'Fast and Furious' whistleblower says he's 'disappointed' one year later :: 06/18/2012

GREENVILLE, SC - More than a year after ATF Special Agent John Dodson first blew the whistle on the scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious, Dodson says he is "disheartened and disappointed" by the congressional investigation and Attorney General Eric Holder's handling of the botched gunrunning probe.

"I am here today because it's been a year since the first hearing and Brian Terry's family still doesn't have answers," Dodson said from his living room in Greenville, S.C.

In his first interview since February 2011, when he first revealed the U.S. government was helping run guns to Mexican cartels, Dodson exclusively told Fox News he has no regrets.

"We did it. I was there. I was part of it. You don't get to lie about it. That is not who we are," Dodson said.

According to records, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation sent some 2,500 guns to the Sinaloa Cartel from September 2009 to January 2011. Agents asked American gun dealers to sell the weapons and report the transactions immediately to the ATF. Despite their misgivings, most firearms dealers went along. When the guns began showing up immediately at crime scenes in Mexico, Dodson warned his supervisors their operation was going to kill an American law enforcement officer, not to mention hundreds of Mexicans.

"I asked them if they were prepared to go to the funeral of a Border Patrol agent over this or Cochise County deputy - if they were prepared to watch that widow accept that folded flag because that's exactly what was going to happen. So they can't claim that was an unforeseen consequence," he said.

While Dodson's offhand warning in May 2010 in the office lunchroom may seem inconsequential, legally it's not. The Terry family is preparing to sue the U.S. government for wrongful death. In similar cases, government agencies often argue accidental deaths or injuries are an "unforeseen consequence" of their actions. Dodson's warning makes that defense problematic.

"I don't feel vindicated at all," Dodson explained. "It's not a matter of me feeling vindicated. ... Maybe the truth will come out -- ultimately that's what this is supposed to be about ... to get the truth."

After internal emails revealed Fast and Furious guns were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, Dodson said he complained repeatedly to the ATF Office of Professional Responsibility. Twice he was directed to voicemail. Eventually, he went outside the agency to Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

By William La Jeunesse

Published June 18, 2012, FoxNews.com