was reassigned to a different post amid the scandal.
“This is not a negotiation,” Holder wrote. “Soft landing is way more than enough.”
Under the Justice Department's significantly flawed "Fast and Furious" operation, federal agents lost control of guns they were tracing to Mexican drug cartel leaders. The guns ended up in the hands of cartel members and many have been used in brutal crimes.
Read the Wall Street Journal's entire report here.
