Issa: 31 Democrats Will Vote To Condemn Holder
Republican compares Fast and Furious scandal to Iran Contra, Watergate. Republicans seek a contempt vote.
House Committee and Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa told BuzzFeed today that he expects 31 Democrats will join Congressional Republicans in finding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over documents relating to a botched gun-running investigation.
Issa, who has risen to national prominence as the point of the Republican spear in investigating alleged Obama administration wrongdoing, called for a committee vote on contempt next week in advance of a full House vote on Holder’s conduct in the so-called “Fast and Furious” operation, in which a federal agent was allegedly killed with a gun the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms allowed to be trafficked.
“The real question is, we’re opening up the data that we have to all the members, so as they start reading specifics of what we know was known and was hidden from Congress, and what we’d like to know and been denied, how many of the Democrats will vote with us,” Issa said after speaking at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York. “I expect we’ll have about 31 Democrats with us.”
Issa said under normal circumstances he’d expect the vote to pressure Holder to turn over the documents, but that now he’s hoping the president intercedes on Congress’ behalf.
“After Thursday’s hearing with the Attorney General, no, I don’t expect it, but I would hope that the president would second-guess the man that he says he has full faith and confidence in, and tell him that it’s time to deliver reasonable documents,” Issa said.
Issa compared the growing scandal to Iran Contra and Watergate, saying the cover-up is far worse than the “dumb” operation.
“This is like Iran Contra, like Watergate, and other embarrassments over the years,” Issa said. “The major embarrassment is the delay in being honest and open about it. It’s not about something really dumb got done. Dumb things happen in government. But when the GSA did dumb things, once it became public we saw a pretty quick change, certainly Secret Service we saw an even quicker change.”
Asked whether his committee would hold hearings to investigate White House leaks, Issa said that while he has jurisdiction to investigate, his committee currently has no plans to.
“We have a very busy schedule, and we will coordinate with the other committees [to investigate],” he said, noting that the House and Senate intelligence committees would likely take the lead.
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- joshuad15 thinks Issa: 31 Democrats Will Vote To Conde... is Win & LOL
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nanonanonano 11 months agoMeanwhile… Bush and Cheney are still walking free laughing at the American sheeple. Over 4 thousand American soldiers have been killed on a faux war based on right-wing lies and propaganda, yet here we are the Fright-wingers bitching about ”fast and furious”. lol America suffers from a severe case of Amnesia.
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roccorolo 11 months ago@pensitor — man, that is a weak attempt at obfuscation. Trying to turn the discussion onto Issa when we’re talking about the blatant and lawless corruption of the Holder “justice” department. The report says RIGHT IN THE TITLE that Issa says it. Is that a sticking point for you? You have a problem with the English language? You think Issa wants to make something like that up? For what reason? Is that somehow an excuse for you to try to redirect the conversation? A blank-check in your feeble, liberal Obama-apologist mindset? Are you hankering to blame Bush? Is that how it works? Pathetic. If you don’t see any severe, disturbing problems with the Fast & Furious scandal and Holder’s response to it — then, buddy, you must be a victim of full-blown brainwashing and drug-induced “programming.” Maybe try selling it over at the HuffPo.
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pensitor 11 months agoDarrell Issa says it, so that settles it? Have you looked at this guy’s record? He’s one of the most corrupt members of Congress, a proven liar, an accused arsonist and car thief whose most recent corrupt activities include securing “millions of dollars in Congressional earmarks for road work and public works projects that promise improved traffic and other benefits to the many commercial properties he owns … north of San Diego. In one case, more than $800,000 in earmarks he arranged will help widen a busy thoroughfare in front of a medical plaza he bought for $16.6 million,” according to NYT, with similar stories in the Washington Post, right wing San Diego Union Tribune. But in reporting this story, Zeke Miller takes Issa’s word for it that 31 Democrats are going to vote to hold the attorney general of the United States in contempt of Congress. Mr. Miller did not ask Issa how he came up with that number and apparently couldn’t be bothered to check with a Democrat or two to find out if Issa’s claim had a basis in reality. This is just more evidence that Issa has taken John McCain’s place as the darling of the Beltway cool kids’ club. (Remember that Issa’s spokesman got so cozy with reporters that he had to be fired last year.) This is the lousiest reporting I’ve seen lately that was not on Fox or in the Washington Times.
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roccorolo 11 months ago
This smells far more corrupt than any “scandal” such as Watergate which the nauseously partisan mainstream media continue to thrill over 40 years later. Hyperbole aside, this makes Watergate seem benign. Add to it the that this gun-walking operation was apparently supposed to provide the “added bonus” that the leftists and totalitarians could demonize Second Amendment rights by using their own corrupt mechanism — the incredibly bizarre and atrocious gun-running scheme they themselves put in place — i.e., “look at all these guns in the hands of drug cartels, guns coming from America! We need to crack down on Americans!” As was reported by CBS as such: “Documents: ATF used ‘Fast and Furious’ to make the case for gun regulations”
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edr7 11 months agoDid top national-security officials, with or without President Obama’s approval, leak sensitive and highly classified national security information to make President Obama look like a strong, decisive leader? Is Attorney General Eric Holder withholding information from Congress that might implicate him and other high Justice Department officials in a “gunwalking” cover-up? If one or both are true it could mean defeat for President Obama in November. http://ewross.com/intelligence_leaks_and_a_doj_cover-up_will_they_topple_the_president.htm
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