Eric Holder Guilty? Angry words fly - Fast and Furious, over botched gun-sting program

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
12/11/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

GOP critics threaten to impeach Attorney General Eric Holder over failed operation

GOP critics threatened impeachment for Attorney General Eric Holder, accusing him of withholding information from Congress about Operation Fast and Furious. Began in 2009, the program allowed illegally purchased firearms to be taken from gun stores in Arizona across the Mexican border to drug cartels in order to monitor the flow of weapons to their destination. The operation backfired when hundreds of weapons went lost or became unaccounted for. Two of the missing weapons were found at a site where Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in December of last year.

Attorney General Eric Holder compared GOP Rep. Darrell Issa to Sen. Joe McCarthy, the infamous Wisconsin Republican censured by the Senate in 1954 for leading a notorious Communist witch hunt.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - After a brutal day of testimony before the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee, California GOP Rep. Darrell Issa compared Holder to disgraced Nixon-era Attorney General John Mitchell.

In turn, Holder compared Issa to Sen. Joe McCarthy, the infamous Wisconsin Republican censured by the Senate in 1954 for leading a notorious Communist witch hunt.

"As they said in the McCarthy hearings, have you no shame?" Holder asked, referencing a famous retort to McCarthy.

"Why haven't you terminated the people involved?" asked Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that is investigating the arms-tracking operation. Issa pressed Holder to appear before the congressman's committee, and the attorney general said he would consider the request.

Holder acknowledged mistakes were made, but said he would not step down over the controversy. Holder accused the GOP of playing political games, saying he also didn't think any of his top aides should step down.

Wisconsin GOP Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner told Holder that "heads should roll" over the matter.

"There is really no responsibility within the Justice Department," Sensenbrenner said. "The thing is, if we don't get to the bottom of this -- and that requires your assistance on that -- there is only one alternative that Congress has and it is called impeachment."

Holder told committee members the operation relied on "unacceptable tactics" and was "inexcusable." But Holder insisted that Justice Department officials have cooperated with congressional investigators, saying that any previous misleading information provided on the matter was not part of an intentional deception.

"It all has to do with your state of mind and whether or not you had the requisite intent to come up with something that can be considered perjury or (a) lie," Holder said.

Holder accused his GOP critics of engaging in "inflammatory and inappropriate rhetoric ... in an effort to score political points."

It's time to end "politically motivated 'gotcha' games," Holder said.

A number of Republicans have called for Holder to step down. Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar last month said the attorney general's "refusal to take responsibility for the actions of his department is inexcusable."

� 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Keywords: Attorney General Eric Holder, Fast and Furious, impeachment

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

DORIS HARTSOCK
1 year ago
does anyone remember the same eric holder was responsible for getting terrorist who murdered policemen in n.y.during the clinton presidency pardoned?these are the type of people in the obama administration.look at the so called czars obama chose.
Bob Young
1 year ago
Did the Republicans fire Karl Rove for his failure to deliver a victory in the 2008 elections?
The overwhelming support for Obama put much egg on the face of the former "loyal opposition" party. We now know the rejection of the Republican candidate was a repudiation of the Bush years for the financial havoc his administration's neglect ravaged the country.
Rob
1 year ago
Seems like attorney generals are the only ones who seem to get the axe in any administration. If he's committed an impeachable offense, get on with it already.
malcolm kyle
1 year ago
Wondering whether or not it's wise to maintain your affiliation to any one of the estimated sixteen currently-active Mexican Drug Cartels? Then maybe you should consider the following information very carefully:

As a gesture of good will vis-à-vis cross-border relations, key members of the American Federal Government have recently pledged a solemn oath, declaring their commitment to encouraging people like yourself to increase performance and productivity. In particular, the United States Department of Justice will guarantee that you achieve a respectable level of technology in both military grade weapons and equipment while actively facilitating the laundering of that swirling cascade of cash that a business like yours invariably and continually generates.

Still not convinced that during prohibition the phenomenal benefits of remaining an international drug criminal far outweigh the remotely possible, negative consequences? Here's another recent DOJ announcement, and this time written personally by their principal corporate attorney whose main priority is keeping himself out of jail:

"For nearly three years, I have been privileged to work closely with many of the most ruthless organizations to the south of our border. I am extremely proud of our record of abuse, fraud, waste and misconduct, and I pledge a continuation of all such policies that will further weaken our national security and compromise all honest efforts of law enforcement."
- Attorney General Holder.

Must we wait for a complete economic collapse to regain our "unalienable" rights?
Or is it high time we all stood up and told our government that we're pooped at being beaten and jailed in order that unconscionable Transnational Corporations can continue to addict & poison us for obscene profits?

"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Seerightthroughhim
1 year ago
Holder apparently feels he is above accountability. It was an illegal operation and he was the man at the top. Failure to step down only serves to slap Americans in the face and show how corrupt officials can get away with anything they want. But we already knew that, so fire him and if possible, charge him with anything and everything he can be charged with.

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