House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, on Tuesday responded to news that Kenneth Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives, has been reassigned in the wake of the committee's probe into the "Fast and Furious" program.
Under the program, ATF officials allowed thousands of guns to walk into Mexico, where they fell into the hands of drug lords -- and were later linked to the scene of the fatal shooting of the U.S. border agent.
“While the reckless disregard for safety that took place in Operation Fast and Furious certainly merits changes within the Department of Justice, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will continue its investigation to ensure that blame isn’t offloaded on just a few individuals for a matter that involved much higher levels of the Justice Department," Issa said in a statement. "There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in Operation Fast and Furious and who else bears responsibility, but these changes are warranted and offer an opportunity for the Justice Department to explain the role other officials and offices played in the infamous efforts to allow weapons to flow to Mexican drug cartels. I also remain very concerned by Acting Director Melson’s statement that the Department of Justice is managing its response in a manner intended to protect its political appointees. Senator Grassley and I will continue to press the Department of Justice for answers in order to ensure that a reckless effort like Fast and Furious does not take place again.”
