Politics

Brian Terry memorial act passes House unanimously

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
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Late Wednesday night, on the eve of the one year anniversary of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry’s murder with weapons sold during Operation Fast and Furious, the House of Representatives passed the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act of 2011 by unanimous consent.

“The overwhelming support with which the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act passed the House of Representatives is a tribute to Agent Terry’s life of service and to the Border Patrol’s distinguished history of protecting America’s homeland,” House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, the bill’s main sponsor, said in a statement on Thursday. (RELATED: Full coverage of Fast and Furious)

The bill is waiting for action in the Senate. Assuming it’s passed, it will rename the U.S. Border Patrol station in Bisbee, Arizona to honor Terry’s memory.

“While many questions remain unanswered regarding the circumstances surrounding Agent Terry’s death, one thing is certain; he gave his life in defense of our country,” Issa added. “This, the one year anniversary of Agent Terry’s passing, is a reminder of his sacrifice and of the risk his fellow agents take daily on our behalf.”

Terry was killed with weapons Attorney General Eric Holder’s Justice Department allowed to be sold to Mexican drug cartels via Operation Fast and Furious.

Fast and Furious was a program of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, overseen by Holder’s Department of Justice. It cleared the way for thousands of weapons to get to Mexican drug cartels via straw purchasers — people who legally purchased guns in the United States with the known intention of illegally trafficking them somewhere else.

At least 300 people in Mexico were killed with Fast and Furious weapons, as was Terry. The identities of the Mexican victims are unknown.

A full year later, Holder is facing a surge in calls for his resignation over the operation. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing one week ago, Holder admitted he does not plan to resign, nor does he plan to ask for anyone else’s resignation over Fast and Furious.

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