Holder said today:

“First, Kenneth Melson, the former Acting Director at ATF, has retired from the Department, effective immediately.... I have accepted the resignation of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, a longtime career prosecutor who most recently served in the Criminal Division where he led our violent and organized crime, computer crimes and intellectual property enforcement efforts.

....those individuals within ATF and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, whom the OIG report found to have been responsible for designing, implementing or supervising Operation Fast and Furious have been referred to the appropriate entities for review and consideration of potential personnel actions.

Holder describes the report's findings:

• The inappropriate strategy and tactics employed were field-driven and date back to 2006;

• The leadership of the Department did not know about or authorize the use of the flawed strategy and tactics; and

• The Department’s leadership did not attempt to cover up information or mislead Congress about it.

Holder obliquely refers to the Republican gamesmanship involved:

“It is unfortunate that some were so quick to make baseless accusations before they possessed the facts about these operations – accusations that turned out to be without foundation and that have caused a great deal of unnecessary harm and confusion. I hope today’s report acts as a reminder of the dangers of adopting as fact unsubstantiated conclusions before an investigation of the circumstances is completed.