Attorney General Eric Holder said B. Todd Jones, the chief federal prosecutor in Minnesota, would replace Kenneth Melson as acting director of the ATF. Holder said Melson will become senior adviser on forensic science in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy.  Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, whose office is overseeing pending prosecutions in the gun investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious, resigned. Emory Hurley, an assistant federal prosecutor directly assigned to the gun prosecutions, was reassigned within the Phoenix office.  The shake-up represents the Obama administration's first major response to allegations that the flawed gun investigation, aimed at tracking guns to drug cartel leaders, may have been responsible for arming drug organizations in deadly encounters with Mexican and U.S. officials.  The operation was shut down last December following the killing of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in a Arizona shootout. Two weapons recovered at the scene of Terry's killing were purchased as part of the federal sting operation. It has not been determined whether either of the weapons were used to kill Terry.  Prior to Terry's killing, ATF officials allowed about 2,000 guns to be purchased by alleged cartel associates, known as straw buyers, hoping that the trail of weapons would lead to cartel leaders and their ultimate prosecutions.  The attorney general, who offered no criticism of the departing leaders, said Jones would bring a "wealth of experience" to the top job at ATF.  "I have great confidence that he will be a strong and steady influence guiding ATF in fulfilling its mission of combating violent crime by enforcing federal criminal laws and regulations in the firearms and explosives industries," Holder said.  Like Melson, Jones will hold the title of acting director for an embattled agency that has been without a permanent director for five years. Holder also said Jones would continue to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in Minnesota.  The Justice Department announcements prompted mixed reactions from Congress where the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the ATF's Phoenix-based operation. The Justice Department's inspector general is conducting a separate review.  Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. said the operation's "reckless disregard for safety" merited a change in leadership. But he said the panel would continue "to ensure that blame isn't offloaded on just a few individuals."  "There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in 'Operation Fast and Furious' and who else bears responsibility," Issa said. "These changes are warranted and offer an opportunity for the Justice Department to explain the role other officials and offices played in the infamous efforts to allow weapons to flow to Mexican drug cartels."  Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is assisting the congressional inquiry, said the personnel moves were "a step in the right direction."  "Today's announcement is an admission by the Obama administration that serious mistakes were made," he said. "There's a lot of blame to go around. As our investigation moves forward, and we get to the bottom of this policy, I wouldn't be surprised to see more fall out beyond the resignations and new assignments announced today."  Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House panel, said Melson and Burke both acknowledged in interviews with committee investigators that "mistakes were made and that Operation Fast and Furious lacked adequate protections for public safety."  Cummings said that in interviews with congressional investigators Melson said he was not aware of specific details about the operation until they were publicly disclosed in news accounts earlier this year.  When he later learned of the number of weapons actually involved, Melson told investigators that his stomach was "in knots."  "Fresh leadership will allow ATF to move forward and focus on its vital mission of enforcing our nation's gun laws," Cummings said.  In a statement issued Tuesday, Melson said that he would "miss" working at the agency.  "ATF employees are hard working and dedicated to the mission of protecting the public every day, and in my time here I have seen firsthand their extraordinary commitment to stopping violent crime," he said.
The acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Arizona's top federal prosecutor was reassigned.