House Committee to Subpoena Holder in 'Fast and Furious' Probe

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by DonGlock26, Oct 9, 2011.

  1. DonGlock26

    DonGlock26 New Member Past Donor

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    House Committee to Subpoena Holder in 'Fast and Furious' Probe


    The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is planning to subpoena Attorney General Eric Holder this week to determine who in the Justice Department knew about "Operation Fast and Furious" -- the plan to let thousands of guns sold in the U.S. get into Mexican drug cartel hands -- and when they knew it.

    The subpoena targeting Holder aims to get at the heart of the authorization for the program, and when the people in charge decided the program was a problem.


    "When did they know it wasn't the right way to do it and why (did) they keep doing it?" asked committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

    Issa, who is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee where Holder testified in May that he'd only learned of the program a few weeks earlier, told "Fox News Sunday" that "people in the top" of the Justice Department knew about the operation, were "well-briefed about it, and seemed to be the command and control and funding for this program."

    Issa said those officials, who may or may not include Holder, would have known that the program was facing objections from law enforcement personnel in the field, but appeared to continue to let guns "walk" across the border.

    "We didn't just have a few (guns) not be tracked. The whole program was about not tracking them until they were found in the scene of crimes. And they didn't just allow. They facilitated just one guy buy, one straw buy, over 700 weapons," Issa said.

    On Friday, Holder issued a stern response to calls for a special counsel to probe the matter, saying he told the truth when he informed Congress he only heard about the program for the first time in April 2011. He added that earlier mentions of the program listed in at least five memos dated to 2010 did not indicate on first blush any problems with the program.

    "I do not and cannot read them cover to cover," Issa wrote. "Here, no issues concerning 'Fast and Furious' were brought to my attention because the information presented in the report did not suggest a problem."

    Freshman Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said he can understand someone at Holder's level not reviewing every document that reaches his desk, but that when Holder knew he was going to testify about "Fast and Furious" to a House panel, he should have gotten brushed up on the program and its impact, including the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Guns linked to Fast and Furious were found at Terry's crime scene.

    Labrador told Fox News that the response from Holder leaves him with no option but to conclude dishonesty or incompetence.

    "By the time Officer Terry had been killed, there were other crimes linked to these guns. Why did he not do the research and find out how much his office knew? He was either lying or willfully neglecting to do his due diligence before he came before Congress," Labrador said.

    "If, in fact, a border patrol agent has been murdered, 2,000 weapons have gone, this program has completely gone off of the rails, why didn't he know?" Issa asked.

    In his response to House Republicans, Holder said that his critics have political motivations and added that he takes issue with the allegation that federal agents were "accessories to murder."

    "Such irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms," Holder wrote. "Those who serve in the ranks of law enforcement are our nation's heroes and deserve our nation's thanks, not the disrespect that is being heaped on them by those who seek political advantage."

    But Pima County, Ariz., Sheriff Paul Babeu said his state's elected sheriffs, of whom nine out of 15 are Democrats, support a special counsel.

    "My deputies and officers across the southwest could face the barrel of a gun that our own government, Eric Holder and the president, put into the hands of these criminals," Babeu told Fox News. "Whoever approved this should be criminally held to account for this."

    Issa said a special counsel should be appointed because "Eric Holder cannot investigate himself," but he said he's not going to let that get in the way of his investigation, which has been conducted in conjunction with Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Charles Grassley of Iowa.

    "Our investigation, along with Senator Grassley, has to get to the bottom of this sooner, not later, because the American people and people in Mexico don't trust their government right now," he said.

    Labrador said whoever came up with the Fast and Furious program "needs to be
    fired."

    "Anybody who failed to do their duty, because of this program, needs to be fired as well," he said.

    Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ared-in-fast-and-furious-probe/#ixzz1aKstEUpS


    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/09/new-subpoenas-prepared-in-fast-and-furious-probe/

    I don't know if Holder can control his anger over being questioned by Republicans. He's in Washington to represent "his people", and not answer to the House's oversight.


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  2. DonGlock26

    DonGlock26 New Member Past Donor

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    Issa: 'Fast and furious' subpoenas issued soon


    WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chairman of the House oversight committee said Sunday that he could send subpoenas to the Obama administration as soon as this week over weapons lost amid the Mexican drug war.

    Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., suggested on "Fox News Sunday" that Attorney General Eric Holder knew about the gun trafficking operation known as "Fast and Furious" earlier than he has acknowledged.

    "Why are they denying knowing about something that they were briefed on?" Issa said. "Exactly when, the American people want to know, how did it happen?"

    In the 2009 operation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed intermediaries for drug cartels to buy thousands of weapons from Arizona gun shops and lost track of about 1,400 of the 2,000 of those guns. Some of those weapons have been recovered at crime scenes in Mexico.

    Operation Fast and Furious came to light after two assault rifles purchased by a now-indicted small-time buyer under scrutiny in the operation turned up at a shootout in Arizona where Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry was killed.

    Earlier this year, Holder testified to Congress that he hadn't heard about the operation until early 2011. On Sunday, Issa said, "That's just disingenuous on its face."

    In a letter sent Friday to key lawmakers who oversee Justice Department issues, Holder said his testimony was truthful and accurate and said Republicans are engaging in political posturing when they say otherwise.

    "Such irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms," Holder said.

    On Fox, Issa said President Barack Obama "still seems to have full confidence in Eric Holder - something I don't share."

    Issa declined to join other Republicans who have called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Holder. "Congress is well along the way of investigating this operation to find out what went wrong, who knew it and what we have to do in the future to make sure it can't happen again," Issa said.


    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-09-16-42-32
     
  3. webrockk

    webrockk Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And all the kings horses and all the kings men....

    If subpeona's are coming out, I believe Issa has ironclad evidence of who knew what when...so, either Holder will be given a chance to man up, and reveal the seedy underbelly of this deadly fraud, or take one for the team, and go down for lying to congress.

    Taking the 5th will not sit well....at all.
     
  4. DonGlock26

    DonGlock26 New Member Past Donor

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    I expect a Hillary defense of "I don't know" and "I can't recall".


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  5. webrockk

    webrockk Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Such would make great fodder for campaign ads.
     
  6. DonGlock26

    DonGlock26 New Member Past Donor

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    Yep, Hillary came across as either an idiot or a liar.


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  7. Pollycy

    Pollycy Well-Known Member

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    Those of us who remember Watergate and Nixon can already see the possibilities of Fast/Furious and Obama. Holder is dead meat. He'll be gone by the end of the year, but he may not go quietly... and Obama had better be a lot smarter than Nixon was if he thinks he's going to skate his way around this trainwreck undamaged....
     
    DonGlock26 and (deleted member) like this.
  8. DonGlock26

    DonGlock26 New Member Past Donor

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    I don't know. The Democrats are always allowed to get away with bald- faced lying, while the Republicans are not by the mainstream media. I think Holder will claim to have never know the details.


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  9. Mac-7

    Mac-7 Banned

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    The pro Obama lib news media gives Obama an advantage over a Republican president who would be attacked by the libs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    MSNBC or NBC will report the story - but at 3am while not dwelling on it during prime time.

    So if it gets traction it will be on it's own merits rather than because of lib news media spin.

    But the facts are pretty awful and that should worry President Zero.
     
  10. Roadvirus

    Roadvirus Well-Known Member

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    Obama will try to find some way of protecting Holder. Maybe issue another unconstitutional executive order.
     

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