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By Mr. Curmudgeon:

A U.S. District Court ruling supports the House Republican’s claim that Attorney General Eric Holder is a contemptible withholder of evidence and the Obama administration’s cover-up artist extraordinaire.

Since the news of Operation Fast and Furious broke, Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Darrell Issa, has buried the Justice Department in enough subpoenas to wallpaper every office in the joint.

To date, Holder has failed to provide House investigators the names of Justice Department personnel responsible for selling weapons to Mexican drug cartels and high-level Justice officials privy to the operation.

Now, the first controversy to embroil the nation’s top law enforcement official, the New Black Panther Party case, is back in the headlines. And we have the public-interest law firm Judicial Watch to thank.

As you may recall, on Election Day 2008 a video surfaced showing members of the New Black Panther Party stationed outside the entrance to a Philadelphia voting precinct. They were wearing barrettes and paramilitary garb and wielding batons, shouting, “white devil” and “you’re about to be ruled by the back man, cracker.”

In a court affidavit obtained by Fox News, a poll watcher swore to seeing “two uniformed men confront voters and attempt to intimidate voters. They were positioned in a location that forced every voter to pass in close proximity to them. The weapon was openly displayed and brandished in plain sight of voters.”

A criminal investigation into the matter that began in the waning days of the Bush Administration was later dropped by the Justice Department’s so-called Civil Rights Commission once Holder took the reins.

“Claims were dismissed against the … defendants based on a careful assessment of the facts and the law. The department [of Justice] is committed to the vigorous prosecution of those who intimidate, threaten or coerce anyone exercising his or her sacred right to vote,” read a Justice Department statement.

J. Christian Adams, a trial attorney for the voting section at Justice, resigned in disgust. In his letter of resignation, Adams pointed to the threats leveled by Panther leaders against the attorneys that filed suit against them. “Their grievances toward us generally echo the assertions that the facts and law did not support the lawsuit against them … Knowing intimately the criminal character and violent tendencies of the members of the New Black Panther Party, it is my profound hope that these assertions are tempered.”

That was then.

Monday, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled that “political appointees within DOJ were conferring about the status and resolution of the New Black Panther Party case in the days preceding the DOJ’s dismissal of claims in the case, which would appear to contradict Assistant Attorney General Perez’s testimony that political leadership was not involved in that decision.”

And here’s where the judge alludes to the culture of stone-walling in Holder’s department: “Surely the public has an interest in documents that cast doubt on the accuracy of government officials’ representations regarding the possible politicization of agency decision-making.”

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton’s reaction to the ruling was priceless: “The Court’s decision is another piece of evidence showing the Obama Justice Department is run by individuals who have a problem telling the truth. The decision shows that we can’t trust the Obama Justice Department to fairly administer our nation’s voting and election laws.”

That’s because, as Operation Fast and Furious clearly shows, Eric Holder’s Justice Department IS a criminal enterprise.

The House voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, and House Democrats staged a walk out during the vote.

By Sari Horwitz

Posted: July 2nd, 2012

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. sharply criticized lawmakers Monday for voting to hold him in contempt of Congress last week, saying Republicans have made him a “proxy” to attack President Obama in an election year.

In his first interview since Thursday’s vote, Holder said lawmakers have used an investigation of a botched gun-tracking operation as a way to seek retribution against the Justice Department for its policies on a host of issues, including immigration, voting rights and gay marriage. He said the chairman of the committee leading the inquiry, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), is engaging in political theater as the Justice Department tries to focus on public safety.

Read More: WashingtonPost.com

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) consider whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

by Jason Howerton
The Blaze
June 29, 2012, 3:25pm

The ongoing tug-of-war between Attorney General Eric Holder and Rep. Darrell Issa (R- Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, climaxed on Thursday with a historic vote in which Congress held the attorney general in both civil and criminal contempt over his refusal to provide subpoenaed “Fast and Furious” documents.

And now less than 24-hours following the vote, it is being reported that Issa has seemingly dealt another devastating blow to the Justice Department. Roll Call reports that in a very sly move: the chairman has inserted a May 24 letter he wrote to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), in which he quotes from and explains in detail some of the content found in secret wiretap applications from the failed federal gun-walking operation, into the Congressional Record.

Issa argues the wiretap applications are extremely detailed in identifying some of the tactics employed in Fast and Furious, which Holder and the senior DOJ officials still argue they were completely unaware of even though senior Justice Department officials signed off on the applications.

Read more: The Blaze

(AP / Carolyn Kaster)

Republican compares Fast and Furious scandal to Iran Contra, Watergate. Republicans seek a contempt vote.

posted by Zeke Miller
BuzzFeed.com
Jun 11, 2012 11:01am EDT

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.

Read more: BuzzFeed.com

by Sharyl Attkisson
CBS News.com

(CBS News) CBS News has learned the House Oversight Committee will vote next week on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. It’s the fourth time in 30 years that Congress has launched a contempt action against an executive branch member.

This time, the dispute stems from Holder failing to turn over documents subpoenaed on October 12, 2011 in the Fast and Furious “gunwalking” investigation.

The Justice Department has maintained it has cooperated fully with the congressional investigation, turning over tens of thousands of documents and having Holder testify to Congress on the topic at least eight times.

However, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., says the Justice Department has refused to turn over tens of thousands of pages of documents. Those include materials created after Feb. 4, 2011, when the Justice Department wrote a letter to Congress saying no gunwalking had occurred. The Justice Department later retracted the denial.

“The Obama Administration has not asserted Executive Privilege or any other valid privilege over these materials and it is unacceptable that the Department of Justice refuses to produce them. These documents pertain to Operation Fast and Furious, the claims of whistleblowers, and why it took the Department nearly a year to retract false denials of reckless tactics,” Issa wrote in an announcement of the vote to be released shortly. It will reveal the vote is scheduled for Wednesday, June 20.

Issa says the Justice Department can still put a stop to the contempt process at any time by turning over the subpoenaed documents.

If the House Oversight Committee approves the contempt citation, the matter would likely be scheduled for a full House vote.

Read more: CBS News.com

By Matthew Boyle

House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa and House Speaker John Boehner claim reports they are moving to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress soon — and reports claiming they are working together to do so — are inaccurate.

CBS News and the Los Angeles Times reported Friday morning that Boehner had green-lighted Issa’s plans to hold Holder in contempt of Congress over Operation Fast and Furious. Holder’s Department of Justice has provided only about 7,000 of the more than 70,000 pages of documents Issa has subpoenaed related to Operation Fast and Furious.

Issa and many others on Capitol Hill have threatened for months that they will hold Holder in contempt without actually doing it. This contempt citation — whose existence was confirmed on Fox News Friday afternoon by Issa — is the first official step in moving forward with contempt proceedings.

After the initial reports, a House Republican leadership aide told The Daily Caller that the LA Times and CBS reports were inaccurate. The GOP leadership aide said that “while there are very legitimate arguments to be made in favor of such an action [holding Holder in contempt], no decision has been made to move forward with one by the Speaker or by House Republican leaders.”

Initially, a spokesperson for Issa refused TheDC’s request for comment. But just hours after TheDC published a story detailing the appearance of infighting between Issa and Boehner, a House oversight committee spokesperson backed off and said the LA Times and CBS reports were inaccurate as well.

“The Justice Department has not fully cooperated with the investigation into gunwalking that occurred in Operation Fast and Furious,” the committee spokesperson told TheDC. “The House Oversight Committee continues to make necessary preparations to hold Attorney General Holder in contempt if the Justice Department refuses to change course and stop blocking access to critical documents.”

“While the committee continues to move toward consideration of contempt, it is important to note that the next step in the process of contempt must be made by the Oversight Committee,” the spokesperson added. “Reports, based on anonymous sources, that decisions for consideration of contempt on the House floor have already been made are inaccurate.”

From  fox news :

Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged Wednesday that the “courts have final say,” and said his department would respond formally to an appeals court order to explain whether the Obama administration believes judges in fact have the power to overturn federal laws.

The attorney general, at a brief press conference in Chicago, made clear the administration thinks they do.

“We respect the decisions made by the courts since Marbury v. Madison,” Holder said Wednesday, referring to the landmark 1803 case that established the precedent of judicial review. “Courts have final say.”

Related Video:Firestorm over Obama’s comments about Supreme Court

The comments come after a three-judge panel for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to explain its position by Thursday at noon. It marked the latest escalation between the two branches of government over the federal health care overhaul, after President Obama cautioned the Supreme Court against overturning the law and warned that such an act would be “unprecedented.”

Holder said Wednesday that “we are formulating a response now” and said the department’s statement would be “appropriate.”

He also said the department is “confident health care reform will stand constitutional muster.”

From the dailycaller we know that Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House committee on Oversight and Government Reform, took a major step toward holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to provide subpoenaed documents and other information about Operation Fast and Furious.

In a Jan. 31 letter, Issa had threatened Holder with such a move if he failed to provide all the subpoenaed documents relating to the Fast and Furious gun walking scandal by Feb. 9. That deadline has come and gone, and Holder’s Department of Justice still hasn’t provided most of those documents. Issa’s subpoena dates back to Oct. 12, 2011.

In a seven-page letter, Issa revealed that Deputy Attorney General James Cole begged Congress to extend the Feb. 9 deadline. Issa wrote that the request was “ironic” and “ignores the reality that the Department has unreasonably delayed producing these documents to the Committee.”

To make a comment and to read the entire post, go here.

Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter.

Invite More of your friends.   We are spreading the information by getting new members.  Thanks.

Laura J Alcorn

National Director, America Conservative2Conservative

Visit America Conservative 2 Conservative at: http://americac2c.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

From  fox news :

Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged Wednesday that the “courts have final say,” and said his department would respond formally to an appeals court order to explain whether the Obama administration believes judges in fact have the power to overturn federal laws.

The attorney general, at a brief press conference in Chicago, made clear the administration thinks they do.

“We respect the decisions made by the courts since Marbury v. Madison,” Holder said Wednesday, referring to the landmark 1803 case that established the precedent of judicial review. “Courts have final say.”

Related Video:Firestorm over Obama’s comments about Supreme Court

The comments come after a three-judge panel for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to explain its position by Thursday at noon. It marked the latest escalation between the two branches of government over the federal health care overhaul, after President Obama cautioned the Supreme Court against overturning the law and warned that such an act would be “unprecedented.”

Holder said Wednesday that “we are formulating a response now” and said the department’s statement would be “appropriate.”

He also said the department is “confident health care reform will stand constitutional muster.”

From the dailycaller we know that Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House committee on Oversight and Government Reform, took a major step toward holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to provide subpoenaed documents and other information about Operation Fast and Furious.

In a Jan. 31 letter, Issa had threatened Holder with such a move if he failed to provide all the subpoenaed documents relating to the Fast and Furious gun walking scandal by Feb. 9. That deadline has come and gone, and Holder’s Department of Justice still hasn’t provided most of those documents. Issa’s subpoena dates back to Oct. 12, 2011.

In a seven-page letter, Issa revealed that Deputy Attorney General James Cole begged Congress to extend the Feb. 9 deadline. Issa wrote that the request was “ironic” and “ignores the reality that the Department has unreasonably delayed producing these documents to the Committee.”

To make a comment and to read the entire post, go here.

Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter.

Invite More of your friends.   We are spreading the information by getting new members.  Thanks.

Laura J Alcorn

National Director, America Conservative2Conservative

Visit America Conservative 2 Conservative at: http://americac2c.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network