Congress, Attorney General in stare-down over contempt, executive privilege
The Fast and Furious operation, led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Arizona, has been a political controversy for months. But things got much more heated Wednesday when President Barack Obama asserted executive privilege for not handing the documents over, while Congress moved to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt.
President Barack Obama stirred partisan passions on Wednesday when he asserted executive privilege and declined to release to Congress any more documents related to the controversial Fast and Furious operation.
The decision came ahead of an expected contempt vote by the Republican-led House against U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the Democrat who many hold responsible for authorizing the operation that ultimately led to guns purchased in the United States being allowed to travel across the border into Mexico. At least some of those guns were ultimately tracked back to murders perpetrated by Mexican drug cartels.
Holder met with House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., Tuesday night. After the meeting, Issa told reporters that Holder had failed to produce requested documents related to the failed Fast and Furious gun trafficking operation.
That led to Obama's decision Wednesday morning to assert executive privilege — the first time his administration has done so. Obama's administration said they have been more than forthcoming with the House oversight committee, noting they've provided thousands of documents, already, but declining to release correspondence between top Obama aides pertaining to the operation.
"We regret that we have arrived at this point, after the many steps we have taken to address the committee’s concerns and to accommodate the committee’s legitimate oversight interests regarding Operation Fast and Furious," the Justice Department wrote in a letter to Issa.
Issa, speaking to The New York Times, however, raised doubts about whether executive privilege even applied here, especially because there's no indication the communications being withheld involved the president himself.
Issa also objected to the fact that Obama himself had not transmitted a letter asserting executive privilege, nor had he provided a log of what was being withheld.
"Our purpose has always been to get the information the committee needs to complete its work — that it is not only entitled to, but obligated to do," Issa said to the Times.
Democrats called on Republicans to slow down their drive to hold the attorney general in contempt while they consider the executive privilege claim and whether to challenge it in the courts.
According to the Washington Post, holding an executive branch official in contempt is rare, happening just 12 times over the past four decades. The attorney general, the nation's top law enforcement officer, has never before held in contempt.
"The attorney general attempted to stave off Wednesday's vote by meeting late Tuesday with leaders of the House oversight and Senate Judiciary committees to strike a deal that would have Justice hand over requested documents in exchange for the House panel dropping its plans to vote on contempt charges. But Issa declined the offer," the Post wrote.
Issa said he saw no reason to delay the contempt vote. Should the committee find Holder in criminal contempt, the matter would move before the full House of Representatives. If that legislative body finds Holder in contempt, the matter would be referred to the Washington, D.C., U.S. attorney.
Interestingly enough, that man, Ronald C. Machen Jr., reports to the attorney general.
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Fast and Furious, huh? That original program WAS instituted by Bush/Cheney, right? Hey, what happened with all those Mexican Special Drug Agents who were armed and financed by George W. and then started working for the Drug Trafficers? What about those two Federal Air Marshalls who were caught smuggling cocaine? Did Issa or anyone in the Republican Corporate Ho Party investigate ANYTHING during Bush/Cheney?
Funny but I didn’t see any Rep. Issa hearings after 175,000 weapons turned up missing in Iraq during the Bush/Cheney disaster. By the way, wasn’t Darrell Issa a car thief? The NRA is going to be so angry when they find out Issa’s true intentions…
What a bunch of shameless hypocrites. It seems the real crooks are politicHo’s making laws to protect themselves from being prosecuted for the 100’s of crimes elected officials have committed since 2000. When I heard real life “Goodfella” Henry Hill died, the first thing I thought of was how much Republicans reminded me of the crooks, RIP paisan, ya ****’n rat (sorry, lol)
They say Mitt Romney learned how to be a Vulture Capitalist watching the scene in “Goodfellas” where the hoods takeover the chump’s restaurant. Voting for Romney is a vote for fascism. “…more appropriately called Corporatism…” or will he make the trains run on time? (lol)
Italian-Americans got a saying about Rudy Giuliani, “Rudy got rid of the Mafia in NYC and then the US Government took over organized crime”. (LOL) I know, I KNOW, it’s just another coincidence a new smokable form of heroin showed up in inner city America not long after Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld invaded Afghanistan. The same thing happened during Reagan/Bush with crack cocaine, Tosh Plumlee & Iran/Contra… strange, right? Rumors since tell how the GOP learned to launder drug profits through their campaign contributions. Evil, right?
Chamber of Commerce, Grover Norquist, Conservative think tanks and those Ho’s on K-St… should be sleeping with the fishes.
What about those Capos in the Supreme Court legislating “Citizens United” from the bench? Americans haven’t had a Court this criminal since the McCarthy Era. Supreme Court appointments are an important factor when picking Presidents, one more Conservative Justice and the USA is f***ed!
I heard George W. Bush’s favorite movie is “Goodfellas”, lol. I wonder who killed more people and stole more money, the Mafia since 1932 or the Bush Crime Family since 1988. I know, I KNOW, it’s just another coincidence every time a Bush is in the White House Americans have to suffer through a banking,/financial crisis/scandal, suckers. WASP, white collar, Bank robbers with police and Secret Service protection, now THAT is Un-American. Maybe economic terrorists?
Talking about an evil mob, the Republican Corporate Ho Party turned us all into the United Suckers of America. The Wise Guys would’a loved the suckers of the Right-wing because the hypocrites are thick as thieves. Open your eyes and look at the Bush/Cheney catastrophe… The rich guys spit in American faces, pulled down Americans pants, f***ed Americans in the @$$ for 8 years and stole your wallet before they left in 2008.
How is it possible all that law enforcement/Homeland Security missed the Corporate Crime Wave that occurred during Bush/Cheney? Waste, fraud, abuse of power, scandal, corruption and war profiteering on a scale not seen since the Robber Barron Era. THE GREATEST LOOTING OF A NATION’S WEALTH/RESOURCES IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND and I didn’t see one Republican Party official or Wall St. derivatives manager get clubbed or pepper sprayed. Somebody is taking kickbacks…
It used to be called bribery, collusion and all those crimes covered by the RICO Act. How come they can get away with a white bred corporate crime wave of epic proportions but our jails are filled by pot smokers and Italian-Americans? WHY IS THAT, ya racists? These Wall Street guys ruined our economy with their reckless policies and deregulation, so why aren’t the American PEOPLE standing up to them? WHY AREN’T THE FED’S PROSECUTING? Law Enforcement in the USA are easy case pussies.
© 2012 by FGE
Managia la America, spoact.blogspot.com
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