Fast and Furious Scandal: Arizona Sheriffs Call for Larger Investigation

Fast and Furious Scandal continues to heat up as sheriffs in the Southwest call for Special Counsel to probe the Fast and Furious Operation.

Check out this interview by NRA News of Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu airing his concerns about the Fast and Furious Scandal.

Ten Arizona Sheriffs Call for Larger Investigation | Video courtesy of NRA News

President Barrack Obama had earlier told the press that he has "complete confidence in Attorney General Holder, in how he handles his office" and that Holder "has been very aggressive in going after gunrunning and cash transactions that are going to these transnational drug cartels."

Meanwhile, Representative Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, recently said via a letter that  Fast and Furious is Holder's "responsibility."

"Mr. Attorney General," Issa wrote "you have made numerous statements about Fast and Furious that have eventually been proven to be untrue. Your lack of trustworthiness while speaking about Fast and Furious has called into question your overall credibility as Attorney General.... Whether you realize it yet or not, you own Fast and Furious. It is your responsibility."

The Fast and Furious Scandal pertains to Operation Fast and Furious which was a sting run by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) between 2009 and 2010 as part of Project Gunrunner in its investigations into illegal gun trafficking.

The stated purpose of the Fast and Furious was to permit otherwise-suspected straw purchasers to complete the weapon's purchase and transit to Mexico, in order to build a bigger case against Mexican criminal organizations suspected of being the ultimate buyer.The operation started in the fall of 2009 and ended in late 2010 shortly after the death of Brian Terry, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and has since become the subject of controversy and a U.S. congressional investigation.

During the operation, the sale of at least 2,000 guns were facilitated by ATF knowing most would be trafficked to Mexico. By June 2011, the guns have been linked (through eTrace, ATF's electronic tracing program) to some 179 crime scenes in Mexico. Additional 21 guns were recovered from violent crime scenes in Mexico in August 2011.Of the 2,000 guns knowingly released by ATF agents, only 600 are reported as recovered by officials. There is a remainder of 1,400 guns that have not been recovered.