Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before lawmakers on Thursday to apologize for the controversial gun-sting operation known as “Fast and Furious.” The operation saw U.S. agents encouraging the sale of thousands of guns to middlemen for Mexican drug cartels in an attempt to gain access to senior-level figures within Mexico’s criminal organizations. The U.S. Department of Justice was recently forced to withdraw a letter to Congress that mistakenly stated federal agents made every effort to seize the guns before they crossed over into Mexico. Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, Holder called the operation “inexcusable.”

Attorney General Eric Holder: “The Department has devoted significant resources to this fight, and specifically to addressing the unacceptable rate of illegal firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of that laudable goal, unacceptable tactics were adopted as a part of Operation Fast and Furious. Now, as I have repeatedly stated, allowing guns to 'walk,' whether in this administration or the prior one, is wholly unacceptable. The use of this misguided tactic is inexcusable, and it must never happen again.”