Members of Congress hold Holder's feet to fire over 'blasé' attitude toward murdered Border Patrol agent :: 11/17/2011

Florida Republican Rep. Allen West said it was "reprehensible" for Attorney General Eric Holder to leak to the press his long-overdue apology letter to slain Border Patrol agent Brian Terry's family before Terry's mother had read it.

West compared Holder's actions to those military leaders take with respect to families of fallen soldiers.

"Having been a person that was in combat as a leader before, that's reprehensible," West said at a Tuesday press conference where many of the 42 members of Congress calling for Holder's resignation amplified their demands.

"That would be just the same," West said, "as if I lost a soldier in my unit - that I did not do anything as far as writing a letter of condolence to the parents until someone brought it to my attention that I hadn't written a letter of condolence - and then, when I finally did decide to write a letter, I leaked it out to the Public Affairs office to try to rectify the situation."

West added that Holder's behavior is "not leadership" and that his lack of empathy for the families of those under his command is the "main reason why this guy has to go."

"If something went wrong in a platoon, which is two levels lower [than where I was], that's my responsibility as a battalion commander," West said, responding to what he said was Holder's habit of blaming law enforcement officials in Phoenix for Operation Fast and Furious instead of accepting responsibility.