Sen. Cornyn wants ATF director fired

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is calling for Attorney General Eric Holder to fire the head of the ATF.

Cornyn said that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives's (ATF) acting director Kenneth Melson should be asked to resign instead of being reassigned to the Office of Legal Council. The move was announced by the Department of Justice on Tuesday after months of speculation about Melson's role in a botched gun-tracking operation that might have contributed to the death of a Border Patrol agent.

“Instead of reassigning those responsible for Fast and Furious within the Department of Justice, Attorney General Holder should ask for their resignations and come clean on all alleged gun-walking operations, including a detailed response to allegations of a Texas-based scheme,” said Cornyn in a statement.

Cornyn wrote a letter to Holder earlier this month asking for DOJ to turn over any information they have on similar gun-tracking operations that have been conducted or are ongoing in Texas.

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