Live Video: Eric Holder faces Oversight Committee for the First Time today

At 9am EST today, Attorney General Eric Holder will face the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), for the very first time. Issa's office has released a Hearing Preview Statement that should give us all an idea of what to expect.

First, you can stream the video LIVE by clicking HERE at 9am EST. If you have problems viewing there, you can get the LIVE C-SPAN stream HERE.

As for the Preview Statement, here are some bullet points from the Oversight website on what to look for:

• The Justice Department has delivered fewer than 8% of the 80,000 documents we know it has identified as being related to this flawed operation.

• It has refused to allow investigators access to numerous witnesses who participated in the operation – one witness, after being served with a subpoena, invoked his Fifth Amendment right to protection against self-incrimination rather than answer questions.

• Justice Department now asserts that many documents pertaining to internal discussions and decision making about its response to Operation Fast and Furious are off-limits to investigators.

A particular area of focus appears to be documents after February 4, 2011. Holder has been adamant about the DOJ's unwillingness to release any documents pertaining to Fast and Furious from after that date. That is more than mildly curious considering the fact that the DOJ has already withdrawn a letter one of its AAG's (Ronald Weich) signed and dated February 4, 2011; they withdrew the letter because they conceded it was "inaccurate."

Thursday's hearing will feature the nation's top law enforcement official, Attorney General Eric Holder, who will be asked to explain his decision to withhold this factual evidence from investigators. What he is concerned this information would reveal? Why is the Department trying to keep its internal discussions about Operation Fast and Furious from after February 4, 2011 secret? Why did it take nearly nine months for the Justice Department to acknowledge its earlier denials were false? Why did senior Justice Department officials who knew about and received briefings on the operation fail to stop it? Should Americans have confidence in their chief law enforcement agency even though these same officials remain in their posts?

Again, the February 4, 2011 date is relevant again when an email from Lanny Breuer, AAG in charge of the Criminal Division, is factored into the mix. On the very day (Feb. 4th) that Holder allegedly informed his subordinates that no guns would be allowed to walk, Breuer sent an e-mail suggesting that..... guns be allowed to walk. Issa referenced that e-mail in a letter to Holder earlier this week.

I wrote about that here, but here is that excerpt again:

One e-mail reads, "Breuer suggested allowing straw purchasers cross into Mexico so SSP [Secretariat of Public Security] can arrest and PGR [Office of the General Prosecutor] can prosecute and convict. Such coordinated operations between the US and Mexico may send a strong message to arms traffickers." These new documents show that Breuer made this statement on February 4, 2011, the same day Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote to Congress denying that the Department allowed guns to walk.

Click HERE for the Live Stream.