Fast and Furious Documents Reveal DOJ’s Efforts to Obstruct Congressional Investigation

Background:

The Fast and Furious operation was responsible for allowing approximately 2,000 firearms to illegally flow into the hands of criminals, including Mexican drug cartel associates. On December 14, 2010, Customs and Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, a United States Marine, was killed while on patrol just miles from the Mexican border.  The firearms found at the scene were semi-automatic rifles that were allowed to walk as part of Operation Fast and Furious. 

Congressional Republicans have investigated Fast and Furious since January 2011.  Over the course of the investigation, the Justice Department has provided false information, stonewalled document requests, produced scores of blacked-out pages and duplicate documents, and refused to comply with two congressional subpoenas. 

In August 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives Office of General Counsel filed suit against the Justice Department.

On January 19, 2016, United States District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued her opinion and ordered DOJ release documents previously withheld under the President’s executive privilege claim. On April 8, 2016, DOJ complied with the Judge’s order, delivering more than 20,500 pages of documents to the Committee.