President-Elect Pena Nieto
c/o The American Embassy
Paseo de la Reforma 305
Colonia Cuauhtemoc
06500 Mexico, D.F.

Dear President Nieto

        Please accept our congratulations on your election victory - we wish you well in addressing the challenges ahead. Sadly, the United States has contributed to those challenges. We express our profound regret for the loss of life and injuries caused by guns our Justice Department allowed to be trafficked to Mexico through the "Fast & Furious" program. Attorney General Morales confirmed that hundreds of your countrymen have been murdered by weapons furnished via the program. Americans were horrified by the video of lawyer Mario Rodriguez being tortured by cartel thugs. Fast and Furious weapons were apparently implicated in his death.

        We also apologize for the lack of progress in identifying those who authorized the Fast & Furious program. Identification is difficult because as you know, our president recently claimed executive privilege over Fast & Furious communications. Nevertheless, we have encouraged our Congressional representatives to continue investigating Justice Department gun trafficking. We are deeply saddened that our government is complicit in the murder of Mexican citizens. Unless there's massive, unlawful obstruction by the executive branch, we believe those responsible will eventually be identified and held accountable.

Sincerely

Maurice & Mary Coverdell-Cox