Ruh Roh: Will another US Attorney Plead the Fifth?

Just received a mass e-mail from Darrell Issa's press office. It looks like the head of the criminal division for the US Attorneys Office in Arizona, Patrick Cunningham, might have his subordinate joining him in taking the fifth. Issa is now demanding access to Michael Morrissey, Assistant US Attorney in Arizona.

Via the email:

Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa demanded in  letter to  Attorney General Holder that the Justice Department make Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant United States Attorney Michael Morrissey available to speak with Committee investigators about his role in and knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious.  His supervisor, Patrick Cunningham, has stated he will exercise his Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer any questions pertaining to Operation Fast and Furious – such an assertion is extremely rare and suggests possible criminal culpability on the part of a high ranking Justice Department official.  Morrissey, who reported directly to Cunningham’s  and was intimately involved with Operation Fast and Furious.

“Since August, the Department has identified Patrick Cunningham as the best person in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to provide information about Fast and Furious to the Committee,” Issa said in his letter to Holder.  “The Department has refused to make Michael Morrissey and Emory Hurley, both Assistant United States Attorneys supervised by Mr. Cunningham, available to speak with the Committee, citing a policy of not making “line attorneys” available for congressional scrutiny.  Mr. Morrissey, however, was Mr. Hurley’s direct supervisor, and an integral part of Fast and Furious.  Importantly, both Morrissey and Hurley are unique in their possession of key factual knowledge about Fast and Furious not readily available from any other source.”

The Chairman also reiterated that the Justice Department still has not complied with the subpoenas issued to date, including subpoenaed documents from Cunningham, Morrissey and Hurley.

This scandal is about to get a whole lot more interesting if Morrissey pleads the Fifth as well. Actually, it's about to get a whole lot more interesting regardless of what Morrissey does because Eric Holder will be appearing in front of Issa's Oversight Committee on February 2nd for the first time (ironically, it's Groundhog day).

Issa's letter to Holder regarding Cunningham is HERE. His letter to Holder regarding Morrissey is HERE.