Councilman Peter Vallone took to his Facebook page on Thursday evening to respond to Attorney General Eric Holder's criticism of the NYPD's surveillance program.
Vallone took aim with the following fighting words:
really? you're concerned about surveillance that anyone with a computer and a car could do but apparently unconcerned that you "lost" 2000 firearms to drug dealers and terrorists to use against the NYPD???
The councilman's criticism suggests Holder think twice before expressing his disapproval, specifically in light of recent reports alleging the Justice Department had attempted to cover up Operation Fast and Furious, the gun-trafficking investigation gone awry, which is being connected to the killing of a Border Patrol agent in 2010.
Vallone's post follows a question from a New Jersey senator who asked on Thursday how the NYPD could fathom conducting such a large-scale spying initiative without notifying New Jersey Governor Chris Christie or Newark Mayor Cory Booker.
Holder responded, "I don't know. We are in the process of reviewing the letters that have come in expressing concerns about those matters. At least what I've read publicly, and again, just what I've read in the newspapers, is disturbing."
Holder's views align with many outraged civil rights advocates and politicians alike. In an editorial from The New York Times on Thursday, defendants of the controversial program are criticized:
Those reactions ignore the views of the governor of New Jersey, a solidly conservative Republican, the mayor of Newark, many Muslim public figures, and leaders of universities where surveillance has occurred...Mr. Kelly loudly defends the operation and an exemplary record of preventing terrorist attacks. He should not do that so loudly that he drowns out reasonable criticisms.
As for Vallone's Facebook fans, his post garnered 45 Likes with supporters commenting, "You tell em Pete !! Holder should resign" and "Maybe we should be concerned that the top law enforcement officer in the country gets his info from a newspaper!"