Slain Border Agent’s Brother Thanks Trump, Slams Holder: AG Jeff Sessions Needs to Restore DOJ

Associated Press/U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Associated Press/U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Kent Terry, brother to slain Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to restore the justice system while lauding President Trump for his administration’s campaign promise kept to “open up the books” on his brother’s death.

Terry told Fox News on Friday morning, “As you can see we were a little emotionally relieved yesterday. It’s been a long road for us of being lied to and misled.” He said after yesterday they’re “heading in the right direction.”

Agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010 by a seven-times deported illegal alien who shot Terry with a gun from the Obama-era “Fast and Furious” gun-walking program. Then-Attorney General Eric Holder was later held in contempt of congress for withholding government documents related to the scandalous program.

On Wednesday the Department of Justice announced that it had entered into a “conditional settlement agreement with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and will begin to produce additional documents related to Operation Fast and Furious.”

Terry was asked in the Friday Fox interview if anyone has reached out to him since news broke of the new document release. He said that Rep. Darrell Issa reached out to Terry’s mother on Thursday and that she was told that others in the DOJ would be reaching out to her again.

He was asked about the new Trump administration and the decision to turn over the documents.

“First of all, I want to thank President Trump for what he’s done,” said Terry. “We’ve come a long ways with Trump. I think he’s on the right ball, going down the right road with everybody.”

“Mr. Sessions needs to restore the justice system that [former Attorney General Eric] Holder messed up,” he added.

Terry was asked about Holder’s promises to him and his family to get justice for the family.

Terry continued:

“[Holder] told us that he would hold those responsible accountable, which we found out he was involved in it, so how’s the DOJ going to protect…investigate themselves? That was very upsetting to us, he did that.

“Then to find out that they were talking about wiretapping our family, calling us a nuisance because we wanted answers, and some other stuff they said along the way.

Terry said that Sessions has shown them that “he is headed in the right direction and maybe he will restore the justice system that America needs.”

Asked whether he thinks his family will get to see the documents that are being released from the DOJ to Congress, Terry replied with hesitation, questioning whether such documents would be redacted, but hopeful.

“I’ll pretty much believe it when I see it,” he said, adding that “the truth” is the family’s main concern – “That’s all we want and I hope these documents come forward and that they’re not redacted and they’re not misleading us again” by holding back some of the documents for years longer. “I hope they’re transparent.”

Terry discussed a promise that Trump made to him at a Trump presidential campaign rally, “I met with him. I shook his hand.” Terry described Trump as “very sincere about this country. He is, you can see it.” Trump was also apologetic for Brian Terry’s death, “apologizing for the previous administration.”

“He promised when he became president he was going to open up the books in my brother’s death and he did,” said Terry.

On March 3 Terry tweeted out a photo of a July 2014 letter from Holder to Terry that pledged to hold those responsible for Agent Brian Terry’s murder accountable.

Terry also tweeted out a plea to President Trump, asking him to “…reopen Obama’s gun scandal that cost my brother his life…”

He has been outspoken in television interviews about the case over the past week.

“The Department of Justice under my watch is committed to transparency and the rule of law,” AG Sessions said upon the Wednesday news of the DOJ document release settlement. Sessions called it “an important step to make sure that the public finally receives all the facts related to Operation Fast and Furious.”

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana 

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