Congressional committee: Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt

By: dgun
June 20th, 2012
7:27 pm

Congressional committee: Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt

Today the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted to recommend contempt charges against Attorney General Eric Holder. Information over the controversial ATF Operation Fast and Furious is at the heart of the contempt allegations. If you will recall, Operation Fast and Furious involved allowing illegal gun traffickers to walk while their movements were tracked by the ATF for intelligence purposes. When one of the illegally trafficked weapons involved in the operation was used to kill a Border Patrol agent a media outcry ensued, followed by a Congressional inquiry.

The Obama administration cited executive privilege due to security concerns and refused to hand over some information to Congress. This sets up the classic and oft fought battle between the legislative and executive branches of our government. For anyone interested in government, this division of power and our system of checks and balances has to be one of the more interesting aspects of U.S. government.

The full house is set to vote on Mr. Holder's contempt charges next week. Democrats, as would be expected, claim this move is nothing more than election year nonsense. Republicans, as we could have guessed, disagree.

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13 comments on "Congressional committee: Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt"

  • Terr
    June 20, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    Terry family attorney Pat McGroder released the following statement Wednesday from Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's parents, Josephine Terry and Kent Terry Sr.:

    "Attorney General Eric Holder's refusal to fully disclose the documents associated with Operation Fast and Furious and President Obama's assertion of executive privilege serves to compound this tragedy. It denies the Terry family and the American people the truth. Our son, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, was killed by members of a Mexican drug cartel armed with weapons from this failed Justice Department gun trafficking investigation. For more than 18 months we have been asking our federal government for justice and accountability. The documents sought by the House Oversight Committee and associated with Operation Fast and Furious should be produced and turned over to the committee. Our son lost his life protecting this nation, and it is very disappointing that we are now faced with an administration that seems more concerned with protecting themselves rather than revealing the truth behind Operation Fast and Furious."

  • dgun
    June 20, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    ^ One thing for sure, the Terry family deserves some answers.

  • Terr
    June 20, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    Originally Posted by dgun
    ^ One thing for sure, the Terry family deserves some answers.
    Obama and Holder certainly don't want to give them any.

  • PatrickHenry
    June 21, 2012 at 12:05 am

    IMHO, the Executive is engaging in a coverup.

    And this thing comes down to party lines.

    I applaud Congress for seeking the straight information

    But fail to see why Democrats think it's OK to back an out-of-control President and his AG just because they are from the same party.

    Same token, why do all Republican committee members vote against?

    Our system is hosed

  • dgun
    June 21, 2012 at 11:59 am

    So if contempt charges do come out of this, we will have a special prosecutor? what would be the next step? I will look.into this.

  • sokpupet
    June 21, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    I do not mean any disrespect to the Terry family; but Brian could have been killed with other guns use by the cartels. I understand they are well armed. I think it is sad that the family is allowing his memory to be trotted about for political reasons. I'm sure in their anguish they were easy to place blame on the US gov't. Civil suit to follow?

    Republicans.. .. ..anything but jobs.

  • Dasher
    June 22, 2012 at 8:15 am

    Originally Posted by dgun
    So if contempt charges do come out of this, we will have a special prosecutor? what would be the next step? I will look.into this.
    James Cole, assistant A.G., would name a special prosecutor to investigate congressional complaints in order to take the case to court.

    This is where the GOP has placed themselves in a win-win position as they'll prolly make the claim that Cole is a crony of the A.G. and the president (?), and the prosecutor may not be able to find anything with which to charge Holder.

    I wonder if and when the GOP votes for the contempt citation if they'll actually have the Capital Hill P.D. ask the M.P.D. to arrest Holder and hold him in the jail cell on Cap. Hill.?

  • dgun
    June 23, 2012 at 6:33 am

    ^ Special prosecutors are always a political win for the opposition, regardless of how things turn out. Or at least it seems that way. I recall Kenneth Star basically being just a hired gun for the GOP.

  • Dasher
    June 23, 2012 at 1:18 pm

    Originally Posted by dgun
    ^ Special prosecutors are always a political win for the opposition, regardless of how things turn out. Or at least it seems that way. I recall Kenneth Star basically being just a hired gun for the GOP.
    Yeah, that's true. What is also true is that a special prosecutor like Starr overstepped his boundaries and turn his work into a side show, like the delivery of evidence delivered in so many different boxes on Cap. Hill.

    He was not as noble as a special prosecutor like Leon Jaworski, who knew his boundaries and did not make his office or his responsibilities look foolish.

  • rcclydeinside
    June 24, 2012 at 6:37 am

    Holder is definitely the right color to do the job the Republicans want him to do.
    Their base hates this guy almost like they hate Obama, and largely for the same reason.
    They are collectively wetting their bloomers over the prospect of Holder's public humiliation.



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