House panel recommends Holder contempt citation

[Toler]

June 19 '12

Washington (CNN) - Voting on strictly partisan lines, a House committee recommended Wednesday that Attorney General Eric Holder be cited for contempt of Congress for failing to turn over documents relating to the botched Fast and Furious weapons sting operation.
 
The measure now goes to the full House for consideration, expected next week, of what would be an unprecedented event - Congress holding a sitting attorney general in contempt.
 
FULL STORY [at link]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/20/house-panel-votes-in-favor-of-holding-eric-holder-in-contempt-of-congress/

[Toler]

Holder retracts claim Bush team knew about Fast and Furious
June 20, 2012

In a second major retraction over its version of the the gun-walking scandal, the Justice Department has retracted Attorney General Eric Holder's charge in a hearing last week that his Bush administration predecessor had been briefed on the affair.

In a memo just released by Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa senator reveals that Holder also didn't apologize to former Attorney General Michael Mukasey for dragging him into the Fast & Furious scandal that is headed for a major legal clash and likely contempt of Congress charge against Holder.
 
According to Grassley's memo, Justice said that Holder "inadvertently" made the charge against Mukasey in a hearing.
 
Here is the full text of the Grassley memo:
 
To: Reporters and Editors
 
Re: Second retraction of Fast and Furious Assertions
 
Da: Wednesday, June 20, 2012
 
The Justice Department has retracted a second statement made to the Senate Judiciary Committee. During a hearing last week, Attorney General Eric Holder claimed that his predecessor, then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey, had been briefed about gunwalking in Operation Wide Receiver. Now, the Department is retracting that statement and claiming Holder "inadvertently" made that claim to the Committee. The Department's letter failed to apologize to former Attorney General Mukasey for the false accusation. This is the second major retraction the Justice Department has made in the last seven months. In December 2011, the Department retracted its claim that the ATF had not allowed illegally purchased guns to be trafficked to Mexico. Sen. Chuck Grassley's letter and the Department's response can be viewed here-1.  ::snipping2::

http://washingtonexaminer.com/holder-retracts-claim-bush-team-knew-about-fast-and-furious/article/2500157

[Toler]

Boehner, Cantor Announce House Fast & Furious Contempt Vote Next Week
June 20, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) issued the following statement after the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee approved a resolution holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for his refusal to turn over subpoenaed documents related to the Fast & Furious operation:
 
“Despite being given multiple opportunities to provide the documents necessary for Congress’ investigation into Fast and Furious, Attorney General Holder continues to stonewall.  Today, the Administration took the extraordinary step of exerting executive privilege over documents that the Attorney General had already agreed to provide to Congress.  Fast and Furious was a reckless operation that led to the death of an American border agent, and the American people deserve to know the facts to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.  While we had hoped it would not come to this, unless the Attorney General reevaluates his choice and supplies the promised documents, the House will vote to hold him in contempt next week.  If, however, Attorney General Holder produces these documents prior to the scheduled vote, we will give the Oversight Committee an opportunity to review in hopes of resolving this issue.”

http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/boehner-cantor-announce-house-fast-furious-contempt-vote-next-week

[Toler]

Obama asserts executive privilege over Fast and Furious documents
 Published: 10:00 AM 06/20/2012

President Barack Obama has asserted executive privilege over documents pertaining to Operation Fast and Furious. The move followed Attorney General Eric Holder’s last-second request for him to do so, ahead of a scheduled House oversight committee vote to begin contempt of Congress proceedings against Holder.
 
Obama granted the 11th-hour request after negotiations between Holder and the committee’s chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, fell apart again on Tuesday evening after a 20-minute meeting. Holder had agreed beforehand that he would provide internal DOJ documents to Issa ahead of the meeting. He did not bring the documents. On Tuesday evening, Issa gave him one final chance to provide the documents before the 10 a.m. scheduled vote to hold Holder in contempt.
 
Holder again did not provide the documents to Congress. Then, on Wednesday morning, minutes before the meeting, it was announced Obama had agreed to assert executive privilege over those documents.
 
Appearing on Fox News shortly after the announcement, Arizona Republican Rep. David Schweikert said the next steps are for Congress to move forward with contempt proceedings. According to Fox News, Issa’s committee is expected to move forward with the contempt proceeding.
 
Ranking member Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings said the assertion of executive privilege doesn’t block the committee from access to all documents  ::snipping2::


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/20/holder-asks-obama-to-assert-executive-privilege-over-fast-and-furious-documents/#ixzz1yN3oAnB6

Wondering, since Obama claimes executive privilege...can Holder now produce the documents?

[Toler]

Fast and Furious: Covering up the Death of a U.S. Agent
June 20 '12

Todd Gaziano has outlined at the Foundry the legal doctrine of executive privilege that President Obama has asserted in the congressional investigation of Operation Fast and Furious. The most important part of that doctrine to understand is that a President cannot assert executive privilege for the purpose of hiding wrongdoing by Administration officials.
 
Fast and Furious began in September 2009 and was not shut down until January 2011. It was a reckless law enforcement operation that led to thousands of weapons ending up in the hands of dangerous criminals and major drug cartels. This “felony stupid” operation, as it has been referred to, was not shut down until two weapons that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had allowed straw buyers to purchase and take across the Mexican border were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on December 14, 2010. This conduct, as testimony from several ATF whistleblowers showed, was against all ATF rules and procedures. The well-known rule at the Department of Justice (DOJ) drummed into all prosecutors is that you never let guns or drugs get away from you in any undercover operation.
 
Representative Darrell Issa (R) has conducted several hearings, interviewed 24 fact witnesses (many of them whistleblowers), sent the DOJ over 50 letters, and issued two subpoenas for documents. The DOJ has turned over only a small fraction of the documents being sought, and many of those turned over were so full of redactions that it was “unnecessarily difficult and sometimes impossible…to investigate decisions made by Department officials,” according to Issa.
 
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has received much of its relevant information from whistleblowers, not the DOJ, including copies of six Operation Fast and Furious wiretap applications that Attorney General Eric Holder refused to provide. Contrary to the sworn position taken by Holder that the “inappropriate tactics” (as he now admits) in Operation Fast and Furious “were not initiated or authorized by Department leadership in Washington,” those wiretap applications as well as other internal e-mails show that political appointees in the leadership, such as Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, were well aware of the operation and the dangerous tactics being used.
 
Yet Holder has refused to answer—or provide the documents that would answer—the critical question being investigated by the House Committee: Who were the senior officials at DOJ who were told about and/or approved this irresponsible operation, and what was the law enforcement rationale for doing so? As Gaziano points out, executive privilege “does not shield” information and documentation that would provide the answer to those questions.   ::snipping2:: 

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/06/20/fast-and-furious-covering-up-the-death-of-a-u-s-agent/

[Toler]

BOMBSHELL: Proof Obama and Holder knew about gun walking in 2009
June 20 '12

This is something I put together from a March 2009 press conference where gun walking/tracing was announced not only as an issue very important to the president, but directed by the president in conjunction with Attorney General Eric Holder

Now we know why Obama issued executive privilege this morning to keep Holder from having to release documents about Fast and Furious.  ::snipping2:: 

Video at link

http://www.therightscoop.com/bombshell-proof-obama-and-holder-knew-about-gun-walking-in-2009/

[Toler]

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's Parents Release Statement
June 20 '12

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s mother and father released a statement today on President Obama’s executive privilege.

“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.”

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.”

Agent Terry was shot on December 14, 2010 and he died the following day. Fast & Furious has also claimed the lives of over 300 Mexicans.  ::snipping2::

“The only thing I can say is, if he did that they apparently don’t want Issa to get the documents to see what’s in there. My son and I were very, very close,” she said. “And my son was a person that believed in justice and he believed in telling the truth. He was a man of his honor. And if anybody knew him, they knew that. And I know he would be saying ‘you know what, I died for my country.’ He was a true American and I think he deserves the truth and I think everybody should know the truth. And if this was a bad thing they did with Fast and Furious it should be acknowledged so it never happens to anybody else’s son.”

http://www.onenewspage.com/n/US/74rahg1xb/Border-Patrol-Agent-Brian-Terry-Parents-Release.htm

[KittyMom]

The least that can be done is for men to have the honor and integrity to stand up and admit when they've done something wrong.  But wait, we're talking about political snakes.  My bad.

imo

[Slogger]

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/either-you-were-involved-in-fast-furious-or-you-are-asserting-a-presidential-power-that-you-know-to-be-unjustified-rep-issas-scathing-letter-to-president-obama/

 ::snipping2::

Accordingly, your privilege assertion means one of two things. Either you or your mostsenior advisors were involved in managing Operation Fast & Furious and the fallout from it,including the false February 4, 2011 letter provided by the Attorney General to the Committee,or, you are asserting a Presidential power that you know to be unjustified solely for the purposeof further obstructing a congressional investigation. To date, the White House has steadfastlymaintained that it has not had any role in advising the Department with respect to the congressional investigation. The surprising assertion of executive privilege raised the question of whether that is still the case.

 ::snipping2::

During the June 19th meeting, the Attorney General stated he wanted to “buy peace.” He indicated a willingness to produce the “fair compilation” of post-February 4th documents. He told me that he would provide the “fair compilation” of documents on three conditions: (1) that I permanently cancel the contempt vote; (2) that I agree the Department was in full compliancewith the Committee’s subpoenas, and; (3) that I accept the “fair compilation,” sight unseen.

[Slogger]

BBM, in the above post.

It appears the President and the Attorney General are facing a situation of their own making. 

[Slogger]

Was this part of the inspiration for F&F:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/myth-percent-small-fraction-guns-mexico-come/

The Myth of 90 Percent:  Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S.

By William La Jeunesse, Maxim Lott
Published April 02, 2009
FoxNews.com


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/myth-percent-small-fraction-guns-mexico-come/#ixzz1z0iC6szx

EXCLUSIVE: You've heard this shocking "fact" before -- on TV and radio, in newspapers, on the Internet and from the highest politicians in the land: 90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States.

-- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it to reporters on a flight to Mexico City.

-- CBS newsman Bob Schieffer referred to it while interviewing President Obama.

-- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said at a Senate hearing: "It is unacceptable to have 90 percent of the guns that are picked up in Mexico and used to shoot judges, police officers and mayors ... come from the United States."

-- William Hoover, assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified in the House of Representatives that "there is more than enough evidence to indicate that over 90 percent of the firearms that have either been recovered in, or interdicted in transport to Mexico, originated from various sources within the United States."

There's just one problem with the 90 percent "statistic" and it's a big one:
It's just not true.

In fact, it's not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S.
What's true, an ATF spokeswoman told FOXNews.com, in a clarification of the statistic used by her own agency's assistant director, "is that over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S."

The article says 2007-2008,  Mexican government recovered 29,000 guns from crime scenes.
About 11,000 of those guns were submitted to ATF for tracing.
Of the 11,000… 6,000 guns could not be traced.
Leaving 5,000 traceable out of 29,000—roughly less than 20%.

Why the gross exaggeration? 
IMO, it was an attempt to inspire erosion of the Second Amendment.
and the inspiration for "Fast and Furious."