Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Obama Claims Executive Privilege on Fast and Furious Docs, House Committee Votes to Hold Holder in Contempt

This story just blew up, and the Main Stream Media have not choice but to cover it now. The Contempt was expected for repeatedly failing to turn over the documents for so long.

The Executive privileged is a bit of a curve ball. If the privileged applied, why wait so long to invoke it? Also, if Obama new nothing about this, how exactly does executive privilege apply? Keeping in mind that Obama was against executive privilege before he was for it (apparently with this invocation), there must be something mighty damaging in those docs for Obama to make this play.

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/06/20/breaking-eric-holder-asks-for-executive-privilege-on-subpoenaed-ff-documents

"Ahead of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s vote this morning, Holder finally decided to go straight to the top and ask his boss to invoke executive privilege on the outstanding documents included in last October’s Congressional subpoena. From Katie Pavlich, live on the Hill:

Just 15 minutes before the House Oversight Committee vote against Attorney General Eric Holder takes place, the Department of Justice has asked the White House to insert Executive Privilege for all Operation Fast and Furious documents according to Chairman Issa’s press secretary Becca Watkins.

Fox News is reporting that The Most Transparent Administration Ever has granted Holder’s request and will indeed allow him executive privilege to withhold the documents.

President Obama has granted an 11th-hour request by Attorney General Eric Holder to exert executive privilege over Fast and Furious documents, a last-minute maneuver that appears unlikely to head off a contempt vote against Holder by Republicans in the House.

Executive privilege is not a common tactic — the president’s authority can still be overturned (don’t you just love checks and balances?), but this could mean a showdown between our several branches of government. Doesn’t exactly do much to bolster the White House’s story that ‘this isn’t a cover-up’ and ‘the higher-ups were uninvolved in this operation,’ does it?
"

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/06/20/breaking-issas-house-committee-votes-to-hold-holder-in-contempt

"Even recalcitrant Republicans who think a court battle with The One is a needless distraction have no choice but to go to the mat for Issa now that O’s pulled his power play with executive privilege.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Republican Chairman Darrell Issa (Calif.), approved a resolution along party lines to place Holder in contempt after battling him for months over access to internal agency documents about the gun-tracking operation Fast and Furious…

Even with 242 Republicans in the House majority, it remains unclear whether the contempt measure would have the backing of the full caucus. Many GOP members have resisted action on the Fast and Furious issue out of a desire to keep the 2012 election focus on the economy and jobs…

If the measure against Holder passes the House, it would be sent to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who would convene a grand jury that would decide whether to indict Holder. The U.S. Attorney’s office would be the designated prosecutor for the committee if Holder were to be indicted. The attorney general would face a maximum sentence of one year in prison if convicted by a jury.

Boehner just announced that the House will vote next week — unless, of course, O decides to play ball and turn over the documents Issa requested.
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