Video: Issa Compares Holder to Nixon's Attorney General

This exchange occurred at the very end of today's hearing on operation Fast and Furious. Note here that Rep. Darrell Issa is telling Holder that unless the Attorney General complies with subpoena requests for emails, documents, memos, etc. Holder will be in contempt of Congress. Holder's response was that he will respond in ways that his predecessors have responded. Issa then takes the opportunity to compare Holder to Nixon's Attorney General, John Mitchell, who was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Note the man over Holder's right shoulder when Issa mentions Mitchell. That is Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich. He is the man whose signature is at the bottom of the February 4th letter that the DOJ had to withdraw because of lies inaccuracies. Weich thinks the comparison is rather humorous.

Holder then fires back by comparing Issa to McCarthy. The irony here is that as time has gone on, McCarthy has been slowly but surely vindicated. This would mean that Holder is comparing himself to actual communists.

Anyway, this is a must-watch:


Fast and Furious hearing 12/8/11 from Water Cooler on Vimeo.

h/t Hapblog

Video: Congressman Threatens Holder with Impeachment... To his Face

In today's House Judiciary Committee hearing into operation Fast and Furious, there were several noteworthy exchanges. One of them was unquestionably between Rep. James Sensenbrenner and the man who was in front of the committee, Attorney General Eric Holder.

Sensenbrenner called attention to an increasingly high profile letter from the Department of Justice to Senator Charles Grassley on February 4th. That letter, signed by Asst Attorney General Ronald Weich, asserted that the ATF does not let guns 'walk.' The DOJ withdrew that letter last week due to 'inaccuracies.' Sensenbrenner was in no mood to split hairs between 'inaccuracies' and 'lies.'

At one point, the congressman from Wisconsin threatened impeachment if Holder and his Justice Department do not come clean. This may seem like an extreme call but the significance of the DOJ withdrawing a letter it sent to Congress ten months after it did so, cannot be overstated. In fact, it needs to be underscored. Bringing up impeachment is a good way of doing that.

Sensenbrenner nails it here.

From POLITICO via Floyd Reports:

Newt in 1988: Supported Rockefeller over Goldwater

If Newt is going to drop in the polls between now and the Iowa caucus, it's moments like these that will contribute to it.

After all the Tea Party has been through, are they really going to nominate what increasingly appears to be a Republican progressive?



h/t Floyd Reports