Hey, look, it’s coming up to summer. Summer’s always a nice time to rake administration officials over the coals.
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa has circulated a lengthy pair of documents making the case for holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress over his “refusal” to cooperate in an investigation of the ill-fated Fast and Furious operation.
Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on Thursday sent to every member of his committee a 64-page draft contempt order against Holder, as well as a 17-page memo outlining the history of the scandal.
No, really, it is. Washington DC is miserable in the summer time – it is, after all, converted swampland – and that only encourages the nervous sweating. It isn’t a proper Congressional investigation without people sweating.
The documents can be found here; note that this is not an actual contempt order. Yet. What it is is an indication that Rep. Issa is looking forward to making AG Holder’s life miserable, and that Issa thinks that he has a clear path forward to do just that (the House Oversight committee is certainly not being shy about redistributing video about Holder’s looming contempt charges). Fox has the usual anonymous sources claiming that there’s internal conflict on whether to let Issa have its head; which is news to me, if true. I suspect that what actually happened is that Speaker Boehner wants Issa to have his ducks in a row before Issa starts the media circus, and that Issa is going along with that.
We’ll see. That draft order is certainly a threat.
Moe Lane
I’m surprised Obama hasn’t thrown Holder under the bus yet.
I wonder if they are holding out until after the election for Holder to resign so Obama can issue him a blanket pardon?
if the contempt of Congress goes to court can a judge demand more documents released? I mean, more than Issa is asking for now?
Does it seem that it’s all a timing issue now, closer to elections…more damage to Obama?
I’m not surprised at the anonymous sources, it’s been considered common knowledge for quite awhile on the gunblogs covering this that Boehner is blocking it. Of course, I have no inside knowledge whether or not it’s true, but a whole lot of people sure think it is.
Odds on Holder and Obama giving Issa the finger? They are not afraid of contempt charges. It’s just Republicans politicizing things, after all. Or do you think “the media” is suddenly going to treat Obama like they did George Zimmerman?
They DO have a history of ignoring laws, precedent, and the constitution itself, after all. They ignored contempt charges over the “permitorium” in the Gulf, remember? Plus a federal judge overturned Obamacare and they didn’t even blink, they just kept implementing it. Obama “Recess” appointed a bunch of people illegally, and the response was a collective shrug.
It’s going to take raids and handcuffs to get to the bottom of this. I do not believe this is going to turn out the way “we” think/hope it will.
Interesting Times.
It’s an election year. DC press loves to see politicians get fried in the hot summer sun.
Holder will be a genuine liability by July 4th and will be gone by Labor Day…followed by Obamee on January 20th. I guarantee you this.
I know it looks iffy now, but after the Supreme Court strikes down Obameecare, upholds Arizona’s immigration laws and finally gets rid of the pre-clearance nonsense in the Civil Rights Act this summer and fall, this President’s not going to have a damn thing to show for his first term.
Other than $6 trillion in additional debt. And out he’ll go like the garbage he is.
Shorter Issa:
“Mister Holder, now that I’ve given you a solid year to shred documents, erase emails, and intimidate witnesses… is there anything you’d like to tell me?”
This would have been a good idea if it had been done promptly, but now?
I have a feeling Issa has been squirreling away rock solid proof with documents, emails and witnesses. I doubt very much he’d take a chance that this particular reptile will slip away. Especially since Issa was the target of such a smear campaign–I think he’s got a long memory for that stuff.