ATF Abandons Plans to Destroy Gunrunning Program Evidence

In a letter to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) sent in early December, House Judiciary ranking member Jim Jordan (R-OH) urged the Bureau to abandon its plans to destroy gunrunning evidence from Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder‘s Operation Fast and Furious.

The letter said, in part:

Although the ATF apparently intends to forget its dangerous misconduct in Operation Fast and Furious, the scandal is still a matter of public concern. In fact, earlier this year, prosecutors in Mexico charged seven individuals with crimes related to Operation Fast and Furious, including Mexico’s former top police official and a former Mexican Federal Police commander. Given the potential for ongoing criminal and possible civil actions, it is not in the interest of justice for the ATF to destroy potential evidence associated with Operation Fast and Furious. I request that you immediately take steps to preserve all evidence associated with Operation Fast and Furious and confirm in writing that you have done so.

The ATF responded to Jordan by letting him know they would not destroy the firearms. The House Judiciary GOP responded to the ATF’s reversal by tweeting, “The agency reversed course and informed us that it will now preserve the evidence related to the Obama/Biden scandal.”

Jordan noted that the continued existence of the evidence is paramount, as “there is still ongoing litigation in Mexico” concerning Fast and Furious.

Moreover, Jordan pointed out that the gunrunning scheme failed to result in the arrest of drug cartel leaders, which was the ubiquitous goal of the operation, and it resulted in the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.