Fast & Furious Beyond Contempt
It was obscured somewhat by the shadow of yesterday’s ruling on Obamacare, but the U.S. House of Representatives made history of its own, voting to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. It was the first time a sitting member of a president’s cabinet has ever been slapped with that sanction by the House, which did so by a 255-67 vote that included 17 Democrats (including NC’s own Rep. Larry Kissell, which kind of makes you wonder exactly how short Obama’s coattails have become in the Tar Heel state).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, about 100 Democrats, led by the Congressional Black Caucus and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, walked out of the chambers to protest the contempt vote against Holder. Because that’s what petty liberals do, from Washington to Wisconsin, when confronted with hard realities; they opt for obfuscation and misdirection.
In this case, it came in the form of Democrats sputtering that the Holder contempt vote had more to do with partisan politics and implied racism.
The reality is that a House oversight committee, led by chairman Darrell Issa, has for months been trying to unearth facts related to Fast and Furious, the gunwalking operation that left hundreds of Mexican citizens and two U.S. Federal law enforcement officers dead in its wake, only to be stonewalled by Holder every step of the way.
“We were lied to repeatedly, and over a 10-month period,” Mr. Issa said. “That is what we’re here for.”
Well, at least what some of the responsible representatives were there for; when she wasn’t busy leading Democrats in their disgraceful exit, Pelosi was planning a party to celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obamacare. And talk about contempt? Even as she was scolding Republicans for trying to root out what ultimately led to the death of slain border patrol agent Brian Terry, Pelosi botched his name during her speech on the House floor.
Reason, in the end, won over rhetoric – twice, actually, with the House affirming both criminal and civil contempt charges. The criminal contempt charge directs a U.S. attorney to convene a grand jury to determine whether Holder should be indicted. That seems unlikely, as the attorney, Ronald Machen, was appointed by President Obama. The civil contempt vote (which passed the House with a 258-95 vote) allows Issa’s committee to file a lawsuit seeking additional documents related to the case, as well as determining the validity of Obama’s executive privilege that shielded the documents being requested. Most legal experts, though, expect that process to drag out for months, certainly well beyond November’s election.
It never should have reached this point, as appropriately noted by Brian Terry’s family response to yesterday’s contempt vote:
“The Terry family takes no pleasure in the contempt vote against Attorney General Eric Holder. Such a vote should not have been necessary. The Justice department should have released the documents related to Fast and Furious months ago.
“Eric Holder’s refusal to do so and President Obama’s assertion of executive privilege have stood in the way of justice and the answers we seek into the death of fallen Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
“Given the Obama Administration’s steadfast refusal to level with the American people, Congress was left with no choice but to vote Mr. Holder in contempt.”
Beyond contempt, indeed.
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