Fast and Furious: What alarmed agent Brian Terry?

To date, the sole exercise of executive privilege by President Obama has not been on the IRS scandal, the Veterans’ Administration scandal nor Benghazi. Rather, it has been invoked one time and one time only: Operation Fast and Furious. Almost four years on now, the question remains: Why?

The above, never before published journal pages are a sampling of what Kent Terry, brother of murdered Border Patrol Agent and former Marine Brian Terry, found shortly after Brian’s death on December 14, 2010. These notes are both confirmed to be those of Agent Terry and according to his family are completely consistent with his handwriting. Brian, apparently concerned about protecting them, hid these notes in a pair of his work boots. His brother Kent discovered the notes when going through Brian’s effects following his murder. Following Brian’s death and directly after his dad had discussed with U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke the three emails Brian had sent to the National Border Patrol Council, fourth amendment search and seizure violations ensued. The government ransacked Brian Terry’s residence without a warrant and removed all electronic media devices. The family received the devices back after approximately one year. The devices were thoroughly and completely wiped clean by the government. Again the persistent question remains: Why?

{mosads}Before his murder, Brian had on several occasions stopped vehicles en route to Mexico, vehicles laden with AK-47 rifles in their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) crates. Each time he had stopped and searched the vehicles he radioed his superiors. He was told to “Let ‘em through.” Brian had also come across multiple caches of ammunition buried in the desert. Was it finding these weapons and ammunition, coupled with superiors seemingly turning a blind eye to what was occurring, that so alarmed Brian Terry? After all, he uncharacteristically voiced to his mom over coffee at her house two months before his murder how concerned he was about “something bad was going to happen?” Or was it the “two bad agents,” as Brian described them to his mom on that same visit home, who “aggressively confronted him” that so concerned Brian; a concern so genuine that he purposely hid journal notes in his work boots to ensure they would be protected? Protected from whom?

The historic Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix was purported to be the central location used for the planning and execution of the weapons-running involved in Fast and Furious. These weapons have not only been involved in killings of hundreds in Mexico, but were found at Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s hideout, and could be linked to the Bataclan terrorist attack in France on Nov. 13, 2015. Did Agent Terry unknowingly stumble not only upon Operation Fast and Furious but a larger, international gun-running operation as well? A July 1, 2011 meeting at a Border Patrol office in Las Cruces, New Mexico at which Border Patrol Intelligence personnel from all of the area sectors attended, suggests that might have been the case. Was the underlying reason for this meeting what alarmed Brian Terry? Or perhaps because in all of this there are more questions than answers; more people willing to “Let ‘em through” than to thoroughly investigate and more hollow words than meaningful action. Perhaps this is what truly alarmed Agent Brian Terry, and lead to his prescient action regarding his journal notes.

Witnesses exist who are willing to share their information with government authorities, but currently it seems there’s no one there to listen.

Andrew McKenna is the author of Sheer Madness: From Federal Prosecutor to Federal Prisoner. He is a Market Director for Addiction Campuses. Mr. McKenna’s opinions are his alone and not necessarily those of Addiction Campuses.

Matthew Smith-Meck is a designated Whistleblower and retired Marine Officer.

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