In Fast and Furious, federal agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Top: U.S. President Barack Obama; Bottom left: Attorney General Eric Holder; Bottom Right: Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa. Firearms and Explosives in Arizona abandoned the agency’s usual practice of intercepting all weapons they believed to be illicitly purchased. Instead, the goal was to track such weapons to high-level arms traffickers, who had long eluded prosecution, and to dismantle their networks
WASHINGTON — Republicans escalated a high-profile clash with President Barack Obama in a case of a botched gun-running investigation by voting Wednesday to hold his attorney general in contempt for failing to turn over Justice Department documents.
A majority Republican committee in the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, in a 23-17 party-line vote.
The vote followed a decision by Obama earlier in the day to assert the rarely-used presidential power of executive privilege for the first time in his administration in order to protect the confidentiality of the documents.
The committee wants documents that explain how the department learned of problems with the Operation Fast and Furious probe along the Mexican border. But Obama decided to withhold them. “The president has asserted executive privilege,” Deputy Attorney General James Cole said in a letter to committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa.
As the committee’s hearing began, Issa called the president’s action “an untimely” assertion of the privilege, which the White House says presidents have asserted just 25 times since 1980.
[More]
Attorney General still charged with contempt of Congress (10),See Also:
Obama raises legal eyebrows with executive privilege claim
Fast and Furious — Holder’s day of reckoning has finally arrived
“No One Is Above the Law”: Family of Murdered U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry Speaks Out About Executive Privilege Assertion
The Fast and Furious scandal is turning into President Obama’s Watergate (good read)
Executive privilege claim opens new questions for lawmakers probing Fast and Furious
Executive Power Grab on F&F Documents
Obama’s Executive Privilege Has The Stench Of Cover-Up
Obama’s Claim Of Executive Privilege: It’s Frivolous (good legal opinion)
How refreshing. The GOP finally beginning to realize that they too are vertebrates.
I think they have known “for long” and are now putting the finishing touches on a renegade President. Two polls today showing Obama sinking like a stone in hot water.
Normally, I have no use for polls but in light of what is now emerging I have no doubt that he is about to be run over by a GOP “juggernaut” and I see only one way for him to stay out of jail. He must resign and let Biden take the reigns in order to pardon him down the road. I’m not certain Joe would be all that willing to give him that out.
Fascinating “stuff” this.
More here…
Finally, Al Sharpton makes an idiot of himself (again)….
Seeing as how BHO is running roughshod over the Constitution and Congress, I think that he’s going to bulldoze this into an election advantage. That he’s going to lie like a rug, characterize the Republicans as racist, guns and bibles folks and run with it. The lickspittle MSM will do as they’re told, as long as it’s a lefty calling the tune.