Republican members of Congress investigating a controversial gun operation say sensitive information about a whistleblower was leaked to the media and they want to know who inside the Justice Department had access to it.
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, House oversight chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), say that sensitive information about John Dodson’s role in an undercover operation was leaked. They identify Dodson as a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives whistleblower.
“This leaked document was also accompanied by a set of talking points designed to undermine Agent Dodson’s credibility as a whistleblower,” they say in the letter. “This egregious violation of the Privacy Act, and attempted retaliation for protected whistleblowers to Congress, is unacceptable.”
They say the intention was to smear Dodson and that they understand that a DOJ employee has left the department as a result of the leak. They are asking Holder for the names of people who had access to the document, as well as the name of the person who left the department. They say the leak is being investigated by the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility.
The Republicans are investigating Operation Fast and Furious, which allegedly resulted in the selling of at least 2,000 firearms to drug cartel members in Arizona via straw buyers. The ATF then allegedly permitted the guns to be trafficked to Mexico, where the bureau lost track of them. Two guns from the operation were recovered in December at the scene of a shootout between Border Patrol agents and Mexican bandits near Rio Rico, Ariz., that resulted in the death of Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry. Other guns sold during the operation have been linked to violent crime scenes in Mexico.
Holder has come under fire from Republicans, who say he deceived them about his knowledge of the operation, Several Republican House members have called for Holder to resign or for President Barack Obama to fire him. Holder will be pressed about Fast and Furious when he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Nov. 8. Grassley is the raking Republican on that panel.
