Associated Press
As part of his ongoing fascination with the "Fast and Furious" controversy, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) released a draft memo yesterday, making the case for holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. Is a major showdown brewing? It's possible, but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
As Issa sees it, Holder and the Justice Department have not responded quickly enough to House Republicans' demands for materials. The DOJ has said it's already given Issa and his committee over 7,600 pages of documents, and continues to provide more, but it's cautious about the public release of materials that could undermine ongoing criminal cases. (This is a position endorsed by a Reagan-era Office of Legal Counsel memo.)
Issa, however, has an election season to think about, and seems principally concerned with what might be exploited for partisan gain. How concerned should Holder be about this? Not very -- even if House Republicans seriously pursue a contempt resolution, the issue "would take years to sort out."
Stan Brand told TPM that Holder really shouldn't be worried because of how cumbersome the contempt process can get, describing contempt proceedings as "mostly for show" and a "circus event." The House would have to vote before it pursued civil remedies in court.
"I can't really take it seriously because as you know for the last 30 years the Justice Department -- both Republicans and Democrats -- has taken the position that you can't enforce the contempt statute against members of the executive branch who assert privilege or some other defense to the subpoenas," Brand said.
"I wouldn't be [worried] if I were advising the Attorney General, I'd say read the precedents and go about your business. Don't worry about it, it'll be 2014 before this gets resolved," Brand said.
As a rule, when committee chairs start huffing and puffing like this, the various officials work out some kind of arrangement. Of course, those traditions were established before House Republicans decided compromises were a menace. The worst case scenario: the House holds Holder in contempt and instructs the House sergeant at arms to try to arrest the Attorney General, creating a bizarre constitutional crisis.
That's an exceedingly unlikely scenario, though.
The larger context to all of this is that congressional Republicans are so desperate to uncover any kind of administration scandal that they waste a lot of time and energy on investigations that -- by their own admission -- are little more than political stunts.
In the "Fast and Furious" matter, for example, there can be no doubt as to the GOP's motivations.
Tea Party Caucus member Steve King (R-Iowa) said Republican leadership is wary of using investigations it's conducting of the administration for political gain, especially when it comes to Operation Fast and Furious, a botched gun-tracking program.
"I think leadership doesn't want to be seen as using the gavels here for political purposes," King said in an interview. "I think there's a bit of an aversion to that. Me? I have no reservations about that. This is politics."
That's not a quote from a liberal Democrat attacking Issa and his witch hunt; that's a quote from an Issa ally making a candid confession.
Even Issa himself has said he looks at his foolish investigations as "good theater."
To be sure, these House Republicans aren't the first to use congressional power to play political games, but it's tough to take their faux outrage seriously when it's so obvious this is a silly stunt.
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In today's BizzaroWorld of republican politicians, why would anything ever seem to be an exceedingly unlikely scenario? If the irony of Issa (and his criminal past) investigating the executive branch for clearly political purposes is a reality, what qualifies as unlikely?
Excuse me, demanding accountability for giving thousands of guns to drug cartels is a "stunt"?
They have 7600 pages of documents so far. How many do they need, and how many of those has Issa actually reviewed? My guess is zero. I have no problem with them demanding accountability, but yes pursuing a contempt charge against Holder is a stunt.
Back in the Bush years, those who demanded accountability were called un-patriotic.
Please, if this had happened during Bush, the media would have erupted in a frenzy of finger pointing. Today, it's being covered up.
If it's being covered up, shooter, why are we talking about it?
I normally do not respond to repuknican plants and idiots, but I will make an exception in your case shooter.
As a republican stooge, I would have thought you would appreciate the feds selling guns at a profit.
If you are so big on accountability, when are you going to call for The Obomination and his administration to bring Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/et. al. to account for their Crimes Against Humanity.
Respond to this is you so desire shooter, but I will accept that you are an idiot and will make non-sequitor references or something so stupid it would not even qualify as humorous stupidity.
Nice SadOldVeteran,
Totally deflect the topic at hand. I would like to see you respond to the actual case being discussed here.
, but I will accept that you are an idiot and will make non-sequitor references
Practice what you preach?
Actually Skip, SadOldVet makes a point. If republicans are all for accountability NOW, then how about really having "accountability all around" for example:
1) How many GOP politicians are benefiting from being obstructionists?
2) How much are they getting paid to decimate the Main Street economy so that the oligarchy can continue to rake in massive profits via outsourcing?
3) How many of these "investigations" are purely for show and have they gone thru all of the documentation provided?
Once again the smoke and mirrors of the GOP's obvious ineptitude, dereliction of their duty to the American people, and shilling for the agenda of corporate oligarchy in order to deprive US is apparent and frankly "WE the PEOPLE" deserve accountability from those our votes have put into office.
OK Zora. It seems you are deflecting too. I am no big fan of the GOP, but the topic here is not about anything you or SadOldVeteran brought up. To me you are both practicing the same thing you mention...smoke and mirrors - talk about anything else except what this post is about.
"WE the PEOPLE" deserve accountability...
I totally agree. So....what about fast and furious? Don't "WE the PEOPLE" deserve accountablitly when it comes to knowingly giving guns to criminals? I know of no one yet being even repremanded for this crap.
Shooter ... If the Dems had pursued an accounability agenda with the same fervor as does Issa and his colleagues, Bush and Cheney would have been impeached.
OK...now three folks have responded to Shooter with totally different topics. Look, some of the stuff brought up should be looked into, but this post is about the fast and furious issue and all three of you have basically done a "denial by diversion" tactic. Is it because it happened on Holder's watch (since he was an Obama appointee)? It looks like that to me and that is exactly what you are accusing the Republicans of doing - avoiding the issue by bringing up/calling attention to something totally different.
If anything, it is predictable at this site. NEVER question anything on the Democrats watch/side.
And how many jobs will this create? How does this help people without access to medical care? That Mr. Issa would choose to waste both the time of Congress and however many tens millions of dollars in taxpayer money to conduct a partisan witchhunt is indicative of the irresponsibility that the GOP has displayed ever since they took over the majority position in the chamber. This is nothing more than a sad attempt to embarrass the president and contribute to his defeat this year. It all hurts America. http://www.sunstateactivist.org
You don't consider giving lots of guns to drug cartels irresponsible?
As for the rest, Democrats had both houses of Congress for four years, plus the Presidency for two of those. If you have a problem with employment and social services, look to your own. Republicans have been shut out of governance for quite some time.
Shooter242 - Shut out of governance?! If you can't win honestly, try obstructionism. That's how the Republicans govern.
Shooter ... You mean like trading arms to enemy Islamic countries for hostages? Of course, Republicans would never do anything ... like ... that ....
OK mpquy, nevermind. Since the Republicans did stuff like that, lets just keep doing it. And I thought everyone here didn't like the Republicans because they always change the subject or point to others to justify their actions or just be hypocritical. But mpguy would never do anything....like...that...
Issa is a ass
As is shooter...
K in Va
That should be Issa is a grandstanding ass. He spearheaded the whole recall Grey Davis campaign in California so he could run for governor. Then when Awwwnold step in to run he realized he couldn't beat Awwwnold so he weepingly dropped out of the race.
Perhaps the state of California can spare an investigator or two, and shine a light on Mr. Issa. (One a crook, always a crook.)
Like Mr Clinton?
Issa is worse than Clinton. But i don't expect you to admit that.
I'm elated I am not Darrell Issa for he must surely lead a tortuous life! From what I can observe, he seems to be a lousy Representative in a legislative sense as he just wants to fish!
He is but one of the many problems in the HofR with a gavel in his hand!
I would hope any decent small "d" democrat whether Independent, Democrat, or even Republican in his district would come to their senses in November and Vote his Derriere out of Office!
Darrell has been dogged in his obsessive efforts at bass fishing. I say it's time to take away his boat! -Kevo
Obviously not a realist, Issa will be hard pressed to find people anywhere who don't have contempt for congress.
I read the comment 'if it happened in the Bush Administration'...well gosh darn it DID. From the Plum Report today:
Flashback of the day: With Darrell Issa threatening to hold
Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress over the “fast and furious”
probe, Michael McAuliff unearths video of the very same Darrell Issa stalking off the
House floor when Dems held Bush officials in contempt in 2008.
So this is some sort of playground-style pay back, sounds like. Issa needs a real job to occupy his time. He's obviously not very good at the one he pretends to do now.
Darrell Issa a true UN-American...
HOw many guns do the drug gangs buy from Americans? What percentage of the gun market in the US is driven by drug lords? Does that prop up the price of guns in the US? If "fast and furious" worked and actually made a significant dent in gun running, what would that do to the gun market in the US?
I would love to see the brands of guns purchased by the drug cartels. Where were they manufactured and how were they sold? Where did the money for their purchase end up? In multinational banks, with headquarters in the U.S.? Issa is such a fool that one wonders how his colleagues, especially those with a D after their names, can even stomach being in the same room/chamber with him. What I am not seeing is a loud and conspicuous response to his charges. I, too, have contempt for Congress because I don't see any substantive push-back or response to the the obstructionist Congress. Alan Grayson speaks truth to power, but he was ousted by a TeaPot and has to run again for his former seat.
Holder is a CRIMINAL and should be IN JAIL. Another of Obammy's criminals.
Hey Bea - show us the proof! Hey Bea - when you use capital cases, your perspective is no more valid. You are simply yelling at your audience when you use such key-strokes. Hey Bea - did you pass your basic high school civics class? If so, no matter who holds the office, the office should not be denegrated simply because you have a difference of opinion of its incumbant. You use of "Obammy's criminals" says more about your bigoted ways than it does about any of the projected corruption you are proportedly concerned about.
Yea, Bea, I think you're just a racist who doesn't want African-Americans in office. Prove me wrong, I dare you! -Kevo
This is a tough question Mr. Holder. "Who authorized Fast & Furious"? Cat got your tongue?