U.S. Attorney General in the cross-hairs over Fast and Furious; Republicans demand investigation; Mexico outraged over latest news of DEA & ATF programs

The Republican Chair of the House Judiciary Committee today demanded that a special counsel be appointed to investigate whether U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder lied when he told Senate investigators earlier this year that he was unaware of the secret DEA Fast and Furious arms sale program until March or April 2011. For details on Fast and Furious, and a similar program called Wide Receiver operated by the ATF in 2006 and 2007, use the MGRR search engine to locate numerous articles.

"Allegations that senior Justice Department officials may have intentionally misled Members of Congress are extremely troubling and must be addressed by an independent and objective special counsel," wrote U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, in a letter to President Barack Obama released today.

Attorney General Holder told a congressional committee on May 3, 2011 that he had only been aware of the existence of Fast and Furious for "several weeks." But Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, says that Holder knew about the program by no later than January 31, because the two men discussed the case on that date. Email and documentary evidence in the hands of a Senate committee investigating Fast and Furious indicate that Holder likely knew about both Fast and Furious and Wide Receiver by October 2010, and perhaps even earlier. There has been no reaction from the White House to today's developments.

Mexican officials continued to express dismay over both programs. A PAN (National Action Party) senator said today, "the United States shares a great deal of responsibility for the blood bath taking place in Mexico. It's as if they're trying to destabilize our country."