"...the disrespect that is being heaped on them by those who seek political advantage..."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Eric Holder Hits Back At Rep. Who Called Obama Administration 'Accessory' To 'Murder'

Addressing investigations into the Department of Justice's Fast and Furious program –- which allowed illegal guns to be sent into Mexico to track where they ended up -– Holder both defended the role he and his colleagues played in overseeing the program and criticized Republican lawmakers for using hyperbole. In particular, he admonished Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) for insinuating that the Obama administration was somehow an accessory to murder for allowing the gunrunning program to occur.

I have not spoken at length on this subject out of deference to the review being conducted, at my request, by our Department’s Inspector General. However, in the past few days, the public discourse concerning these issues has become so base and so harmful to interests that I hope we all share that I must now address these issues notwithstanding the Inspector General’s ongoing review.

...

I simply cannot sit idly by as a Majority Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform suggests, as happened this week, that law enforcement and government employees who devote their lives to protecting our citizens be considered “accessories to murder." Such irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms. Those who serve in the ranks of law enforcement are our Nation’s heroes and deserve our Nation’s thanks, not the disrespect that is being heaped on them by those who seek political advantage. I trust you feel similarly and I call on you to denounce these statements.

Holder's letter was rare for its aggressive tone. The Attorney General's office has, to this point, attempted to beat back allegations of wrongdoing in the Fast and Furious program by dismissing them outright. Most recently, that's involved pointing out that a similar program, Operation Wide Receiver, was conducted during the Bush years and sparked no outcry from Republican lawmakers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/eric-holder-obama-fast-and-furious_n_1000800.html