© YURI GRIPAS/AFP/Getty ImagesUS President Barack Obama (R) talks to outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder at the portrait unveiling ceremony at the Justice Department in Washington, DC on February 27, 2015. The event marks Holder’s anticipated departure after more than six years of service.
Former President Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder had previously refused to produce documents requested by Oversight, documents which former Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz at the time called "critical" to pursuing the investigation.
The original Fast and Furious operation - conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - somehow allowed nearly 2,000 firearms to find their way into the hands of Mexican cartel members.
Firearms connected to the program were found at multiple crime scenes in both the United States and Mexico, including the murder scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
"The Department of Justice under my watch is committed to transparency and the rule of law," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday in a statement accompanying the announcement. "This settlement agreement is an important step to make sure that the public finally receives all the facts related to Operation Fast and Furious."
© Zach Gibson/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON, D.C. – MARCH 20: Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) speaks a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing concerning Russian meddling in the 2016 United States election, on Capitol Hill, March 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. While both the Senate and House Intelligence committees have received private intelligence briefings in recent months, Monday’s hearing is the first public hearing on alleged Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
"We have a responsibility to uncover why they worked so hard to hide this information from the Committee, the family of Brian Terry, and the American people," she added.
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