Politics

Obama signs Brian A. Terry Memorial Act into law

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
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On Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act into law, according to a White House press release.

Terry was a Border Patrol agent who was murdered with weapons the Obama administration allowed to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels via Operation Fast and Furious.

Terry’s murder sparked a congressional investigation into the gunrunning program that has gone on for more than a year. No government officials have been held accountable for Fast and Furious.

Attorney General Eric Holder has demonstrably failed to comply with a congressional subpoena House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa served him on Oct. 12, 2011. Holder has thus far failed to comply with all 22 categories of the subpoena that requires him to provide Congress with documents relating to Fast and Furious. On 13 of the categories, Holder has provided no documents. On the other nine subpoena categories, Holder is still far from compliant.

Issa plans to move forward with contempt of Congress proceedings against Holder if necessary to enforce the subpoena.

While some Democrats have made politically-charged statements against those pursuing the Fast and Furious investigation, there is bipartisan support for enforcement of the subpoena Holder has failed to comply with. Indiana Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly joined Issa’s efforts last week to push Holder to comply with the subpoena, and other Democrats have been critical of Fast and Furious and of Holder’s stonewalling. (RELATED: Full coverage of Operation Fast and Furious)

Another place where there’s been bipartisan support is with regard to the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act President Obama just signed into law. The legislation — which now renames the U.S. Border Patrol station in Bisbee, Ariz. to honor Terry’s memory — passed both the House and the Senate with unanimous support from Republicans and Democrats. Neither Obama nor Holder, however, would comment on the legislation.

On Tuesday, when Obama signed the bill into law, he did not hold a public signing ceremony with Terry’s family. The announcement that Obama had signed the memorial act into law was stuffed in the middle of a White House press release packed with other announcements not relevant to Terry.

The press release contained no quote from Obama or from White House press secretary Jay Carney about Terry.

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