Eric Holder Disgusted by Attacks Re: Fast and Furious

He just doesn't live in the real world, does he? He runs from true justice.

http://news.yahoo.com/attorney-gene...5hdGlvbjIwMTIEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Attorney General Eric Holder faced attacks on his character and tenure as attorney general at a congressional committee hearing on the gun program known as "Fast and Furious," which was run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Holder defended his record but the hearing yielded little information about the gun trafficking investigation. Instead, Republican members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee attacked Holder for previous testimony, his role in the pardoning of Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton administration and his decision to open a criminal investigation into torture by CIA operatives against terrorism detainees.

The House committee has been investigating the actions by ATF and Justice Department officials involving the gun trafficking case that resulted in about 2,000 guns being allowed to go to drug cartels and criminal groups in Mexico. The ATF operation took a tragic toll when two guns linked to the operation were found near slain U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on Dec. 14, 2010.

A staff memo prepared by congressional investigators working for the committee with Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, released before the hearing offered a new detail about the ATF's failure to identify two targets in its gun trafficking case. However, the issue was glossed over by committee members in their questioning.

The report noted that one of the two members of a drug cartel had already been identified in a DEA wiretap log and was under investigation by the DEA and the FBI.

The report noted, "DEA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had jointly opened a separate investigation specifically targeting these two cartel associates. As early as mid-January 2010, both agencies had collected a wealth of information on these associates. Yet, ATF spent the next year engaging in the reckless tactics of Fast and Furious in attempting to identify them."

"During the course of this separate investigation, the FBI designated these two cartel associates as national security assets. In exchange for one individual's guilty plea to a minor count of 'Alien in Possession of a Firearm,' both became FBI informants and are now considered to be unindictable." the report said. "This means that the entire goal of Fast and Furious - to target these two individuals and bring them to justice - was a failure."

Holder faced some tough questioning about why the Justice Department has turned over only 6,400 pages of documents when the Justice Department inspector general has access to an estimated 80,000 pages of documents as part of the internal review.

"It appears as though we're being stonewalled, and there's something that's being hidden," said Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind.

Justice Department officials have said that the inspector general's review allows the internal DOJ investigators to have access to all grand jury materials and all unredacted documents such as wiretap transcripts.

"I've heard, you know, the magic word here, 'cover-up,' and I want to make clear that there is no attempt at any kind of cover-up. We have shared huge amounts of information. We will continue to share huge amounts of information," Holder said later in the hearing.

Holder faced a torrent of questions about his character and his time at the Justice Department.

Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., asked Holder, "So let me ask it this way: How many more Border Patrol agents would have had to die as a part of Operation Fast and Furious for you to take responsibility?"

Holder bristled at the question telling the congresswoman, "You know, I mean, really, is that the way in which you want to be seen, you want to be known? You know, I should be held accountable for, certainly, my role in whatever I did or didn't do in connection with the supervision of Fast and Furious, but I'm attorney general of the United States and I should also be accountable and perhaps even given some credit - imagine that - given some credit for the things that this Justice Department has done under my leadership, whether it deals with national security, revitalized antitrust, revitalized civil rights enforcement effort. And so one has to balance all of these things.

"I get up every day and try to do the best job that I can. I have great faith in the people who work in the department. And, you know, that kind of question, I think, is, frankly - and again, respectfully - I think that's beneath a member of Congress," Holder said.

Although Issa tried to limit the scope of the hearing to only focus on Fast and Furious controversy, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., blasted Holder for his handling of the Marc Rich pardon and for Holder's decision to reopen a criminal investigation into abuse and torture of terrorism detainees by CIA operatives and interrogators.

"Given the decision to almost engage in character assassination, I'm going to respond to at least some of that." Holder said. "I'm the attorney general of the United States. OK? And when it comes to deciding what I'm going to investigate, how I'm going to investigate, I take into account a wide variety of things. The decision I made to open up those CIA matters - and I was aware that this was something that was opposed by a great many people … that investigation has run its course. We are at a point where we are about to close those investigations."

Towards the end of the hearing, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, told Holder that he should resign and said, "You either lied or you were grossly incompetent in your actions when it came to finding out about Fast and Furious and your handling of this matter."

Labrador then showed the committee a series of statements Holder had made about the Marc Rich pardon, which drew the ire of a disgusted attorney general.

"That was among the worst things I think I've ever seen in Congress," Holder said, "You took a whole series of statements out of context, with no context."

Holder added, "The Marc Rich thing was considered in my confirmation, talked about it then. There is a whole bunch of things that I could say about what you just did, and maybe this is the way you do things, you know, in Idaho or wherever you're from. But understand something. What I've done - I'm proud of the work that I've done as attorney general of the United States. And looked at fairly- I think that I've done, you know, a pretty good job. Have I been perfect? No. Have I made mistakes? Yes. Do I treat the members of this committee with respect? I always hope that I do. And what you have just done is, if nothing else, disrespectful. And if you don't like me, that's one thing, but you should respect the fact that I hold an office that is deserving of respect. And, you know, maybe you're new to this committee. I don't know. I don't know how long you've been here. But my hope would be that, you know, we can get beyond that kind of interaction, that kind of treatment of a witness, whether it's me or somebody else, because I think in some ways what you did was fundamentally unfair, just not right."

 

To be honest, I can't take Republicans seriously about this. They're just going to stretch everything for more than it's worth.

 

Has anyone yet explained how the decision to illegally smuggle firearms across the border of a sovereign nation, could be made by someone at the ATF?

C'MON!

 

You don't have a problem with any attorney general lying about having knowledge about guns transported that killed an American border agent? Forget the party affiliation.

I do think it has taken too long though.

 

Hey maybe it's the post above, or the republican remarks, or some here on PF, but I can't take it seriously. They seem more willing to bash the dems, instead of find the truth out.

 

I feel for the agent that died and his family. Dems should also be trying to find out the truth, not just repubs, it's ridiculous.

Information is being withheld by the AG's office and it needs to be forced out into the open.

 

"Holder bristled at the question telling the congresswoman, "You know, I mean, really, is that the way in which you want to be seen, you want to be known? You know, I should be held accountable for, certainly, my role in whatever I did or didn't do in connection with the supervision of Fast and Furious, but I'm attorney general of the United States and I should also be accountable and perhaps even given some credit - imagine that - given some credit for the things that this Justice Department has done under my leadership, whether it deals with national security, revitalized antitrust, revitalized civil rights enforcement effort. And so one has to balance all of these things."

Keep spinning Eric. Yes you should be held accountable... The "good" things you did doesnt take away from things you did like Fast and Furious that you in a roundabout way admitting to doing. So in a way you admitted to lying when you said you previously didnt know about it. Such a clever spinner of words Mr Holder.

 

Has Holder fired anyone in Washington DC for this?

_

 

And good for that woman that interrogated him more strongly than any senator there. Of course he didn't like that, especially from a woman. Instead of reacting like a man, he reacts like another narcisstic prick and is on the defensive. He actually begs for some credit. Any thought for the agent that died with their government guns? His parents? Of course not, all that matter is his hide, and it's all prickly right now.

 

Psssst.. There is an election coming up........ Do you think he is going to do anything that might hurt his bosses chance of getting re-elected???

Politics first man... Laws second.

 

He reassigned a guy that was some kind of head in the ATF or DOF. Of course he is just working in another part of the government.

I just don't want this to die down, it should be kept alive to get the truth for why this agent was killed. He and his memory deserve it....justice.

 

Why would the dems help? So reps can insult them? So we can see more of the great relationship between the two?

Welcome to the legal process. If we want something out that's private, you can get a court order.

 

No doubt this issue is fuel for Republicans. And it will spill out right in front of Obama very soon as this election year progresses. But this whole thing wasn't invented, it actually happened and the truth is not forthcoming.

 

I know it happened. I feel sorry for everybody effected. Why should I piggy back on the feelings of the dead, in order to score political points? I can say, many are using this to further political goals. That should not happen.

 

So any crime that might have political implications shouldnt be prosecuted... got you.

 

That makes us almost even.

Because I'm even more disgusted by Eric Holder and his handling of the Fast and Furious scandal.

 

Intreseting interpetion. I would simply like this not to be publicied until the courts have made a verdict. This is because any potential jury members will be influenced by propganda, and will be bias as a result.

 

So you want the Congressional hearings on Fast and Furious to be closed to the public?

 

This illegal operation resulted in the death of a federal officer. Are you seriously going to be indifferent to this? Do you not care about the un-Constitutional and grossly immoral act by our Department of Justice?

 

Basically. Cases are cases, if you are only willing to hear the tune of one drum, then that's what you do. I will listen to all, and then make my descion. So far, the Justice Department is using the law. The law is the law.

 

No. I just don't want this to be blown out of porporation, reporting only the facts that have come up.

 

There would be a lot of "caring" if this were a Republican president and this was his appointed AG.

 

So, partisanship is more important than the fact that the ATF ran guns into Mexico, which not only violates their sovereignty, caused violence and death, and ended up responsible for the death of one of our border patrol agents. Nevermind the fact that Eric Holder and others in the justice dept tried to cover up their knowledge of the failed operation.

Good job, people like you are what's wrong with political discourse in this country.

 

Of course.

It's just a dead Border Patrol agent who was killed with guns supplied to him by Obama and Holder.

No big deal, right?

 

Let's play a game. It's called where is it. The idea of the game is to find what I'm looking for.

Let's find the post that proves my point: