Gosar: Burke's resignation and Melson's demotion small steps on road to accountability for DOJ

Congressman Gosar’s statement on AZ U.S. Attorney Burke’s resignation, ATF Acting Director Melson’s demotion

Safford, AZ - Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ-01) issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) Acting Director Kenneth Melson's demotion to the Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy, and the resignation of Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke.

“The resignation of U.S. Attorney Burke and the demotion of Acting ATF Director Melson are only small steps on the long road to accountability for the Department of Justice.  As the only Arizona congressman who serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, please be assured I will continue to press the Department of Justice for answers about Operation Fast and Furious.”

“I must not rest until the American people are informed about who authorized the program, who allowed it to continue despite grave misgivings on the part of dedicated ATF agents, and who is responsible for the lack of transparency from DOJ thus far.”

Congressman Paul A. Gosar, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, represents Arizona’s First Congressional District.  For more information on Congressman Gosar’s involvement in the investigation into Operations Fast and Furious, please visit http://gosar.house.gov.

Editors note: The major shakeup at the ATF is the DOJ's and ATF's answer to a congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, a  sting operation related to a 2006 probe, Project Gunrunner, to stop the flow of weapons from the U.S. into Mexico. Operation Fast and Furious, began in October 2009 and allowed illegal weapons into Mexico to the Sinoloa Cartel so they could be tracked.

The weapons that went into Mexico were reportedly purchased at Valley stores and put in the hands of known smugglers. In December 2010, US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed near Rio Rico, Arizona, and AK-47's found at the scene were traced to a seller in Glendale. The weapons had been purchased 11 months previous to Terry's death and were tied to the sting operation. The incident brought an end to Operation Fast and Furious.  

About a year ago, whistle blowers went to congress with the information that the sting operation put hundreds of weapons into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. An investigation followed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which Congressman Paul A. Gosar is a member. The investigation, which continues, demanded that heads roll, and many people at ATF and DOJ either resigned or were demoted or reassigned.