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Former US Attorney Censured For Fast And Furious Leak

Slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Border Patrol)
Slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

The former United States Attorney for Arizona has been reprimanded and fined by the state bar for leaking confidential information.

Dennis Burke resigned in August 2011 in connection with the Fast and Furious gun-walking operation. The botched ATF investigation allowed criminals to smuggle weapons into Mexico so the agency could track them. But agents lost track of the majority of the guns involved

Fast and Furious came to light after Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in a shootout and two of the missing weapons were found at the scene.

The U.S. Attorney's office came under fire for its role in the program. Burke was accused of releasing information to two news organizations to take the heat off his office and make the investigation more transparent.

This week, he was reprimanded by the Arizona State Bar and sent a bill for $1,200 in expenses. In his first public comment on the matter, Burke told the Arizona Republic it's a fair resolution.

Nick Blumberg was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2010 to 2014.