White House Press Secretary Jay Carney defended President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to hand over documents pertaining to Operation Fast and Furious, but he struggled to recall the family name of the border patrol agent who was killed in the operation — at least, that’s what the Republican National Committee thinks.
“We have provided Congress every document that pertains to the operation itself that is at issue here when you talk about the family that you referred to,” Carney said during the White House press briefing. ABC’s Jake Tapper, who mentioned the Terry family in his question, then seemed to remind Carney — “the Terry family” he interjected — of their name.
“The Terry family,” Carney repeated. The Republican National Committee highlighted the moment in a video in which they say Carney “forgets [the] name of slain border patrol agent.” You can watch the video above and judge for yourself.
U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010 by drug smugglers armed with weapons they obtained through Operation Fast and Furious, which sanctioned the wholesale smuggling of weapons into Mexico as part of a plan to track guns to criminals.
“Our son lost his life protecting this nation, and it is very disappointing that we are now faced with an administration that seems more concerned with protecting themselves rather than revealing the truth behind Operation Fast and Furious,” the Terry family said in a statement yesterday responding to Obama’s decision to invoke executive privilege rather than have Holder turn over documents subpoenaed by House investigators.
