Why is this a big deal? Because the administration has pleaded ignorance of the operation all along. Holder himself told Congress back in May that he only learned of Fast and Furious within a few weeks of that testimony. That was said under oath.

And yet now, via CBS News, we’re learning Holder was briefed on the operation in the middle of last year — months before the project was shuttered following the murder of a Border Patrol agent with the use of one of the weapons.

New documents obtained by CBS News show Attorney General Eric Holder was sent briefings on the controversial Fast and Furious operation as far back as July 2010. That directly contradicts his statement to Congress…

The documents came from the head of the National Drug Intelligence Center and Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer…

Two Justice Department officials mulled it over in an email exchange Oct. 18, 2010. “It’s a tricky case given the number of guns that have walked but is a significant set of prosecutions,” says Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division. Deputy Chief of the National Gang Unit James Trusty replies “I’m not sure how much grief we get for ‘guns walking.’ It may be more like, “Finally they’re going after people who sent guns down there.”

The Justice Department told CBS News that the officials in those emails were talking about a different case started before Eric Holder became Attorney General. And tonight they tell CBS News, Holder misunderstood that question from the committee – he did know about Fast and Furious – just not the details.

Now the administration says he knew of the operation itself but not the details. Which is a change in narrative — and also completely bogus, unless of course he’s skipping his own briefings.

CBS has the memo sent to Holder on July 5, 2010, by the director of the National Drug Intelligence Center. Here it is:

Black and white, clear as crystal. He knew his own Justice Department, under the direction of ATF, had smuggled more than 1,500 weapons to Mexican drug cartels. Plenty of details there. He knew full-well what was happening, again unless he’s skipping his briefings. Which would be just as bad, considering he’s the Attorney General.

Last month, Holder said this at a DoJ press conference:

“The notion that this reaches into the upper levels of the Justice Department is something that at this point I don’t think is supported by the facts and I think once we examine it and once the facts are revealed we’ll see that’s not the case,” Holder told reporters.

Only, it did. Not only were White House officials briefed on the operation, but Attorney General Eric Holder himself was notified by the director of the National Drug Intelligence Center.

The administration knew, the Justice Department knew, and Eric Holder knew — all months before the operation was ever shuttered. And even then it was only shuttered thanks to a whistleblower who couldn’t watch more innocent people die.

And so here are the options: Either the Attorney General doesn’t read his briefings, in which case he’s too negligent to continue serving as Attorney General. Or he knew about the operation and did nothing about it, which means he was in on the deadly endeavor.

Take your pick, Obama Administration.