Fast And Furious Investigation Leads To Subpoena Of Federal Prosecutor

WASHINGTON — A House committee looking into the flawed gun smuggling investigation called Operation Fast and Furious has subpoenaed a federal prosecutor in Arizona for questioning.

Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Thursday that Patrick Cunningham repeatedly refused to testify voluntarily about his role in the operation that relied on a controversial law enforcement tactic designed to identify and prosecute major weapons traffickers.

According to Issa, the committee has information that Cunningham played a role in approving the tactic, which resulted in federal agents losing track of weapons that later ended up at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S.

Cunningham, who is resigning effective Jan. 27 to take a job in the private sector, has been chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix for the past two years.

Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler declined to comment about the subpoena.

Comments

[DUSAA-1775]

09:42 PM on 01/21/2012

Patrick Cunningham has invoked the 5th amendment and will not testify concerning 'fast and furious.'

As we all know, he can't be forced to testify and incriminate himself by talking about the illegal activities he and the obama administration have been involved with. Perhaps it is time for the congress to give a few key people immunity.

[newinzone]

03:28 PM on 01/21/2012

Walking thousands of guns into Mexico.....this is very much like the government mixing up the poison and the antidote in the same laboratory..... crisis management.... life imitating art just like in the internet story "Battle of Jakes".....

[WILLIEMOJORISIN]

11:18 AM on 01/21/2012

which resulted in federal agents losing track of weapons that later ended up at crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S.

Why doesn't the media say that one of those guns killed an on duty US Border Patrol Agent who was a husband and father of 4 ? because it would shine a bad light on this Administration thats why.

[larmarch5]

12:53 AM on 01/21/2012

This is in the same category as the G-OOPS trying and failing to repeal their own light bulb bill. This is a tactic frequently used by G-OOPS to intimidate good people from taking jobs in government. Right out of the McCarthy playbook. While G-OOPs controlled congress they never provided any oversight of the Bush League admin and now they think they can appear credible. Issa is one of the reasons the GOOPs are at 12% approval rating. Throw the bums out.

[WILLIEMOJORISIN]

11:19 AM on 01/21/2012

Fast and Furious is Obamas baby ,no matter how you try to spin it,it all happened on his watch.

[larmarch5]

11:43 AM on 01/21/2012

Every trail Issa takes leads right back to the huckuva jobbers. That's why this is STILL going on. Issa's got NOTHING

[Mark0]

06:42 AM on 01/22/2012

Fast and Furious took place under the current administration.

Give credit where it is due.

[nottinglepee]

10:31 AM on 01/22/2012

This is why 2012 election will be a bit different than 2008.

President Historic has a record. Not even the msm can cover for that.

[larmarch5]

11:07 AM on 01/22/2012

It's a GOOP's thing. Izzy's annoyance is also part of the 12% approval rating of congres. He is seen as NOT HELPING.

[field-man]

07:28 PM on 01/20/2012

Obama used the gun-running operation to support regulations Congress would not even consider, namely, a rule requiring gun stores in the Southwest to report anyone who tries to buy multiple "long guns," or rifles, in a one-week period. Holder knows this but will never confess, Obama is no supporter of the 2nd Amendment

[field-man]

07:21 PM on 01/20/2012

Admission of guilt

[Jerry Bourbon]

03:36 PM on 01/20/2012

This gets better. Cunningham is taking the Fifth. WHY?

"Cunningham is represented by Tobin Romero of Williams and Connolly who is a specialist in white collar crime. In the letter, he suggests witnesses from the Department of Justice in Washington, who have spoken in support of Attorney General Eric Holder, are wrong or lying.

“Department of Justice officials have reported to the Committee that my client relayed inaccurate information to the Department upon which it relied in preparing its initial response to Congress. If, as you claim, Department officials have blamed my client, they have blamed him unfairly,” the letter to Issa says.

Romero claims Cunningham did nothing wrong and acted in good faith, but the Department of Justice in Washington is making him the fall guy"

[advchaser]

02:25 PM on 01/20/2012

This guy, the chief of the criminal division needs to be fired and charges need to be pressed against this twit ... guessing that is a pipe dream under Holder's reign of incompetence.

[Jerry Bourbon]

03:38 PM on 01/20/2012

He needs to be extradited to Mexico, to face about 150 counts of accessory to murder. Holder needs to go with him to be his cellmate.

[formerarmynowattorney]

08:04 PM on 01/20/2012

Let's see Cunningham started at justice AFTER the fast and furious program went into effect!!! Why don't you geniuses look at that fact? Anyone check his resume? Let's see years of gov't service US Army?

By the way, if I was his attorney I'd tell him to take the 5th. Why not wake up and see who is being set up here is stead of going off "half cocked." No one high up ever takes the hit they sacrifice the next lowest offical to take the hit.

[Jerry Bourbon]

01:02 PM on 01/20/2012

Apparently, he has taken the Fifth Amendment.

I wonder why????

[schotts]

11:45 PM on 01/24/2012

Because he can't abuse the Second Amendment any longer?

[TomDi]

12:18 PM on 01/20/2012

The Thug In Chief and his stooge Eric Holder need to fess up to this disgraceful action. If I w ere the parents of the dead border guard I would sue the DOJ for wrongful death.

A House committee says a federal prosecutor in Arizona intends to remain silent if called for questioning in a congressional probe of a problem-plagued gun smuggling investigation.
Patrick Cunningham's decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in the investigation of Operation Fast and Furious comes after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoenaed him.

[rigslip]

11:12 AM on 01/20/2012

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...Wake me up when we get to the real culprits behind this fiasco, ie. Holder and Obama.

[centsable]

11:15 AM on 01/20/2012

Even though the GWB administration started it...and then stopped it. Where is Issa on these crooks.

[TomDi]

12:14 PM on 01/20/2012

centsable, stop the GWB excuse about anything that happens with this incompetent president.

[Jerry Bourbon]

12:24 PM on 01/20/2012

"Then stopped it". When they realized that it did not work. AFTER they had gotten permission from the Mexicans. BEFORE anyone died.

[hagagaga]

11:04 AM on 01/20/2012

Why is it that people dismiss this because it's Issa? He may not be a shining beacon of morality, but that does not mean that anybody who he's investigating is.

[Mark0]

08:11 AM on 01/22/2012

Precisely.

[asiclilpup]

10:45 AM on 01/20/2012

issa is to investigation as boehner is to leadership. The only repubie doing anything is eric the chihuahua can'tor-he's been rallying and frothing up the tpotty,getting them ready to walk all over cheetosman thereby giving the littleweasel the crown of dysfunction.

[nottinglepee]

04:56 PM on 01/20/2012

You are so right!

Time for a special prosecutor ala Watergate.

[David Hundley]

10:22 AM on 01/20/2012

What is it about boys and their guns, they always want something big and hard in their hands.
Guns don't make the man, because the enemies can get a hold of them and create kaos.
Weapons can be picked up off the ground, like a rock or a stick.

[Jerry Bourbon]

10:23 AM on 01/20/2012

Uh oh. Another Hoplophobe with strange sexual fantasies...

[nottinglepee]

04:57 PM on 01/20/2012

Um....F&F was about subverting the 2nd Amendment.

[kinogod]

10:10 AM on 01/20/2012

Someone needs to investigate Issa; this man is a walking criminal case if ever there was a billion.

[nottinglepee]

04:58 PM on 01/20/2012

Go for it.

We need a special prosecutor, ala Watergate for F&F. Will you like that better?

[kinogod]

08:40 PM on 01/20/2012

Go waste someone less country on nuttin