In a letter sent to Chairman Harold Rogers of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Darrel Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley strongly refuted the claims by Mayors Against Illegal Guns that the Tiahrt Amendment was an impediment to the investigations into BATFE’s “Fast and Furious” project. (The Tiahrt amendment, which is now permanent law, prevents the release of confidential gun purchase data except for legitimate legal investigations.)
The two congressional leaders stated directly that the Tiahrt amendment in no way impeded their investigation nor was it cited by the DOJ as a reason to deny information requests. They did, however, emphasize that the DOJ itself has been uncooperative and unresponsive to repeated requests for information.
So, while MAIG falsely claims the a law protecting the privacy of law-abiding gun owners is at fault, the real blame for a lack of complete information on the reckless “fast and furious” project lies at the feet of senior Obama Administration DOJ officials.