Politics

Holder: No apology for ‘Fast and Furious’ death of border patrol agent

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
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During a Tuesday Senate hearing, Attorney General Eric Holder refused to apologize to the family of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was murdered last December with a gun “walked” to Mexico as part of Operation Fast and Furious..

Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn asked Holder if he has apologized to Terry’s family for what happened to him because of the DOJ’s controversial program. Holder replied that he hasn’t.

“I have not apologized to them, but I certainly regret what happened,” Holder said.

Cornyn followed up, asking if Holder has “even talked to them.”

“I have not,” Holder replied.

Cornyn offered Holder the opportunity to apologize to Terry’s family, during the hearing, for his murder. “Would you like to apologize today for this program that went so wrong and that took the life of a United States law enforcement agent?”

Holder expressed his sadness without apologizing. “I certainly regret what happened to Agent Brian Terry,” Holder said. “I can only imagine the pain that his family has had to go through, in particular his mother. I am a father, and have three children myself. We are not programmed to bury our kids.”

“It pains me whenever there is the death of a law enforcement official, especially under the circumstances,” Holder said. “It is not fair, however, to say the mistakes that happened in Fast and Furious directly led to the death of Agent Terry.”

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