Washington -- U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle attracted some extra attention Thursday as the House of Representatives debated whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.



Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, addressing her colleagues from the House floor, said Holder should be held accountable for Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed federal sting operation that tracked gun-smuggling between Arizona and Mexico.

The first-term congresswoman turned some heads when she said the issue is “first and foremost” among her constituents in Central New York.

“Syracuse, New York, in the heart of my district, is roughly 2,500 miles from Rio Rico, Arizona, where U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was tragically shot and killed by an AK-47 assault rifle that the United States knowingly allowed into the hands of a suspected gun trafficker,” Buerkle said in her speech. “Yet every time I’m home, it is the issue first and foremost on the minds of my constituents.”

Her comment prompted a tweet from New York Times reporter Jonathan Weisman, who noted, "Syracuse cares."



Buerkle went on to say that she listens on a daily basis to calls, emails and comments at town hall meetings from constituents who want answers about the operation.

“They want to know what happened, who knew what and when did they know it,” she said. “They ask me, they ask Washington, they ask the Department of Justice: How could the United States government, the pillar of hope and freedom, have allowed for this, for one of their own representatives, one of their own good guys, to be so helplessly gunned down by a suspected criminal?”

In an interview after Holder became the first sitting attorney general held in contempt of Congress, Buerkle told The Post-Standard that she receives more feedback on Operation Fast and Furious than any other issue. But she quickly added that does not count constituents who have been “ginned up” in organized campaigns from state and national groups on issues such as jobs, the economy, Medicare and health-care reform.

Buerkle said Operation Fast and Furious is “the single issue that we continue to get the most phone calls and emails about.”

UPDATE

Former Rep. Dan Maffei, Buerkle's opponent in this November's election for the new 24th Congressional District, said Monday her comments show she has become a conservative insider in Washington who has lost touch with Central New Yorkers.

"It is remarkable how out of touch Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle is with the people of Central New York to think that voters don’t care about jobs, the economy, or Medicare,” Maffei, of DeWitt, said in a statement.

“It’s clear that Congresswoman Buerkle is stuck in a bubble of extreme right-wing Washington pundits, and has no concept of what actually matters to Central New Yorkers," Maffei said. "Our top priority needs to be getting people back to work, creating an environment for businesses to grow and succeed, and protecting Medicare and Social Security for our seniors. I will dedicate myself to fighting for the middle class, not for the Washington extremists who are the clear top priority for Congresswoman Buerkle.”

Contact Post-Standard Washington correspondent Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751.

See a video clip below of Buerkle's speech on the House floor