Cornyn amendment defunds DOJ 'gun-walker' ops

A U.S. Senator and former Texas Attorney General took the lead Tuesday in the Senate’s move to cut off funding for the DOJ's “gun-walker” operations such as the one which resulted in the now-notorious Fast and Furious scandal:

The amendment, written by Sen. John Cornyn III (R.-Tex.) reads: “No funds made available under this Act shall be used to allow the transfer of firearms to agents of drug cartels where law enforcement personnel of the United States do not continuously monitor and control such firearms at all times.”

The amendment passed 99 to 0.

Cornyn, who serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services and Budget Committees, said, “When 2,000 firearms go missing, and at least one is found at the crime scene of a murdered U.S. Border Patrol agent, we must do everything possible to ensure that such a reckless and ill-advised operation like Fast and Furious is not repeated.”

The former Texas attorney general said U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder has not be forthcoming in his explanations of the Fast and Furious and other similar operations.

“In addition to this amendment, Mr. Holder owes Americans a full accounting on all alleged gun-walking operations, including a response to allegations of another Texas-based scheme, and I encourage him to come up to Capitol Hill to do so as soon as possible,” he said.

In addition to previously serving as Texas Attorney General, Cornyn is also a former Texas Supreme Court justice and Bexar County district judge.

- JP