House Report: Eight Blamed for Fast And Furious
A Republican-authored House investigation places a great portion of the blame for the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal on five agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and three Justice Department officials, according to CBS News.
CBS obtained a draft report of the findings from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which lays a great portion of the blame on William Newell, the special agent in charge of the Phoenix office at the center of the scandal, calling his actions “reckless.”
The report, which was prepared by staff for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also singles out the former acting head of ATF, Kenneth Melson, for weak leadership, and calls for strengthening the agency, according to The Hill.
Fast and Furious was a failed attempt by federal officials to track guns that were making their way from the U.S. into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. A gun linked to the program was connected to the death of Brian Terry, a U.S. border patrol agent.
This is the first of three expected reports from the committee. Future reports are expected to focus on the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder. Last month, the House voted to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for withholding documents related to the scandal.
