It's been nearly four decades since Watergate, so perhaps we should not be surprised that memories have faded about one of the crucial lessons of that scandal: The coverup is always worse than the original crime. The amnesia even affects law enforcement officials, notably Attorney General Eric Holder and others in the Justice Department appointed by President Obama. Evidence turned up by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform suggests these officials knew a great deal more about Operation Fast and Furious than they have so far admitted. Fast and Furious was the outrageous program implemented by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in which firearms were intentionally sold in the United States to agents of Mexican drug cartels. The idea was that the guns would be traced to cartel "higher-ups" after being used in crimes and thereby strengthen law enforcement investigations and prosecutions in the U.S. and Mexico.
It's become clear, however, thanks to the determined efforts of congressional investigators working for Rep. Darrell Issa, the California Republican who chairs the oversight panel, that Operation Fast and Furious didn't work as intended. Several of the weapons that were sold with ATF approval, including assault rifles and other highly dangerous firearms, have since been used in nearly two dozen murders on both sides of the border, including that of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona a few days before Christmas last year. In the aftermath of the Terry killing, the program was shut down and top Justice Department officials denied knowing anything about Fast and Furious. But acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson has described multiple oral and written communications he had with senior Justice officials about the program both before and after Terry was murdered.
And that's where the cover-up becomes relevant. Issa's panel has run into a solid wall of evasion, delay and resistance from the Justice Department to all requests for information and documents concerning Fast and Furious. In a letter to Holder earlier this week, Issa said Melson told congressional investigators that "ATF's senior leadership would have preferred to be far more cooperative with our inquiry much earlier in the process. However, he said that Justice Department officials directed them not to respond and took full control of replying to briefing and document requests to Congress." Obstructing congressional investigations is illegal, as is threatening to discipline or otherwise hamper or prevent any federal employee from cooperating with a congressional inquiry. We look forward to hearing the explanations of Justice Department higher-ups who told Melson not to respond to the Issa panel's requests and who, according to Issa, thereby "sent over false denials" and "distorted the truth and obstructed our investigation." We might also find out what they were so determined to keep Issa from learning.
